BWW Recaps: The 2014 Dora Awards

The 35th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2013/2014 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 23 at Harbourfront Centre's WestJet Stage, hosted by the hilarious Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, Second City alumni and founding members of the National Theatre of the World.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. For the 2013-2014 season, 143 producing companies (up 41 from last season's 102) registered 222 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award, and the Audience Choice Award were given out.

Canadian Stage and Soulpepper Theatre Company tie to lead the pack with each taking home 7 Dora Awards; Soulpepper with 7 in the General Theatre Division and Canadian Stage with 6 in Musical Theatre and 1 in General Theatre.

In the General Theatre Division, Soulpepper Theatre Company's Of Human Bondage nabs 7 Doras including Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play (adaptation by Vern Thiessen), Outstanding Direction (Albert Schultz), Outstanding Performance-Ensemble and Outstanding Sound Design/Composition (Mike Ross). Lorenzo Savoini wins for both Outstanding Scenic Design and Outstanding Lighting Design. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's PIG scoops up 1 Dora for Outstanding Performance-Male for Bruce Dow, while Canadian Stage and Luminato Festival also earn 1 Dora each, Outstanding Performance-Female to Carly Street for Venus in Fur and Outstanding Costume Design to Ronnie Burkett for The Daisy Theatre, respectively).

In Musical Theatre and the shared Musical Theatre/Opera Division, Canadian Stage's London Road takes 6 Doras: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction (Jackie Maxwell), Outstanding Musical Direction (Reza Jacobs), Outstanding Performance-Male (Damien Atkins), Outstanding Performance-Ensemble and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Lamotte). LES MISERABLES (produced by Cameron Mackintosh, NETworks and David Mirvish) nabs 2: Outstanding Performance-Female for Melissa O'Neil and Outstanding Costume Design for Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland. Outstanding Scenic Design goes to Ken MacDonald forTarragon Theatre's Marry Me a Little.

In the Opera Division, the Canadian Opera Company sweeps with 4 Doras - 2 for Roberto Devereaux (the Dallas Opera production): Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance-Female to Sondra Radvanovsky; and 2 for Peter Grimes (the Opera Australia and Houston Grand Opera production): Outstanding Performance-Male to Alan Held and Outstanding Performance-Ensemble to the COC Chorus.
In the shared Musical Theatre/Opera Division, Outstanding New Musical/Opera goes to Joel Ivany for Against the Grain Theatre's Figaro's Wedding. Marc Kimelman nabs Outstanding Choreography for Acting Up Stage Company's Once On This Island.

Continuing the tradition of Bluma's Indies, the winners in the Independent Theatre Division each receive a $1,000 cheque from the Bluma Appel Community Trust in addition to Dora Awards. In this division, Outside the March leads the way with 3 Doras with its Vitals nabbing 2 (Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Play toRosamund Small) and its co-production (with Convergence Theatre and Sheep No Wool) of Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl picking up Outstanding Performance-Ensemble. VideoCabaret picks up 2 Doras for Trudeau and the FLQ: Outstanding Performance-Male for Mac Fyfe and Outstanding Costume Design for Astrid Janson. Cahoots Theatre also earns 2 awards (Outstanding Scenic Design to Camellia Koo for The Wanderers and Outstanding Lighting Design to Michelle Ramsayfor Sister Mary's a Dyke?!). Outstanding Direction goes to Matthew Thomas Walker for Litmus Theatre's Birth of Frankenstein while Outstanding Performance-Female goes to Claire Armstrong for The Red One Theatre Collective's After Miss Julie. John Gzowski with Jacquie P.A. Thomas and the Ensemble snag Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for Theatre Gargantua's The Sacrifice Zone.

In the Dance Division, DanceWorks leads with 3 Doras, all from its with a trace program by firstthingsfirst productions: Outstanding Performance-Female to Kate Franklin for her performance in the dance work entitled Gotta Go Church and Outstanding Lighting Design to Simon Rossiter in the same piece, while Marc Boivinpicks up Outstanding Performance-Male for his performance in WOULD. Harbourfront Centre's World Stage for Ame Henderson/Public Recordings' what we are saying earns 2 wins: Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance-Ensemble. (Harbourfront Centre's World Stage total tally is 3 Doras counting its win for Outstanding Touring Production for Yael Farber/Baxter Theatre Collective's Mies Julie). Louis Laberge-Côté nabs Outstanding Choreography for Šet même aprés(dance: made in Canada/ fait au Canada) and Dustin Peters takes Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for Malcolm (Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie).

In the Theatre for Young Audience's Division, Young People's Theatre's Sultans of the Street wins all 5 Doras: Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play toAnusree Roy, Outstanding Direction to Nina Lee Aquino, Outstanding Performance-Individual to Colin Doyle and Outstanding Performance-Ensemble.

OTHER AWARDS:
The Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. It was presented to veteran actor and director Diana Leblanc, a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada, a founding member of Soulpepper Theatre and former artistic director of Théâtre français de Toronto.

TAPA's Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, co-sponsored by NOW Magazine and Yonge-Dundas Square, was also handed out. The public was invited to vote online from a list of Outstanding Production nominees in all divisions, or choose their own favourite. Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Audience Choice Award winner is Venus In Fur, a Canadian Stage production.

For more information on the Dora Awards visit www.tapa.ca

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 14 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.