Thursday, April 17, 2025
4:00-6:00PM ET

Location: B-Street Arts Hub, 1100 Bathurst St. & Remote Online (Hybrid)

Registration Deadline: April 14

Facilitators:

MANDY E. MacLEAN – (she/her) is a theatremaker and access & disability arts practitioner currently living in Tkarón:to with her Cocker Spaniel, Mulder. She is a proud Maritimer, a member of the Mad Community, and lives with a non-visible disability. She is currently the Artistic & Access Producer at Crossroads Theatre and just completed her role as Dramaturgy & Accessibility Associate (Metcalf Performing Arts Foundation Intern) at Theatre Passe Muraille, where she supported the producing and creation of a variety of work with a priority on access. She is passionate about challenging traditional approaches to creative meaning-making, and her recent & upcoming theatrical works include; Assistant Director for Neither Here nor There (Sick & Twisted Theatre), Associate Dramaturg & Access Support for Blind Dates (TPM), Live Line & Producing Support for The Flin Flon Cowboy (TPM), Access Dramaturg for Flux in the City (Major Matt Mason Collective), Access Coordination for Space Mosque, and is a TDSB Creates Artist in Residence. Mandy collaborates in a variety of roles and recently served as Access Coordination for the 2024 Summer in the Park with Crossroads Theatre, coordinated a year-long access-based research project with Prologue Performing Arts and the W. Ross School for the Blind, and served as Arts Activation Coordinator for Frog in Hand’s Art Shelter: a placemaking venture in Port Credit, Ontario. She is currently developing a piece of Sensory Theatre called The Concussion Play; or How I Learned to Wait, supported by the OAC, Why Not Theatre and Tangled Arts. As Mandy collaborates and interacts with structures and practices, she believes that considering access, in all forms, can lead to exciting work and experiences for everyone.

SHANAE SODHI – (she/her) is a Punjabi artist who lives in Tkaronto where he is the Marketing & Communications Manager at Theatre Passe Muraille and a freelance producer/director. He attended Studio 58 where he was an establishing member of the school’s Student Diversity Committee, a student lead group which works to give strength to marginalized groups within the theatre community by empowering students with the tools and knowledge to engage the conversations of inclusivity around them. Since graduating, Shanae has built a career on creating work that is community oriented and bridges performance with direct action activism. Recent producing credits include: associate producer on The First Stone (New Harlem Productions), producer on Catalina La O: Ahora Conmigo (winner of the 2020 Fringe New Play Prize) and Mx by Lili Robinson (winner of the 2019 Fringe New Play Prize and Cultchivating the Fringe Award). Select directing credits include: Panoptikon by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (New Harlem Productions), Selective Memories by Todd Simmons (From the Corner Productions).

Follow the link below for more information and don’t forget to sign up as we only have a limited number of places available.

The Dora Awards are peer-nominated by respected members of Toronto’s professional performing arts community. Jurors include performers, designers, directors, producers, administrators, arts educators and more, representing a spectrum of ages, gender identities, sexualities, experience, training, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and company affiliations.

May 28, 2025
NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT
10 a.m. ET at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.

A complete list of the 2025 nominations will be available at www.tapa.ca/doras immediately following the announcement. The 2025 press conference will also announce recipients of the following:

• The Pauline McGibbon Award, for an Ontario resident professional artist (in 2025, a craftsperson will be honoured) in the early stages of their career.
• The Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award, a bi-annual award recognizing the important work of theatre, dance and opera administrators, and its protégé prize the Victor C. Polley Award.
• The Christine Karcza Disability Leadership Award, a bi-annual award administered by TAPA and presented to an individual who identifies as d/Deaf, Mad or d/Disabled and has demonstrated the advancement of accessibility initiatives in the arts.
• The Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant, a $25,000 annual grant to recognize advances in theatrical design and the promotion of environmental sustainability in live theatre.

Voting will also open for the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award sponsored by Now Toronto, here. Voting starts at 11:30 a.m. ET on May 28, and will be open until Monday, June 23.

For additional information on the 45^th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation, please visit tapa.ca/doras.

Connect and Share: BlueSky; Instagram; Facebook: #Doras2025

About the Dora Mavor Moore Awards

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 numerous theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera, Theatre for Young Audiences, Touring and Innovation.

The Dora 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: Annual Arts Week at the City, hipTIX (offering $10 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), TAPA RBC Emerging Artists Mentorship Program (TREAM), and the professional development TAPA Trade Series.

For images of past Dora Awards, please click here.

For Media Requests:

Katie Saunoris | KSPR

katiesaunoris@gmail.com

To request media credentials for Dora events, please email Katie Saunoris.

Peter Fernandes will host the
45^th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards
presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation
Monday, June 30 at Meridian Hall in Toronto

The 45th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation will be held Monday, June 30 at Toronto’s Meridian Hall (1 Front Street East). The show will be hosted by one of Canadian theatre’s busiest and beloved actors, Peter Fernandes. A Dora Award-winning artist most recently celebrated for his role as Juicy in James Ijames’s Fat Ham at Canadian Stage, Peter is well known for his broad range of skill across roles and theatrical genres. This will be his first time hosting the Dora Awards.

Says Fernandes: “It’s a huge honour to be hosting the forty-fifth Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards! I was so thrilled when I got the call that I said yes almost immediately—and have spent every second since anxiously pacing around my house, wondering what I’ve gotten myself into. But the truth is, theatre is what gave younger me a community. It gave me space to be big, bold, unsure and joyful, and surrounded me with people doing the same. Hosting a night that celebrates the community that welcomed me feels incredibly special. So, am I terrified? Yes. But mostly, I can’t wait!”

The Dora Awards, Canada’s largest and oldest awards program, celebrates the incredible talent within Toronto’s professional theatre, dance, and opera communities. The 45^th anniversary celebration will include 43 gender-inclusive award categories across seven divisions to honour the remarkable artistry of the 2024-2025 season. Learn more at tapa.ca/doras.

The Dora Awards are peer-nominated by respected members of Toronto’s professional performing arts community. Jurors include performers, designers, directors, producers, administrators, arts educators and more, representing a spectrum of ages, gender identities, sexualities, experience, training, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and company affiliations.

Monday, June 30, 2025
The 45^th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation CEREMONY AND AWARD PRESENTATION Hosted by Peter Fernandes, featuring special guests and VIP presenters, the event will start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will acknowledge the recipients of 43 award categories across seven distinct divisions, as well as the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award winner, and the Silver Ticket Award for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the stage in the Toronto area. The Dora Awards After-Party will be held at Meridian Hall immediately after the awards ceremony, with live music, entertainment, food, and a cash bar.

For additional information on the 45^th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation, please visit tapa.ca/doras.

Connect and Share: BlueSky; Instagram; Facebook: #Doras2025

About Peter Fernandes: Peter Fernandes was born in Bahrain, raised in Edmonton, and now calls Toronto home. Recent Credits include: FAT HAM (Canadian Stage), One Man Two Guvnors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Damn Yankees, Charley’s Aunt, A Christmas Carol, The Russian Play, Brigadoon (Shaw Festival); The Bidding War, The Master Plan and Fifteen Dogs (Crow’s Theatre); Almost a Full Moon, Peter and the Starcatcher (Citadel); Rose, Father Comes Home From the Wars, Alligator Pie (Canadian Tour), Incident at Vichy, The Just, Marat/Sade, The Dybbuk, Spoon River, Tartuffe, The Crucible, Idiot’s Delight (Soulpepper); Vietgone (RMTC); Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love and Information, Twelfth Night, King Lear (Canadian Stage); Jerusalem (Outside the March/Company Theatre); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! (MTYP); Onegin (NAC/Musical Stage); Passing Strange (Musical Stage/Obsidian); Evil Dead: The Musical (Hit & Myth/Ground Zero). FILM/TV: God of Frogs, 21 Black Futures, Pretty Hard Cases, Odd Squad. TRAINING: BFA, University of Alberta; Soulpepper Academy. AWARDS: Dora Award – Outstanding Performer in a Featured Role for Rose (2019 – Soulpepper Theatre).

About the Dora Mavor Moore Awards

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 numerous theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera, Theatre for Young Audiences, Touring and Innovation.

The Dora 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: Annual Arts Week at the City, hipTIX (offering $10 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), TAPA RBC Emerging Artists Mentorship Program (TREAM), and the professional development TAPA Trade Series.

For images of past Dora Awards, please click here.

For Media Requests:

Katie Saunoris | KSPR

katiesaunoris@gmail.com

To request media credentials for Dora events, please email Katie Saunoris.