Toronto's 34th ANNUAL DORA MAVOR MOORE AWARDS Set for 6/24

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) proudly announces that the 34th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, celebrating extraordinary Toronto talent in the performing arts, will take place on Monday, June 24 at 7pm at the Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, co-hosted by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, Second City alumni and founding Co-Artistic Directors of the three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning improv company, The National Theatre of the World.

TAPA also announces that, after a 23-month assessment process and vote of its membership, this year's ceremony features 13 new award categories, bringing the total to 48 Dora Awards that will be handed out on Toronto's biggest theatre night of the year. The addition of these new awards marks an important step to celebrate all aspects of Toronto's vibrant performing arts scene. To see the full list of awards, go to http://tapa.ca/doras/dora_award_list .

The 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominees will be announced at a press conference the morning of Monday, June 3 at 10:00am at the Four Seasons Centre for the Arts, hosted by the Canadian Opera Company in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.

Co-hosts Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are Second City alumni and founding Co-Artistic Directors of the three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning improv company, The National Theatre of the World. Baram and Snieckus have also won Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) for Best Improviser, male and female respectively. Baram directs and Snieckus co-created and stars in The Casting Room web series (also a CCA winner and which recently won big at the prestigious 2013 Los Angeles WebFest picking up awards for comedy series, writing, concept, actors and guest actors). Baram also plays "Jonathan" in CITY's new hit comedy series Seed, where he plays an insecure yuppie eternally struggling to win over his daughter's care and affection. Snieckus was also nominated for a 2013 ACTRA Award for her regular series role in Mr. D, the achingly funny CBC TV hit comedy, and is a regular panelist on CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight.

TAPA is also pleased to announce the artistic team for the Dora Awards ceremony on June 24. Acclaimed and award-winning theatre director, actor, writer Ed Roy takes the helm as director for the first time while playwright Chris Earle returns for his third time as writer for the show. Lighting and scenic design is by Andrea Lundy, who returns for her twelfth consecutive year, while the Musical Director for the evening is Dora-winning composer Waylen Miki.

As always, there will be a fabulous pre-show VIP Reception, held in the Lower Lobby of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts from 5:00pm-6:30pm. Guests for this glamorous cocktail party will be greeted by Dora-nominated actor Colin Doyle and the award-winning Elley-Ray Hennessy, a veteran of stage, screen and radio. A magnificent "Under the Stars" After-Party will again be held on Front Street, which will be closed off and transformed into a giant street party.
The Doras are named for Dora Mavor Moore (1888-1979), a well-loved teacher and director who helped establish Canadian professional theatre in the 1930s and 1940s. Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto's performing arts industry, the Doras honour the creators of over 200 theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following Divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera and Theatre for Young Audiences.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). In addition to the Doras, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: T.O. TIX - Toronto's Official One Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square and online at www.totix.ca; Toronto's Official Theatre Guide; hipTIX, offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 15 and 29; citySPECIAL; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca and www.totix.ca

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