The 2011 Dora Mavor Moore Awards were held last night at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. The Doras are held annually by TAPA to honour excellence in Toronto’s performing arts industry.
I once had a conversation with a theatre producer who had produced shows in New York, L.A. and Chicago as well as Toronto in which he observed, “Toronto is unique in that it’s a city that’s large enough to have a theatre industry but still small enough to have a real theatre community.”
The Doras also provide an opportunity for that theatre community to come together to celebrate the achievements of the Toronto performing arts industry as a whole. In a time when government cutbacks are threatening to stifle the growth of Toronto’s thriving theatre scene, coming together to boldly celebrate their achievements and their collective passion for creating art is almost an act of defiance.
In case you need further proof of the sense of community amongst Toronto theatre folk, several recipients of awards with cash prizes pledged to donate part of their award money to the SummerWorks Festival which learned of a devastating loss of funding from Heritage Canada the very same day the Doras were held.
Craig Lauzon and Micheala Washburn hosted the upbeat, celebratory event. Highlights of the evening include a hilarious dramatic reading of quotes from various theatre reviewers by Gordon Pinsent. Unfortunately, (or maybe mercifully) this publication was not quoted.
Mooney on Theatre would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners of the 2011 Dora Mavor Moore Awards:
GENERAL THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Blasted (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
OUTSTANDING TOURING PRODUCTION
The Andersen Project (Canadian Stage presents Ex Machina)
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Anusree Roy – Brothel #9 (Factory Theatre)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY / MUSICAL
Brendan Healy – Blasted (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Joseph Ziegler – Death of a Salesman (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Yanna McIntosh – Ruined (Obsidian Theatre Company in association with Nightwood Theatre)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE / ENSEMBLE
Jane Spidell – Doc (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Julie Fox – Blasted (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner – PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT The Musical (Mirvish)
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Kimberly Purtell – Blasted (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Richard Feren – Blasted (Buddies In Bad Times Theatre)
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Peter Darling – BILLY ELLIOT The Musical (Mirvish)
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTION
Harry Bicket – Orfeo ed Euridice (Canadian Opera Company presents Lyric Opera of Chicago)
OPERA DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Orfeo ed Euridice (Canadian Opera Company presents Lyric Opera of Chicago)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Alan Oke – Death in Venice (Canadian Opera Company presents The Aldeburgh Festival, Opéra national de Lyon, Bregenz Opera and Prague State Opera)
MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
A Year With Frog and Toad (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People)
OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL/OPERA
Rufus Wainwright – Prima Donna (Luminato)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Tony Sheldon – PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT The Musical (Mirvish)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Kate Hennig – BILLY ELLIOT The Musical (Mirvish)
INDEPENDENT THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
The Company Theatre – Through the Leaves
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY OR NEW MUSICAL
Sky Gilbert – The Situationists (Cabaret Company)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION
Nina Lee Aquino – paper SERIES (Cahoots Theatre Company in association with The Young Centre for the Performing Arts)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Gavin Crawford – The Situationists (Cabaret Company)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Sandy Duarte – Blood (Doghouse Riley Productions)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE / ENSEMBLE
Christopher Stanton – The New Electric Ballroom (MacKenzieRo: The Irish Repertory Theatre Company of Canada)
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
John Thompson – Through the Leaves (The Company Theatre)
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Melanie McNeill – Madhouse Variations (Eldritch Theatre)
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Trevor Schwellnus – Nohayquiensepa (No one knows) (Aluna Theatre)
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Richard Lee – paper SERIES (Cahoots Theatre Company in association with The Young Centre for the Performing Arts)
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Routes (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People presents Concrete Theatre)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
John Cleland – Edward The “Crazy Man” (Workman Arts Project of Ontario)
DANCE DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage presents Alain Platel/Les Ballets C. de la B. – Out of Context – for Pina
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
Roberto Campanella & Robert Glumbek – …in between… (ProArteDanza)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Juan Ogalla – Espejo de Oro / Mirror of Gold (Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company)
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Joby Talbot – Chroma (The National Ballet of Canada)
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
The Railway Children (Mirvish)
PAULINE MCGIBBON AWARD
Ben Chaisson
2011 SILVER TICKET AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANADIAN THEATRE
Michael Hollingsworth
THE BARBARA HAMILTON MEMORIAL AWARD
David Ferry
THE LEONARD MCHARDY AND JOHN HARVEY AWARD
Ghislain Caron
THE GEORGE LUSCOMBE AWARD
Yvette Nolan