39th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards

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Doras
/By / Jun 25, 2018
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The Dora Mavor Moore Awards—named after the pioneering Canadian actor, teacher and director—celebrate outstanding work in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. This year marks 39 years of Dora Awards and the final year before the male/female performance award categories become gender neutral. The awards were hosted by Astrid Van Wieren at the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre.

UPDATE: Here are the Dora recipients for the General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences divisions. For a full list of nominees and recipients, visit the TAPA website.

The liveblog is below.

General Theatre

Outstanding Production:

Outstanding New Play:

Outstanding Direction:

Outstanding Male Performance:

Outstanding Female Performance:

Outstanding Ensemble Performance:

Outstanding Scenic Design:

Outstanding Costume Design:

Outstanding Lighting Design:

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition:

Independent Theatre

Outstanding Production:

Outstanding New Play:

Outstanding Direction:

Outstanding Male Performance:

Outstanding Female Performance:

Outstanding Ensemble Performance:

Outstanding Scenic Design:

Outstanding Costume Design:

Outstanding Lighting Design:

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition:

Musical Theatre

Outstanding Production

Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Outstanding Performance – Male

Evan Buliung, Fun Home (The Musical Stage Company presented by David Mirvish)

Outstanding Performance – Female

Tracy Michailidis, Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Outstanding Performance – Ensemble

The Ensemble: Neema Bickersteth, Barb Fulton, Anika Johnson, Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Outstanding New Musical/Opera

Britta Johnson, Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Outstanding Direction (Musical/Opera)

Robert McQueen, Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Outstanding Scenic Design (Musical/Opera)

Ken MacDonald, The Overcoat – a musical tailoring (Canadian Stage co-production with Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera)

Outstanding Costume Design (Musical/Opera)

Zane Pihlström, Orphée (Against the Grain Theatre in association with the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and Opera Columbus)

Outstanding Lighting Design (Musical/Opera)

Alan Brodie, The Overcoat – a musical tailoring (Canadian Stage co-production with Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera)

Outstanding Choreography (Musical/Opera)

Austin McCormick, Orphée (Against the Grain Theatre in association with the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and Opera Columbus)

Outstanding Musical Direction (Musical/Opera)

Lynne Shankel and Reza Jacobs, Life After (Co-produced by The Musical Stage Company, Canadian Stage and Yonge Street Theatricals)

Theatre for Young Audiences

Outstanding Production

Instant (Young People’s Theatre presents Geordie Productions)

Outstanding New Play

Christine Quintana, Selfie (Young People’s Theatre)

Outstanding Direction

Chanda Gibson, Les Zinspirés: six dégres de séparation (Théâtre français de Toronto)

Outstanding Performance – Individual

Jamie Robinson, Risky Phil (Young People’s Theatre)

Outstanding Performance – Ensemble

The Ensemble: Christopher Allen, Rachel Mutombo, Caroline Toal, Selfie (Young People’s Theatre)

Ancillary Award Winners

Leonard McHardy & John Harvey Award for Leadership in Administration:

  • Sue Balint, Aluna Theatre

Pauline McGibbon Award for Unique Talents and Potential for Excellence:

  • Sarah Conn

Liveblog

We covered the Dora Awards live on Monday May 25th from the Elgin’s Winter Garden Theatre. The awards were hosted by award-winning actor Astrid Van Wieren.

7:38 – The crowd fills the theatre while ushers encourage people to take their seats so the show can begin.

7:43 – The lights are out and the crowd is rowdy, here we go!

7:47 – Host Astrid Van Wieren connects with a room of storytellers, “I’m on Broadway and trust me no one is more surprised than I am. Some days you’re catered to, some days you’re catering.”

7:50 – “I am 53 and I have never worked more than I have in the last five years,” Astrid Van Wieren says to a round of applause.

7:51 – “The revolution has come and we’re not going back and it couldn’t come soon enough,” says Astrid Van Wieren #TimesUp

7:58 – Astrid Van Wieren returns to the stage—after a musical interlude from a chorus of Sheridan College Music Theatre performers—in a gown she describes as “sparkly eggplant chic.”

8:03 – Outstanding Male Peformance – Independent Theatre

8:05 – Outstanding Female Performance – Independent Theatre

  • Winner: Raven Dauda, Addicted (Adedo Collective and the Watah Theatre)
  • “Watah Theatre, you have profoundly changed and blessed my life. […] Love is truly all there is. Many of us worldwide suffer from addictions, so if you come across one of us, just give us a hug, say a prayer.”

8:07 – Outstanding Ensemble Performance – Independent Theatre

8:10 – Outstanding Direction – Independent Theatre

  • Jill Harper and Patricia Allison, pool (no water) (Cue6 Theatre)
  • “I just quickly want to commend Cue6 and Shakespeare in the Ruff for hiring me shortly after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I just want to preach accessibility and inclusion and diversity.” – Patricia Allison

8:16 – Outstanding Performance by an Individual in the Theatre for Young Audience Division

8:21 – The Ensemble of Selfie (Young People’s Theatre) wins for Outstanding Performance in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division.

8:25 – Maureen Adamson (Deputy Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport) presents the Pauline McGibbon Award for Unique Talents and Potential for Excellence to Ottawa-based director and theatre creator Sarah Conn.

8:28 – It’s time to celebrate some milestones! 15 years for fu-gen Theatre Company, 30 years for Toronto Fringe, 35 years for Native Earth Performing Arts, 50 years for Theatre Passe Muraille, 100 years for Alumnae Theatre and many, many more.

8:36 – Britta Johnson wins Outstanding New Musical/Opera for Life After: “I started writing this show when I was 18 at the Paprika Festival. […] Putting this show together with all of you was the best part of my time on earth.”

8:39 – Outstanding New Play in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division goes to Christine Quintana for Selfie.

8:42 – Chanda Gibson wins for Outstanding Direction (Theatre for Young Audiences Division) for Les Zinspirés: six dégres de séparation.

8:45 – Oustanding Scenic Design (Independent Theatre)

  • Winner: Michael Gianfrancesco, strangers, babies (Theatre PANIK)

8:46 – Outstanding Costume Design (Independent Theatre)

Winner: Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton, Mr. Truth (Why Not Theatre/Lester Trips)

8:48 – Outstanding Sound Design (Independent Theatre)

  • Winner: Ron Kelly, Situational Anarchy (Presgang/Pandemic Theatre)
  • Playwright/performer of Situational Anarchy Graham Isador is trapped in an airport and Ron Kelly has just had a baby named Arthur, so Jivesh Parasram prompted the audience to shout “we love you Garm*, we love you Ron and we love you Arthur,” as he filmed the house.
  • *Graham hates being called ‘Garm’

8:50 – Outstanding Lighting Design (Independent Theatre)

8:52 – Outstanding New Play (Independent Theatre)

8:55 – Lisa Horner, Astrid Van Wieren’s favourite brunch partner and former Ryerson classmate, takes the stage. They share a role in Come From Away Lisa plays Beulah in Toronto while Astrid plays Beulah on Broadway. They sing “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman with the Sheridan College chorus.

9:07 – A haunting and somber memorial moment is performed by award-winning Canadian dancer and choreographer Peggy Baker.

9:10 – The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production of 2018 goes to Jerusalem.

9:15 – Alana Bridgewater and Morris Panych present for Oustanding Musical Direction. Lynne Shankel and Reza Jacobs win for Life After. 

9:18 – Double nominee Michaela Washburn wins for Outstanding Female Performance (General Theatre) for Confederation & Riel (VideoCabaret, with Soulpepper).

  • “I want to close with this, Louis Riel said, ‘My people will sleep for 100 years and when they awake it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.’ We are those artists. I am humbled and grateful to be among you. If you’re an ally, do your research, check in with the people you are trying to support and make sure they need what you are trying to offer.”

9:22 – The Ensemble of Jerusalem wins for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in the General Theatre category.

9:25 – Jerusalem (Outside the March/Company Theatre production, with Starvox Entertainment) wins its third Dora of the evening with Kim Coates accepting the award for Outstanding Male Performance (General Theatre).

9:28 – Make that 4 Doras for Jerusalem. Outstanding Direction in the General Theatre Division goes to Mitchell Cushman.

9:42 – “This art form is my way into myself, and into the world,” Peggy Baker wins for Outstanding Performance Female, Dance.

9:47 – Outstanding Performance Male (Musical Theatre)

  • Evan Buliung wins for Fun Home
  • “Every day in the newspaper I see them talk about repealing the sex ed [curriculum] and they can fuck off. You can’t regress, you can go forward.”

9:52 – Outstanding Performance Female (Musical Theatre)

  • Tracy Michailidis wins for Life After – “Doing a show about grief makes you want to celebrate every single moment.”

9:55 – Outstanding Performance, Ensemble (Musical Theatre)

  • The Ensemble of Life After

9:57 – Outstanding Direction, Musical Theatre/Opera Division

  • Robert McQueen wins for Life After, the fourth Dora Award for this production.

10:00– Outstanding Costume Design, General Theatre

  • Ken MacKenzie wins his second Dora of the night for Animal Farm (Soulpepper)
  • “If there is a place this award belongs, it is in the production department at Soulpepper. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to them.”

10:03 – The fifth Dora for Jerusalem goes to André du Toit for Outstanding Lighting Design (General Theatre).

10:06 – Outstanding Sound Design/Composition (General Theatre)

10:08 – Outstanding Scenic Design (General Theatre)

  • Nick Blais for Jerusalem 

10:10 – Outstanding New Play (General Theatre)

  • Evalyn Parry and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory win for Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools (Buddies in Bad Times/Theatre Passe Muraille)
  • “My great-grandmother said thinking of herself and thinking of her now great-great-grandchildren, we all came from one egg. We have so much to love and so much to mourn.” – Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory
  • “It is beautiful to be acknowledged for a play that was created in such an unconventional way […] Nunavut is the only territory that doesn’t have a performing arts centre, you can donate online and support Qaggiavuut.” – Evalyn Parry.

10:17 – Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

10:22 – Jane Marsland presents the Silver Ticket Award to David Fox.

10:27 – Outstanding Production, Independent Theatre

10:32 – Outstanding Production, Musical Theatre

  • Life After wins their sixth Dora Award of the night

10:40 – Outstanding Production, General Theatre

  • Jerusalem closes the night with 7 Awards.

10:40 – “Get out!” – Astrid Van Wieren. That’s a wrap, folks! Until next year.

Bailey Green
WRITTEN BY

Bailey Green

Bailey is the former editor-in-chief of Intermission. She's a bilingual actor and writer originally from St. Lazare, Quebec. She hoards books, lives north of Bloor, and spends way too much money on bubble tea.

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