Winners Announced for Toronto's 2020 Dora Awards!
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 30, 2020
The annual Dora Awards celebrate excellence in professional theatre, dance and opera in a ceremony that includes 46 Dora Awards, the Silver Ticket Award, and the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award. Even though the 2019-2020 season was sadly truncated in the wake of the pandemic, Toronto stages still saw 135 producing companies present 160 eligible productions, representing 85% of productions registered for the Dora Awards.
S RECIPIENT LIST:
GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production General Theatre Division
The Brothers Size, Soulpepper Theatre Company
Outstanding New Play General Theatre Division
Anosh Irani Buffoon
Outstanding Direction General Theatre Division
Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu The Brothers Size
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role General Theatre Division
Anand Rajaram Buffoon
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role General Theatre Division
Daren A. Herbert The Brothers Size
Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design General Theatre Division
Scenic Design: Ken MacKenzie Almighty Voice and His Wife
Outstanding Costume Design General Theatre Division
Rachel Forbes The Brothers Size
Outstanding Lighting Design General Theatre Division
Lorenzo Savoini Julius Caesar
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Kobèna Aquaa-Harrison, Waleed Abdulhamid, Jasmyn Fyffe, Thomas Ryder Payne The Brothers SizeINDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production Independent Theatre Division
Marjorie Prime Coal Mine Theatre
Outstanding New Play Independent Theatre Division
Keith Barker This Is How We Got Here
Outstanding Direction Independent Theatre Division
Stewart Arnott Marjorie Prime
Outstanding Performance by an Individual Independent Theatre Division
Alexander Thomas Between Riverside and Crazy
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Independent Theatre Division
Ensemble of Casimir and Caroline The Howland Company
Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design Independent Theatre Division
Scenic Design: Melissa Joakim Prophecy Fog
Outstanding Costume Design Independent Theatre Division
Ken MacKenzie Casimir and Caroline
Outstanding Lighting Design Independent Theatre Division
Nick Blais Marjorie Prime
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition Independent Theatre Division
Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski Box 4901
MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production Musical Theatre Division
Piaf/Dietrich David Mirvish
Outstanding New Musical Musical Theatre Division
Landon Doak, Matthew Finlan Life in a Box
Outstanding Direction Musical Theatre Division
Marie Farsi Ghost Quartet
Outstanding Musical Direction Musical Theatre Division
Adam Sakiyama Sunday in the Park with George
Outstanding Original Choreography Musical Theatre Division
Julie Tomaino The Adventures of Pinocchio
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role Musical Theatre Division
Jully Black Caroline, or Change
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role Musical Theatre Division
Vanessa Sears Caroline, or Change
Outstanding Achievement in Design Musical Theatre Division
Lighting Design: Patrick Lavender Ghost Quartet
OPERA DIVISION
Outstanding Production Opera Division
Rusalka Canadian Opera Company
Outstanding New Opera Opera Division
Librettist: Yvette Nolan; Composer: Dean Burry Shanawdithit
Outstanding Direction Opera Division
David McVicar Rusalka
Outstanding Musical Direction Opera Division
Johannes Debus Rusalka
Outstanding Performance by an Individual Opera Division
Marnie Breckenridge Jacqueline
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Opera Division
Ensemble of Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártnit
Co-produced by Soundstreams, Signal Theatre and the Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš
Outstanding Achievement in Design Opera Division
Lighting Design: David Finn Rusalka
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION
Outstanding Production Theatre for Young Audiences Division
The Mush Hole Kaha:wi Dance Theatre presented by Young People's Theatre
Outstanding New Play Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Santee Smith The Mush Hole
Outstanding Direction Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Santee Smith The Mush Hole
Outstanding Performance by an Individual Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Malindi Ayienga You and I
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Ensemble of The Mush Hole Kaha:wi Dance Theatre presented by Young People's Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Design Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Projection Design: Ryan Webber, Shane Powless The Mush Hole
DANCE DIVISION
Outstanding Production Dance Division
hollow mountain Rock Bottom Movement
Outstanding Original Choreography Dance Division
Crystal Pite Angels' Atlas with Chroma & Marguerite and Armand: Angels' Atlas
Outstanding Performance by an Individual Dance Division
Josh Martin dance: made in canada/fait au canada - Mrozewski Series: Leftovers
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Dance Division
Ensemble of hollow mountain Rock Bottom Movement
Outstanding Original Sound Composition Dance Division
Eliot Britton and Rick Sacks AF
Outstanding Achievement in Design Dance Division
Scenic Design: Jay Gower Taylor
Angels' Atlas with Chroma & Marguerite and Armand: Angels' Atlas
TOURING DIVISION
Outstanding Touring Production
Us/Them
BRONKS and Richard Jordan Productions with Theatre Royal Plymouth and Big in Belgium presented by Mirvish Productions
Master theatrical tailor, cutter and costume maker Marvin Schlichting was presented with the Silver Ticket Award at the 2020 Dora Awards - Virtual Edition, streamed online Monday evening, June 29 on the Dora Awards YouTube channel.
Established in 1980, the Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. Administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), the Silver Ticket Award is given to an individual selected by a committee made up of previous winners and it entitles the recipient to a lifetime of tickets to any TAPA member company production.
Marvin Schlichting has spent 45 years in the pursuit of quality tailoring and costuming in the performing arts. As a result of his demonstrated breadth and depth of achievement, he is one of the most sought-after tailors in the business. His contributions in his field have been unparalleled. He has built costumes for countless theatrical productions - from Mirvish Productions and Soulpepper Theatre Company to the Shaw and Stratford Festivals and more. The stockrooms and archives of this country are full with creations that have come from his imaginative mind and skilled hands.
Mr. Schlichting completed a year at The National Theatre School in Montreal after graduating from Douglas College in Surrey, B.C. in Graphics and Design. Overlapping his time in Montreal, he was a summer student at the Banff Centre for the Arts for four years in theatre production, after which he apprenticed at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, and then the Shaw Festival. Soon after, Marvin arrived at the Stratford Festival to spend over 20 years as a resident tailor and cutter where some of his last shows in 2000 included Hamlet, Tartuffe and Fiddler on the Roof. In the off-seasons, he worked with various dance and theatre companies across the country.
After Stratford, Marvin moved to Toronto to work as Lead Tailor/Costumer at Seamless Costumes, a division of Mirvish Productions, where The Lion King quickly became a significant project for him, resulting in residencies in Singapore, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.
His expertise was also on display in Mirvish's The Sound of Music, Hairspray, Mary Poppins and many more. When Seamless Costumes transitioned to an independent company, he continued to produce work for theatre, film and opera as the sole tailor for Seamless including Beetlejuice and Hello Dolly for Broadway and the Warner Bros. film Fantastic Beasts. Tailoring Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland and Mick Jagger for the Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon tour were highlights along the way.
During his tenure at Stratford, Marvin had also established his own company called Felsen in 1990. Since 2019, Felsen has become Marvin's main focus in costume production where he continues to work his magic, most recently for the Canadian Opera Company's Rusalka.
Marvin is renowned for his skill and love of his craft. His approach is always collaborative and holistic, focused on the needs of each show, each actor and each designer. Designers trust that their costumes will be realized and brought to life; actors are aided in assuming their characters in his fittings.
And budding tailors and costumers grow and thrive because of his training and support. Mr. Schlichting has always felt it important to pass on his knowledge to the next generation to keep alive the art of theatrical tailoring. He has devoted much time to teaching his craft to tailors and cutters in various workshops and seminars at Ryerson Theatre School, regional theatres, and the Stratford and Shaw Festivals.
Previous winners of the Silver Ticket Award are listed here: https://tapa.ca/dora-awards/awards/silver-ticket-award/ .
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