Announcement: 33rd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Award Winners

The 2012 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.

Hosted by Toronto musical theatre darling Thom Allison, fresh from his recent Broadway stint in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and current star of the Shaw Festival’s production of Ragtime, the Doras serve as Toronto theatre’s night out and a chance for the community to celebrate and honour its own.

While there was speculation that there would be many impassioned speeches referencing the recent dismissal of Factory Theatre Artistic Director Ken Gass by the theatre’s board, the tone of the evening stayed largely upbeat and celebratory.  In fact, at one point in the evening,  2012 Pauline McGibbon Award-winner Ravi Jain literally had the audience screaming “JOY!”

And indeed, the theatre community has much reason to be joyful and to celebrate, it has been a banner year for theatre in Toronto and it seemed nearly every category was stacked with deserving nominees.

The major upset of the night came as Crash beat out the heavily favoured Kim’s Convenience in the Outstanding New Play category. Disappointingly, Kim’s Convenience, a runaway hit and favourite of many Toronto theatre-goers, was shut out of the awards this year.

The big winner of the night was Obsidian Theatre whose Topdog Underdog won three awards and whose co-production with Acting Up Stage Company, Caroline, or Change won four awards.

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

  • Topdog Underdog, Obsidian Theatre Company in association with the Shaw Festival

OUTSTANDING TOURING PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY

  • Pamela Mala SinhaCrash, Theatre Passe Muraille

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY / MUSICAL

  • Philip Akin, Topdog Underdog, Obsidian Theatre Company in association with the Shaw Festival

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE

  • Nigel Shawn WilliamsTopdog Underdog, Obsidian Theatre Company in association with the Shaw Festival

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE

  • Pamela Mala SinhaCrash, Theatre Passe Muraille

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE / ENSEMBLE

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

  • Costume Designer RAE SMITH, Puppet Design, Fabrication and Direction ADRIAN KOHLER with BASIL JONES for HANDSPRING PUPPET COMPANY, War Horse, Bob Boyett, Tim Levy, National Theatre of Great Britain, David Mirvish

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

  • Kimberly PurtellCrash, Theatre Passe Muraille

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION

  • Debashis SinhaCrash, Theatre Passe Muraille

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY

  • Director of Movement and Horse Choreography TOBY SEDGWICK,  War Horse, Bob Boyett, Tim Levy, National Theatre of Great Britain, David Mirvish

OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTION

  • Reza JacobsCaroline, or Change, Acting Up Stage Company in association with Obsidian Theatre Company

 

OPERA DIVISION

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

  • Iphigenia in Tauris, Canadian Opera Company presents a co-productin of Lyric Opera Chicago, San Francisco Opera and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

  • Susan GrahamIphigenia in Tauris, Canadian Opera Company presents a co-productin of Lyric Opera Chicago, San Francisco Opera and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

 

MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL/OPERA

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE

  • Sterling Jarvis, Caroline, or Change, Acting Up Stage Company in association with Obsidian Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE

  • Arlene DuncanCaroline, or Change, Acting Up Stage Company in association with Obsidian Theatre Company

 

INDEPENDENT THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY OR NEW MUSICAL

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION

  • Jennifer BrewinThe Story, Theatre Columbus

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE

  • Richard Donat, His Greatness, independent Artists Repertory Theatre (iArt.)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE / ENSEMBLE

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION

  • Gaishi IshizakaA Fool’s Life, Ahuri Theatre in association with Why Not Theatre

 

THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

  • Baobab, Young People’s Theatre presents Théâtre Motus and Sô Company (Mali)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

  • Xin Wang, Sanctuary Song, Theatre Direct Canada

 

DANCE DIVISION

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION

  • Dark Matters, a Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM production presented by Canadian Stage

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY

  • Lina Cruz/Fila 13 Productions, Soupe du Jour, princess productions

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

  • The Ensemble, Klorofyl, Gadfly

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION

  • Music composition and performance by Philippe Noireaut, Soupe du Jour, princess productions

 

The 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award

  • Ravi Jain

The 2012 Silver Ticket Award

  • Christopher House
The 2012 Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award
  • Richard Rose
The 2012 Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award
  • Leslie Lester
The 2012 George Luscombe Award for Mentorship
  • Ruth Howard