Red Velvet leads General Theatre Division with 2 Doras including Outstanding Production and Outstanding Direction. UNCLE VANYA , Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, PRODIGAL, our place, Queen Goneril, Little Dickens, and Choir Boy all pick up 1 Award
First Métis Man of Odesa heads the Independent Theatre Division with 3 Doras including Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play, and Outstanding Direction. Love You Wrong Time picks up 2 Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble and Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Alice in Wonderland scores high in the Musical Theatre Division with 6 Dora Awards including Outstanding Production, Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role, Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Design, and Outstanding Original Choreography
There is a tie in the Opera Division with Bluebeard’s Castle and Macbeth earning 3 Dora Awards each. Bluebeard’s Castle takes home Outstanding Production while Macbeth wins the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble category
Sex Dalmatian went 3 for 3, taking home 3 Dora Awards from their 3 nominations in the Dance Division with Outstanding Production, Outstanding Original Choreography, and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
The Darkest Dark picks up 2 Doras in the Theatre For Young Audiences Division for Outstanding Production and Outstanding Achievement in Design. Bentboy, Snow White, Finding Home: A Salmon Journey up the Humber River, and Romeo and Juliet. And Action all pick up 1 Award each in the Division
Kid Koala: The Storyville Mosquito collects the Outstanding Touring Production Dora for the Touring Division
Allen MacInnis named as 2023 Silver Ticket Award Laureate
da Kink In My Hair wins the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award
Native Earth Performing Arts named as the inaugural recipient of the Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant for their production of Women of the Fur Trade
The 43rd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards ceremony and award presentation hosted by Craig Lauzon occurred at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, Koerner Hall, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The celebration happened at 7:30 PM EST where the recipients of the 46 award categories across 7 Dora Divisions were lauded by their peers. Attendees were entertained by musical guest the Jason Wilson Quartet. The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award and the Silver Ticket Award recipients were also recognized. The Dora Awards After-Party celebration commenced immediately after the awards ceremony in the Leslie and Anna Dan Galleria of the Koerner Hall lobby.
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), had 228 total nominations and 149 eligible productions registered. This year represents the first full year of fall-to-spring performances since the 2018-2019 season.
And the recipients of the 2023 Dora Mavor Moore Awards are:
Below are the recipients of each category. An underline on multiple producer lists indicates the TAPA member(s) company.
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION RECIPIENTS
The recipients of Outstanding Production in each of the divisions are as follows:
General Theatre: Red Velvet, Crow’s Theatre
Independent Theatre: First Métis Man of Odesa, A Punctuate! Theatre Production, In Association with The Theatre Centre
Musical Theatre: Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Opera: Bluebeard’s Castle, Against the Grain Theatre
Dance: Sex Dalmatian, Citadel + Compagnie
Theatre for Young Audiences: The Darkest Dark, Young People’s Theatre
Touring Production: Kid Koala: The Storyville Mosquito, TO Live presents Kid Koala
GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION
Nominated for 6 Doras, Red Velvet produced by Crow’s Theatre comes out on top of the Division with 2 Awards.
Outstanding Production: Red Velvet, Crow’s Theatre
Outstanding New Play: Kanika Ambrose, our place, A Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille Co-production
Outstanding Direction: Cherissa Richards, Red Velvet, Crow’s Theatre
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role: Vanessa Sears, Queen Goneril, Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Dan Mousseau, PRODIGAL, Produced by The Howland Company, in association with Crow’s Theatre
Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Julie Fox and Joshua Quinlan (scenic), UNCLE VANYA, Crow’s Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design: Ronnie Burkett, Little Dickens, Canadian Stage presents a production of Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes
Outstanding Lighting Design: Lorenzo Savoini, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Crow’s Theatre and Modern Times Stage Company
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Kate DeLorme (sound design); Floydd Ricketts (Composer):, Choir Boy, Canadian Stage and Arts Club Theatre Company (Vancouver)
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INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION
First Métis Man of Odesa, A Punctuate! Theatre Production, in association with The Theatre Centre, leads the Independent Theatre Division with 3 Dora Awards from 5 nominations. Love You Wrong Time from Nightwood Theatre, receives 2 Doras from 5 nominations.
Outstanding Production: First Métis Man of Odesa, A Punctuate! Theatre Production, in association with The Theatre Centre
Outstanding New Play: Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova, First Métis Man of Odesa, A Punctuate! Theatre Production, in association with The Theatre Centre
Outstanding Direction: Lianna Makuch, First Métis Man of Odesa, A Punctuate! Theatre Production, in association with The Theatre Centre
Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Haley McGee, The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale, Never Mind the Noise, Presented by Soulpepper in association with Outside the March and red light district
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of Maddie Bautista, Deanna H. Choi, Love You Wrong Time, Bad Muse Collective presented by Nightwood Theatre
Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Echo Zhou (scenic); and Emily Jung (projection), Between a Wok and a Hot Pot, Cahoots Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design: Jung-Hye Kim, The Chinese Lady, Studio 180 Theatre and fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company in association with Crow’s Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design: André du Toit, Broken Shapes, The Theatre Centre and Broken Shapes Collective
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Deanna H. Choi and Maddie Bautista, Love You Wrong Time, Bad Muse Collective presented by Nightwood Theatre
MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION
Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre, leads the Musical Theatre Division with 6 Doras from 13 nominations. The Shape of Home, Crow’s Theatre presents County Stage Company, earns 2 Doras in the Division.
Outstanding Production: Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre,presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role: Hailey Gillis, The Shape of Home, Crow’s Theatre presents County Stage Company
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Tess Benger, Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding New Musical: Fiona Sauder (book); Landon Doak and Victor Pokinko (music), Matt Pilipiak (dramaturg), Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding Musical Direction: Frank Cox-O’Connell, Beau Dixon, Hailey Gillis, Marni Jackson, Raha Javanfar and Andrew Penner, The Shape of Home, Crow’s Theatre presents County Stage Company
Outstanding Direction: Sue Miner, with associate directors Matt Pilipiak and Fiona Sauder, Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Design: Ming Wong (costume), Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
Outstanding Original Choreography: Cameron Carver, Alice In Wonderland, Bad Hats Theatre, presented by Soulpepper Theatre
OPERA DIVISION
Bluebeard’s Castle, Against the Grain Theatre and Macbeth, Canadian Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Chicago, both received 3 Doras.
Outstanding Production: Bluebeard’s Castle, Against the Grain Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Gerald Finley, Bluebeard’s Castle, Against the Grain Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Macbeth, Canadian Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Chicago
Outstanding Musical Direction: Speranza Scappucci, Macbeth, Canadian Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Chicago
Outstanding Direction: Daisy Evans, Bluebeard’s Castle, Against the Grain Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Design: David Finn (lighting), Macbeth, Canadian Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Chicago
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DANCE DIVISION
Heading home with the perfect track record, Sex Dalmatian, Citadel + Compagnie, takes home 3 Dora Awards from their 3 nominations to lead the Division.
Outstanding Production: Sex Dalmatian, Citadel + Compagnie
Outstanding Original Choreography: Alyssa Martin,Sex Dalmatian, Citadel + Compagnie
Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Morgyn Aronyk-Schell, Julie et l’univers, Citadel + Compagnie
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of Drew Berry, Brayden Jamil Cairns, Sam Grist, Pony Nicole Herauf, Natasha Poon Woo, Morgyn Aronyk-Schell Steph Harkness, and Eliajah Stefura,Sex Dalmatian, Citadel + Compagnie
Outstanding Original Sound Composition: Rick Sacks with Julian Cote, Pura Fé, Marie Gaudet, Marc Merilianen, and Pierre Mongeon, Miigis: Underwater Panther, Red Sky Performance in association with Canadian Stage
Outstanding Achievement in Design: Louise Potiki Bryant, Shane Powless, and Emma Lopez (projection), Homelands, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION
The Darkest Dark, Young People’s Theatre received 2 Dora Awards out of 6 nominations.
Outstanding Production: The Darkest Dark, Young People’s Theatre
Outstanding New Play: Morgan Brie Johnson and Alexandra Simpson, Finding Home: A Salmon Journey up the Humber River, Animacy Theatre Collective and Theatre Direct, presented by Theatre Direct
Outstanding Direction: Eric Coates, Bentboy, Young People’s Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Amanda Cordner, Snow White, Young People’s Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of Gugun Deep Singh, Suzanne Roberts Smith, Andrea Massoud, Jamar Adams-Thompson, Deivan Steele, and Arielle Zamora, Romeo and Juliet. And Action, Shakespeare In Action
Outstanding Achievement in Design: Daniele Guevara (projection), The Darkest Dark, Young People’s Theatre
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TOURING DIVISION
The Outstanding Touring Production award was presented at the Dora VIP Reception on June 9th 2023. The recipient was Kid Koala: The Storyville Mosquito, TO Live presents Kid Koala.
SILVER TICKET AWARD PRESENTED:
The Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. It entitles the recipient to a lifetime of theatre tickets to any TAPA member company production. This year’s Silver Ticket recipient is Allen MacInnis. MacInnis has had remarkable impact as a visionary artist, compelling educator and inspiring leader most notably in the theatre for young audiences community. For over 40 years MacInnis’s passion and commitment to the community has inspired generations.
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JON KAPLAN AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD PRESENTED:
TAPA’s Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, in honour of the beloved, long-time theatre critic Jon Kaplan and supported by Now PlayingToronto, was given out at the ceremony and selected by the general public via online vote. Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award winner by an overwhelming majority is da Kink In My Hair, TO Live and Soulpepper Theatre Company.
RAY FERRIS INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY GRANT AWARDED:
The Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant is an annual grant awarded to a Toronto-based producing company selected by the committee based on a detailed production/project proposal, recognizing advances in theatrical design and the promotion of sustainability in live theatre. The inaugural recipient, Native Earth Performing Arts, received a cash grant of $25,000 towards innovative sustainability elements for their in-person live theatre production of Women of the Fur Trade. The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the grant and TAPA acts as the administrator.
Twitter – @DoraAwards #DoraAwards #Doras2023