Toronto, ON (August 4, 2022) – The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced today the 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be held at the legendary Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre (EWGTC) in Toronto on Monday, September 19, 2022.
The in-person celebration will commence at 7:30 PM with live recipient updates from the Dora Twitter account. Canada’s largest and oldest awards program, the Dora Mavor Moore Awards are gender inclusive and celebrate excellence on Toronto stages in professional theatre, dance and opera.
“The 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards celebration is a big moment for all of us in the performing arts community in Toronto,” said Jacoba Knaapen, Dora Awards Producer and TAPA Executive Director. “TAPA enthusiastically welcomes a return to in-person on-stage award presentations for the first time since 2019. We can’t wait to take the stage again on September 19th to celebrate, inspire and entertain.”
Of special note this year, The Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts is providing a $1000 cash prize to each individually-named Dora Award recipient (excluding Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble recipients). “The Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund has made an extraordinary financial donation of $35,000 to be allocated across all Dora Divisions in the Dora categories that recognize an individual. I am moved by this act of generosity, and the Board of Directors is deeply grateful for this gift that will impact 35 individuals”, said Chris Goddard, P.A.I.S. Board President.
The Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts is a legacy fund that continues Pat and Tony’s tradition of encouraging artists, giving them the opportunity to develop their skills and share their talents with audiences everywhere. They were devoted fans of jazz music, theatre, improvisation and comedy, and had great respect and affection for those who dedicated their lives to pursuing these passions professionally.
“Toronto has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to theatrical talent, and the pandemic continues to pose unique challenges for those who work in live performance. This year, we are thrilled the fund is able to do more to support individual artists at the Dora Awards,” said Shari Hollett, administrator of the Fund.
Emmy, Gemini and Dora-nominated Diane Flacks pens the celebratory evening for her sixth year in a row while acclaimed theatre director, actor and writer Ed Roy takes the helm as director for his seventh time. Multi-award-winning lighting and production designer Andrea Lundy returns for her eighteenth consecutive year.
The Dora Awards eligibility cut-off date was extended for the 2021-2022 season to Monday, August 15, 2022 for all live performance productions which met eligibility requirements. The full list of awards can be found on the TAPA website.
Please find a list of 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Award events and dates, below:
Monday, August 29, 2022
The 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE, hosted by Executive Director of Theatre Aquarius Kelly Straughan and Chris Goddard, Board President of PAIS, will take place at 9:30 AM ET at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. A complete list of the 2022 nominations will be available at www.tapa.ca/doras immediately following the announcement. The press conference will also announce the recipients of the Province of Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon Award, the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship and the Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration and the Victor C.Polley Protégé Award.
The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award online voting, where patrons can vote for their favourite nominated production (or add their own!), will be available as of 11:30 AM ET.
Tickets to The 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will go on sale starting on Monday, August 29 at 11:00 AM ET. Tickets will be available at ticketmaster.ca or at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre box office.
Monday, September 12, 2022
The exclusive DORA MAVOR MOORE AWARDS NOMINEES’ RECEPTION held at the Meridian Arts Centre is a chance for the nominees to celebrate each other and for invited guests to toast their outstanding contributions to the performing arts industry. This invite-only event is closed to the media.
Monday, September 19, 2022
The 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards show ceremony in-person at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre. The celebration will commence at 7:30 PM ET. Award recipients will be live-tweeted via the Dora Awards Twitter account. The Dora Awards After-Party celebration will commence immediately after the awards ceremony and will be held in the one-of-a-kind Cascading Lobbies of the EWGTC.
For additional information on the 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, please visit www.tapa.ca/doras/ and follow @DoraAwards on Twitter #Doras2022
About the Dora Mavor Moore Awards
The Doras are named for Dora Mavor Moore (1888-1979), a well-loved teacher and director who helped establish Canadian professional theatre in the 1930s and 1940s. Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto’s performing arts industry, the Doras honour the creators of numerous theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera, Theatre for Young Audiences and Touring.
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards were founded on December 13, 1978, by a committee convened by Millie Drain. On that date, Drain and the other founders (Ann Antkiw, Ronald Bryden, Bill Glassco, Graham Harley, Leon Major, Sean Mulcahy, Peter Peroff, Heinar Piller, Susan Rubes, Pat Stewart and Sylvia Tucker), decided to institute an award to recognize outstanding achievements in Toronto theatre. Today, the Doras honour the creators and artists of theatre, dance and opera productions annually in 46 categories over 7 divisions.
TAPA is a champion of theatre, dance and opera and aims for a unified voice to improve the environment for all theatre/dance/opera companies in Toronto, advocating for cultural municipal policy to effectively support an evolving sector on behalf of a large and diverse membership. In addition to the management of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: Annual Arts Day at the City, hipTIX (offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), citySPECIAL, the Commercial Theatre Development Fund, the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program – TRIP, and ongoing professional development through the TAPA Trade Series.