Toronto (June 1, 2020) – The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) has rescheduled its Media Announcement of the nominations for the 2020 Dora Mavor Moore Awards – Virtual Edition.
Originally slated for Wednesday June 3, the Dora nominations, which recognize excellence in professional theatre, dance and opera in Toronto, will now be released Monday June 8 at 10am on the Dora Awards YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/DoraAwards
The TAPA Board of Directors has released the following statement:
As an enduring champion of the performing arts sector in Toronto, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) aims to foster a supportive environment for all of the practitioners that we represent in professional theatre, dance and opera in the city of Toronto.
Over the past four years, we have been considering the role of our organization in equitable, diverse and inclusive change through our work with Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO). We continue to learn, respond and support diverse voices in the arts.
“In light of the recent violent transgressions against the Black community, and the subsequent demonstrations that are rippling through Toronto, Canada, the United States and the world, we are rescheduling the Dora Awards Virtual Media Announcement of the nominations for the 2019-20 season. TAPA is in solidarity with peaceful anti-racist movements and protests,” said Jacoba Knaapen, Executive Director of TAPA.
We are living in a moment of great and severe disruptions that are lessons to us for the way we live and run organizations. TAPA supports pluralism in the arts and strives to lead with practices that embrace and honour and support all narratives. The Board of Directors and the TAPA staff team have decided in this time to push the Dora Virtual Press Announcement to next week.
“As a Black woman chairing the TAPA Board of Directors, it is my utmost responsibility to invite our membership to take a stand, with me and TAPA, against racial oppression and be in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Let us give the movement the voice and space it needs to fully express the outrage and exasperation we are feeling right now,” said Régine Cadet.
The Dora Awards Virtual Press Announcement will be on Monday June 8, 10:00am and will include the 2019-20 Dora nominees, the announcements of this year’s laureate for the Pauline McGibbon Award, the recipients of the Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award, and the Victor C. Polley Protégé Award.