The 40th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards (TAPA) were held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The event was hosted by the very funny and eclectically talented Rick Miller, who set the tone for what felt like a very efficient yet warmly genuine ceremony.
The theme of the evening was change, specifically: progress. This was established right out of the gate with Miller’s opening number: a tailored version of David Bowie’s “Changes.” Through clever new lyrics and topical images projected behind, his version of the song acknowledges recent social justice movements like Black Lives Matter, Me Too and Idle No More. He addresses the discomfort we incur with change and our nostalgia for a “happier” time, though he pokes fun at the notion of an idealized past: “Do we really want to be wearing acid washed jeans and getting measles?”
In the spirit of progress, this is the first year the DORAs have given out gender-neutral performance awards. It is comforting to see how not weird that is. In fact, eliminating gender from the award categories affirms just how strange—and, uh, icky—it is to attach to significance to gender as a defining characteristic of excellence in achievement.
As DORAs Producer, Jacoba Knaapen, pointed out: This year has seen some epic change in the theatre community. Companies, both large and small, are experiencing a shift in Artistic Direction and Management. Many beloved leaders have moved on, bringing their unique talents and perspective to new ventures, and thereby opening doors for new visionaries to guide artists into fresh creative spaces.
As the awards made clear with many wins by women and Artists of Colour, inclusivity and representation are going to be the primary forces driving a lot of new work.
Here are some highlights:
- Peggy Baker was given the Silver Ticket Award.
- The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award went to Next To Normal (The Musical Stage Company, presented by David Mirvish)
- In the THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES category, Makambe K. Simamba dual win of both Outstanding Performance of an Individual and Outstanding New Play for her Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers (bcurrent Theatre).
- In the GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Obsidian Theatre in association with Nightwood Theatre) won for both Outstanding Production and Nina Lee Aquino‘s Outstanding Direction.
- The Royal (Soulpepper Theatre) garnered three design awards: Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Lighting Design and Outstanding Sound Design/Composition.
- In the INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION, The Runner (Human Cargo) won three awards: Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Direction.
- In the MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION, Soulpepper Theatre’s Rose took four awards: Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role, and Outstanding Scenic Design.
- In the OPERA DIVISION, the Canadian Opera Company’s Eugene Onegin won five DORAs: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Scenic Design, Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Lighting Design.
Full list of winners here:
GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
(Obsidian Theatre in association with Nightwood Theatre)
Outstanding New Play
Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman for Guarded Girls
(Tarragon Theatre in association with Green Light Arts)
Outstanding Direction
Nina Lee Aquino for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
(Obsidian Theatre in association with Nightwood Theatre)
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role
Virgilia Griffith for Harlem Duet
(Tarragon Theatre)
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role
Amaka Umeh for The Wolves
(The Howland Company and Crow’s Theatre production)
Outstanding Scenic Design
Ken MacKenzie for The Royale
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Costume Design
Gillian Gallow for Orlando
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Michelle Ramsay for The Royale
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Thomas Ryder Payne for The Royale
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production
The Runner
(Human Cargo with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille)
Outstanding New Play
Christopher Morris for The Runner
(Human Cargo with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille)
Outstanding Direction
Daniel Brooks for The Runner
(Human Cargo with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille)
Outstanding Performance of an Individual
Augusto Bitter for CHICHO
(Presented by Pencil Kit Productions and Theatre Passe Muraille with support from Aluna Theatre)
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble
Ron Pederson, Kayla Lorette, Matt Baram, Jan Carauna, Paloma Nunez, Waylen Miki, Kris Siddiqi
for The Wonder Pageant
(Coal Mine Theatre)
Outstanding Scenic Design
Anahita Dehbonehie for Hand to God
(Coal Mine Theatre)
Outstanding Costume Design
Melanie McNeill for Space Opera Zero!
(Eldritch Theatre)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Patrick Lavender for The Nether
(Coal Mine Theatre and Studio 180 Theatre)
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Ben McCarthy for The Scavenger’s Daughter
(PARADIGM productions)
MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION
Outstanding Production
Next to Normal
(The Musical Stage Company presented by David Mirvish)
Outstanding New Musical
Sarah Wilson (Writer)and Mike Ross (Composer) for Rose
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Direction
Gregory Prest for Rose
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Musical Direction
Chris Barillaro for Kiss of The Spider Woman
(Eclipse Theatre Company)
Outstanding Original Choreography
Kerry Gage for Mary Poppins
(Young People’s Theatre)
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role
Ma-Anne Dionisio for Next to Normal
(The Musical Stage Company presented by David Mirvish)
Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role
Peter Fernandes for Rose
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Scenic Design
Lorenzo Savoini for Rose
(Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Costume Design
Anna Treusch for Under The Stairs
(Young People’s Theatre)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Japhy Weideman for Dear Evan Hansen
(Stacey Mindich and David Mirvish)
OPERA DIVISION
Outstanding Production
Eugene Onegin
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding New Opera
Daniel MacIvor (Writer) and Rufus Wainwright (Composer) for Hadrian
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Direction
Robert Carsen for Eugene Onegin
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Musical Direction
Topher Mokrzewski for Kopernikus
(Against the Grain Theatre)
Outstanding Performance of an Individual
Gerald Finley for Otello
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble
Anne-Marie MacIntosh, Jonelle Sills, Krisztina Szabó, Bruno Roy, Dion Mazerolle, Alain Coulombe, Anisa Tejpar, William Yong, Brad Cherwin, Marc Blouin, Peter Stoll, Carly Gordon, Michael Fedyshyn, Paul Tarussov, Brenna Hardy-Kavanagh
for Kopernikus
(Against the Grain Theatre)
Outstanding Scenic Design
Michael Levine for Eugene Onegin
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Costume Design
Michael Levine for Eugene Onegin
(Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Christine Binder, based on the original design by Jean Kalman
for Eugene Onegin
(Canadian Opera Company)
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION
Outstanding Production
New Owner
(Harbourfront’s Junior Festival presents The Last Great Hunt)
Outstanding New Play
Makambe K Simamba for Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers
(b current performing arts)
Outstanding Direction
Chanda Gibson for Les Zinspirés: L’âge de raison
(Théâtre français de Toronto)
Outstanding Performance of an Individual
Makambe K Simamba for Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers
(b current performing arts)
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble
Nick Digaetano, Ziad Ek, Bianca Heuvelmans, Sheila Ingabire-Isaro, Eudes La Roche-Francoeur
for Les Zinspirés: L’âge de raison
(Théâtre français de Toronto)
Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design
Anahita Dehbonehie for The Little Prince: Reimagined
(Puzzle Piece)
DANCE DIVISION
Outstanding Production
Blood Tides
(DanceWorks / Kaha:wi Dance Theatre)
Outstanding Original Choreography
Jera Wolfe for Trace
(Red Sky Performance in association with Canadian Stage)
Outstanding Performance of an Individual
Andrea Nann for A Crazy Kind of Hope (All of Our Dreaming)
(Dreamwalker Dance Company)
Outstanding Performance of an Ensemble
Santee Smith, Julianne Blackbird, Jahra Wasasala, Marina Acevedo
for Blood Tides
(DanceWorks / Kaha:wi Dance Theatre)
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Eliot Britton for Trace
(Red Sky Performance in association with Canadian Stage)
Outstanding Lighting Design
Étienne Boucher for Frame by Frame
(The National Ballet of Canada)
TOURING DIVISION
Outstanding Touring Production
Grand Finale
(A Hofesh Shechter Company production presented by Canadian Stage)