Canadian Opera Company Tops 2016 Dora Awards; All the Winners!

The 37th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2015-2016 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 27 at Harbourfront Centre's Concert Stage, hosted by two-time Dora Award winner and leading actor, Bruce Dow. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

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 2015-2016 season, 113 producing companies registered 221 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award and the Audience Choice Award were given out.

The Canadian Opera Company leads the pack, taking home 8 Dora Awards (5 for Siegfried - including Outstanding Production in the Opera Division - and 3 for La Traviata). Young People's Theatre earns second spot with 5 Doras (including Outstanding Production in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division for Goodnight Moon). Canadian Stage follows closely with 4 wins (including Outstanding Production for Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom in the General Theatre Division, Outstanding Production for Betroffenheit in the Dance Division and Outstanding Touring Production for Cold Blood). David Mirvish and Tarragon Theatre each tally in with 3 awards including Outstanding Production for Mirvish's Kinky Boots in the Musical Theatre Division and Outstanding New Play to Kat Sandler for Tarragon's Mustard in the General Theatre Division.

The details for each division are below:

In the General Theatre Division, Tarragon Theatre leads the division with 3 Dora Awards with its production of Mustard garnering 2 hits - Outstanding New Play for Kat Sandler and Outstanding Performance - Male for Anand Rajaram - while its Blind Date nabs 1 for Outstanding Performance - Female for Rebecca Northan.

Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre and VideoCabaret follow with 2 Dora Awards each in this division. Canadian Stage earns Outstanding Production for Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom (a Canadian Stage production in collaboration with the Department of Theatre in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design at York University) and Outstanding Scenic Design goes to Judith Bowden for Chimerica. (As noted above, Canadian Stage garners 4 in total with 1 in the Dance Division and 1 in Touring.)

For Salt-Water Moon, Factory Theatre nabs Outstanding Direction to Ravi Jain while Jennifer Lennon earns Outstanding Lighting Design for Bombay Black. For The Great War, VideoCabaret racks up Outstanding Performance - Ensemble and Outstanding Costume Design to Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill. Debashis Sinha nabs Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for The Theatre Centre's We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915.

Special gifts were also awarded in the General Theatre Division. The Bluma Appel Community Trust continued its gift of a $5,000prize for the 10th year in a row to the winning playwright of Outstanding New Play (Kat Sandler). And, for the second year in a row, the Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts provided a prize of $1,000 each to the recipients of the Outstanding Performance - Female and Outstanding Performance - Male (Rebecca Northan, Anand Rajaram).

In the Musical Theatre Division, David Mirvish leads the division with 3 Doras for Kinky Boots: Outstanding Production (produced by Daryl Roth & Hal Luftig, by arrangement with David Mirvish), Outstanding Performance - Male to Alan Mingo Jr. and Outstanding Choreography to Jerry Mitchell. Outstanding Performance - Female goes to Lisa Horner for Acting Up Stage Company's Grey Gardens and Outstanding Performance - Ensemble goes to The Ensemble of The Wizard of Oz, presented by Young People's Theatre.

In the Opera Division, the Canadian Opera Company leads the pack, taking home 8 Dora Awards with 5 for Siegfried (Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction to François Girard, Outstanding Scenic Design to Michael Levine, Outstanding Lighting Design toDavid Finn and Outstanding Musical Direction to Johannes Debus) and 3 for La Traviata (Outstanding Performance - Male to Quinn Kelsey, Outstanding Performance - Female to Ekaterina Siurina and Outstanding Costume Design to Cait O'Connor). Outstanding New Musical or Opera goes to Marjorie Chan (librettist) and John Harris (composer) for M'dea Undone (A Tapestry Opera Production in collaboration with Scottish Opera) while Outstanding Performance - Ensemble goes to AtG's Messiah (presented byAgainst the Grain).

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Bluma's Indies bestows each of the winners in the Independent Theatre Division with a $1,000cheque from the Bluma Appel Community Trust.

Native Earth Performing Arts and Red One Theatre Collective tie for the lead in the Independent Theatre Division with 2 Awardseach. Native Earth lands Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance - Male, both to Cliff Cardinal. Outstanding Performance - Ensemble goes to The Ensemble of La Chasse Galerie from Red One as well as Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for the same for James Smith.

Each of the other awards in this division are won by different companies and individuals, except for Patrick Lavender who snags bothOutstanding Scenic Design for Videofag's Crawlspace and Outstanding Lighting Design for It Comes In Waves, produced byNecessary Angel with bluemouth inc. Groundling Theatre Company takes home Outstanding Production for The Winter's Tale. Outstanding Direction goes to Weyni Mengesha for Why Not Theatre's Butcher. Outstanding Performance - Female goes to d'bi. young anitafrika for Watah Theatre's She Mami Wata & The Pussy Witchhunt. Anna Treusch nabs Outstanding Costume Design forTails from the City from Common Boots Theatre.

In the Theatre for Young Audience's Division, Young People's Theatre's (YPT) heads the division with 4 Doras: 2 for One Thing Leads to Another (Outstanding New Play for Maja Ardal, Audrey Dwyer, Julia Tribe, Mary Francis Moore; Outstanding Performance - Ensemble), Outstanding Production for Goodnight Moon (Young People's Theatre presents Seattle Children's Theatre) and Outstanding Performance - Individual to Mishka Thébaud for Scarberia. (With the addition of its win in the Musical Theatre Division for Outstanding Performance - Ensemble for The Wizard of Oz, YPT tallies in with 5 Doras for the evening.) Outstanding Direction goes to Sébastien Bertrand for Théâtre français de Toronto's Les Zinspirés puissance Quatre.

In the Dance Division, Peggy Baker Dance Projects and princess productions tie for 2 awards each. Outstanding Original Choreography goes to Zhenya Cerneacov, Mairéad Filgate and Brodie Stevenson for Various Concert, part of princess productions'dance: made in canada / fait au canada festival while Fabien Piché nabs Outstanding Performance - Male for Waiting for a Sleepless Night, part of the same festival. John Kameel Farah and Fides Krucker win Outstanding Sound Design / Composition while Marc Parent wins Outstanding Lighting Design, both for Peggy Baker Dance Project's Phase Space.

Outstanding Production goes to Betroffenheit (A Kidd Pivot, Electric Company Theatre Production, presented by Canadian Stage), Outstanding Performance - Female goes to Jillian Peever for The Mystery of Mr. Leftovers from Jillian Peever Dance Creations & Cinetic Creations (Sharon B. Moore & Derek Aasland) and The Ensemble of DanceWorks DW212: Woven takes home Outstanding Performance - Ensemble (DanceWorks / Tribal Crackling Wind).

The Outstanding Touring Production category (open to General Theatre and Musical Theatre) goes to Cold Blood, created by Michèle Anne De Mey and Jaco Van Dormael, presented by Canadian Stage.

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 theatre director and dramaturge Andy McKim who has been involved in Toronto's theatre community for over three decades, working with over 150 playwrights and developing new works. He has been Theatre Passe Muraille's artistic director since 2007 and previously Associate Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre for over 20 years.

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 One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written, produced by Golden Ages Productions.

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GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production

Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom A Canadian Stage Production in collaboration with the Department of Theatre in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design at York University

Outstanding New Play

Kat Sandler Mustard

Outstanding Direction

Ravi Jain Salt-Water Moon

Outstanding Performance - Male

Anand Rajaram Mustard

Outstanding Performance - Female

Rebecca Northan Blind Date

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of The Great War VideoCabaret

Outstanding Scenic Design

Judith Bowden Chimerica

Outstanding Costume Design

Astrid Janson, Melanie McNeill The Great War

Outstanding Lighting Design

Jennifer Lennon Bombay Black

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition

Debashis Sinha We Are Proud to Present...

INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production

The Winter's Tale Groundling Theatre Company

Outstanding New Play

Cliff Cardinal Huff

Outstanding Direction

Weyni Mengesha Butcher

Outstanding Performance - Male

Cliff Cardinal Huff

Outstanding Performance - Female

d'bi. young anitafrika She Mami Wata & the Pussy Witchhunt

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of La Chasse Galerie Red One Theatre Collective

Outstanding Scenic Design

Patrick Lavender CRAWLSPACE

Outstanding Costume Design

Anna Treusch Tails from the City

Outstanding Lighting Design

Patrick Lavender It Comes In Waves

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition

James Smith La Chasse Galerie

MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production

Kinky Boots Daryl Roth & Hal Luftig by arrangement with David Mirvish

Outstanding Performance - Male

Alan Mingo Jr. Kinky Boots

Outstanding Performance - Female

Lisa Horner Grey Gardens

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of The Wizard of Oz Young People's Theatre

OPERA DIVISION

Outstanding Production

Siegfried Canadian Opera Company

Outstanding Performance - Male

Quinn Kelsey La Traviata

Outstanding Performance - Female

Ekaterina Siurina La Traviata

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of AtG's Messiah Against the Grain

MUSICAL THEATRE / OPERA DIVISION

Outstanding New Musical or Opera

Marjorie Chan (Librettist) & John Harris (Composer) M'dea Undone

Outstanding Direction

François Girard Siegfried

Outstanding Scenic Design

Michael Levine Siegfried

Outstanding Costume Design

Cait O'Connor La Traviata

Outstanding Lighting Design

David Finn Siegfried

Outstanding Choreography

Jerry Mitchell Kinky Boots

Outstanding Musical Direction

Johannes Debus Siegfried

THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION

Outstanding Production

Goodnight Moon Young People's Theatre presents Seattle Children's Theatre

Outstanding New Play

Maja Ardal, Audrey Dwyer, Julia Tribe, Mary Francis Moore One Thing Leads to Another

Outstanding Direction

Sébastien Bertrand Les Zinspirés puissance Quatre

Outstanding Performance - Individual

Mishka Thébaud Scarberia

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of One Thing Leads to Another Young People's Theatre

DANCE DIVISION

Outstanding Production

Betroffenheit A Kidd Pivot, Electric Company Theatre Production, presented by Canadian Stage

Outstanding Choreography

Zhenya Cerneacov, Mairéad Filgate, Brodie Stevenson

Various Concert (dance: made in canada/ fait au canada - Morrison Series)

Outstanding Performance - Male

Fabien Piché

Waiting for a Sleepless Night (dance: made in canada/ fait au canada - Robinson Series)

Outstanding Performance - Female

Jillian Peever The Mystery of Mr. Leftovers

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble

The Ensemble of DanceWorks DW212: Woven DanceWorks/Tribal Crackling Wind

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition

John Kameel Farah and Fides Krucker Phase Space

Outstanding Lighting Design

Marc Parent Phase Space

TOURING

Outstanding Touring Production (open to General Theatre & Musical Theatre/ Opera)

Cold Blood created by Michèle Anne De Mey and Jaco Van Dormael presented by Canadian Stage

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For the full winner's list and more information, 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: www.whatsontonight.ca, TOnight (an app for Toronto performing arts tickets), Toronto Theatre Guide, hipTIX (offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), citySPECIAL (a ticket program for newcomers and at-risk youth), the Commercial Theatre Development Fund and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP.

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