Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Since 1995 The Harold Awards have come to represent the independent and hard-working spirit of Toronto’s vibrant theatre community – a kind of rabble-rousing alternative to the Dora Awards.
To be Harolded is an honour of the highest subversive order. Awards are bestowed from one individual to the next in recognition of an outstanding and often under-recognized dedication on or off the stage. The Harold Awards lineage reads like a who’s-who of Toronto theatre, beginning with: Luther Hansraj, Kirsten Johnson, Sherrie Johnson, Jacoba Knaapen, Daniel MacIvor, Don McKellar, Darren O’Donnell, Alex Posh-Goldin, Nadia Ross, Lisa Ryder, Sarah Stanley, Deanne Taylor and the late and dearly missed Paul Bettis.
THE KEN McDOUGALL AWARD:
Established in 1995 by Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Platform 9 and Theatre Passe Muraille, the annual Ken McDougall Award serves to acknowledge a promising emerging director. Previous recipients have been: Franco Boni, Cathy Gordon, Michael Waller, Chris Abraham, Simon Heath, Patrick Conner, Ellen Ray Hennessey, Rebecca Brown, Nina Aquino, Kimahli Powell, Brendan Healy, Bea Pizano and Jacob Zimmer.
Each year the innovators, instigators and architects of the Toronto theatre community descend upon a local establishment to honour our fellow devotees and to celebrate. The evening is riddled with giddy secrecy, as those about to be Harolded don’t know it. The Harolds is the only awards night of its kind – as unique as the man himself – an evening of surprise, pride and serious celebration.
The 2013 Harold Award Winners:
Richard Lee – actor, founding member of fu-Gen theatre company
Lindy Zucker – actor, writer
Alexis Da Silva-Powell – administrator, Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA)
Maria Popoff – stage manager, director, production manager
Jim Roe – General Manager, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, former stage manager, Board member of Theatre Passe Muraille & Theatre 20
Kenneth Wickes – actor, volunteer (very active at PAL, in particular)
Sholem Dolgoy – Director of Production Program, Ryerson University Theatre School, lighting designer
Brad Lepp – arts administrator, corporate communications & government relations, director, producer
Patty Jarvis – arts administrator, artist educator
Spirit Synott – actor, dancer, performer
Meredith Potter – producer
Tanisha Taitt – producer, director, playwright, actor, artist educator
Steven Gallagher – actor, playwright
Dave McKay – actor, clown, producer
Barbara Fingerote Award for Outstanding Volunteer
Eleanor O’Connor - volunteer
Ken McDougall Award
Mitchell Cushman - director
For more information visit www.haroldawards.com, email us at haroldawards@gmail.com, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter
Illustration: Harold Kandel.
2013-05-14
Toronto: The 2013 Harold Award Winners