Stage Door News

Toronto: Recipients announced for 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards

Monday, September 19, 2022

The 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards were handed out in front of an enthusiastic audience tonight at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre in the Elgin Theatre. Hosted by award-winning actor and director, Sabryn Rock, the gala ceremony celebrated excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. The ceremony, which unfolded with characteristic razzle-dazzle, caps one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of Toronto performing arts. A total of 46 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award and the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award, were given out.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), had 235 total nominations and 100 eligible productions registered from the extended time period of May 15, 2021, to August 15, 2022. The Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts provided $35,000 in cash prizes, with $1,000 for each individually-named Dora Award recipient across all Dora Divisions (excluding Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble recipients).

And the Recipients of the 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Awards Are:

Below are the recipients of each category. 


OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION RECIPIENTS

The recipients of Outstanding Production in each of the divisions are as follows:

General Theatre: Wildfire, Factory Theatre

Independent Theatre: Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Musical Theatre: Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre

Opera: R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera

Dance: In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live

Theatre for Young Audiences: MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water

Touring Production: Sky Dancers, A’nó:wara Dance Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre


GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION

Nominated for 5 Doras, Wildfire produced by Factory Theatre comes out on top of the Division with 3 Awards. Is God Is, an Obsidian Theatre Company, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, and Canadian Stage Co-Production, follows with 2 Doras from 10 nominations.

Outstanding Production: Wildfire, Factory Theatre

Outstanding New Play: Leanna Brodie and David Paquet, Wildfire, Factory Theatre

Outstanding Direction: Soheil Parsa, Wildfire, Factory Theatre

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role: Sheldon Elter, Where the Blood Mixes, Soulpepper Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts

Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Alexis Gordon, ROOM, Mirvish Productions

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Joanna Yu, Scenic Design, among men, Factory Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design: Ming Wong, Is God Is, Obsidian Theatre Company, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, and Canadian Stage Co-Production

Outstanding Lighting Design: Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, David Mirvish, Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender, Harry Potter Theatrical Production

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Thomas Ryder Payne, Is God Is, Obsidian Theatre Company, Necessary Angel Theatre Company, and Canadian Stage Co-Production


INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION

Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days, leads the Independent Theatre Division with 5 Dora Awards from 8 nominations. A Tonic for Desperate Times, Theatre Gargantua, receives 3 Doras from 7 nominations.

Outstanding Production: Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Outstanding New Play: The Company, Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Outstanding Direction: Adam Paolozza and Kari Pederson, Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Layne Coleman, True, Project Undertow

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: Heather Marie Annis, Sierra Hayes, Alexandra Lainfiesta, Michael Gordon Spence and Nabil Traboulsi, A Tonic for Desperate Times, Theatre Gargantua

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Michael Gordon Spence, Scenic Design, Laird Macdonald, Projection Design, A Tonic for Desperate Times, Theatre Gargantua

Outstanding Costume Design: Allie Marshall and Evgenia Mikhaylova, Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Outstanding Lighting Design: André du Toit, Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Thomas Ryder Payne with Original Compositions from the Ensemble, Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days


MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION

Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre, leads the Musical Theatre Division with 5 Doras from 13 nominations. & Juliet, David Mirvish presents the Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd Production, earns 2 Doras in the Division.

Outstanding Production: Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role: Cyrus Lane, Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre

Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Glynis Ranney, Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre

Outstanding New Musical: Fatuma Adar, Dixon Road, The Musical Stage Company and Obsidian Theatre Company, in association with Canadian Stage

Outstanding Musical Direction: Dominic Fallacaro, & Juliet, David Mirvish presents the Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd Production

Outstanding Direction: Mitchell Cushman, Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Soutra Gilmour, Scenic Design, & Juliet, David Mirvish presents the Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd Production

Outstanding Original Choreography: Cameron Carver, Sweeney Todd, Talk is Free Theatre


OPERA DIVISION

R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University, received 6 Doras leading this year’s award count. La Traviata, Canadian Opera Company Co-production with Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, picks up 1 Dora Award to close out the division.

Outstanding Production: R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Amina Edris, La Traviata, Canadian Opera Company Co-production with Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: Maeve Palmer, Annie Ramos, Jennifer Routhier, Sofi Gudiño, Katherine Semchuk, Emily Spearing and Brayden Cairns, R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University

Outstanding New Opera: Nicole Lizée (composer) and Nicolas Billon (librettist), R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University

Outstanding Musical Direction: Gregory Oh, R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University

Outstanding Direction: Michael Hidetoshi Mori, R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Debashis Sinha (sound design/composition) R.U.R. A Torrent of Light, Tapestry Opera production in partnership with OCAD University


DANCE DIVISION

With 7 nominations, In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live, takes home 4 Dora Awards to lead the Division. Legacy Tap Dance Concert, dance Immersion and Canadian Stage and Sadhana/Tarana, Pratibha Arts, score 1 Dora each.

Outstanding Production: In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live

Outstanding Original Choreography: Crazy Smooth, In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Travis Knights, Legacy Tap Dance Concert, dance Immersion and Canadian Stage

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: Julie Rock, Anyo, Jayson Collantes, DKC Freeze, Vibz, Tash, Crazy Smooth, Nubian Néné and Tiffany Leung, In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live

Outstanding Original Sound Composition: Bageshree Vaze and Vineet Vyas, Sadhana/Tarana, Pratibha Arts

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Thomas Payette (multimedia/video), In My Body, Co-presented by dance Immersion, Canadian Stage and TO Live


THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION

MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water received 4 Dora Awards out of 5 nominations. Alice In Wonderland, Guild Festival Theatre, with 7 nominations takes home 1 Dora. Spoiiiiiiiiing, Harbourfront’s Junior Festival presents Kitt Johnson X-act also receives 1 Award.

Outstanding Production: MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water

Outstanding New Play: Annie Tuma and Lena Maripuu, MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water

Outstanding Direction: Alex Montagnese, MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Kiana Woo, Alice In Wonderland, Guild Festival Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: Amaka Umeh, Annie Tuma, Jamar Adams-Thompson, Lena Maripuu, Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy, MOBY: A Whale of a Tale, Art & Water

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Mogens Kjempff (lighting design), Spoiiiiiiiiing, Harbourfront’s Junior Festival presents Kitt Johnson X-act


TOURING DIVISION

In a Dora Awards first, the recipient was acclaimed due to a single candidate out of 6 eligible productions making it to the nominee round of voting. Sky Dancers, A’nó:wara Dance Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre, takes home the Outstanding Touring Production Award.


SILVER TICKET AWARD PRESENTED:

The TAPA Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. It entitles the recipient to a lifetime of theatre tickets to any TAPA member company production. It was presented to the established arts administrator, educator, advocate and mentor, Pat Bradley. Bradley has been an icon of arts leadership, playing an instrumental role in instigating spaces for art, advocacy and change for over 35 years.


JON KAPLAN AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD PRESENTED:

The TAPA Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, in honour of the beloved, long-time theatre critic Jon Kaplan and supported by Destination Toronto, was given out at the ceremony and selected by the general public. Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award winner is Alice in Wonderland, Guild Festival Theatre.