Tonight, the 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by The Romano D'Andrea Foundation, ceremony and award presentation hosted by Ryan G. Hinds with award-winning music director & composer Adam Sakiyama, occurred at the historic Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre. The celebration happened at 7:30 PM EST where the recipients of the 43 award categories across 7 distinct divisions were lauded by their peers.

Prior to the main event, a pre-show Red Carpet filled with guests was hosted by Lisa Marie Diliberto who provided remarkable entertainment. Special guests Mayor Olivia Chow and theatre legend Eric Peterson attended and presented the first awards in Canada's largest and oldest awards program, recognizing excellence in professional theatre, dance, and opera. The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award and the Silver Ticket Award recipients were also recognized. The Dora Awards After-Party celebration commenced immediately after the awards ceremony in the unique Cascading Lobbies of the EWGTC. The evening rang out with razzle-dazzle entertainment.

The 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by Romano D'Andrea Foundation, produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), had 228 total nominations and 197 eligible productions registered.

After 21 years of dedicated service, Dora Mavor Moore Awards Producer Jacoba Knaapen will step down at the end of December 2024. Jacoba's commitment to equity and inclusivity has been unwavering and led the DORAS to become the first professional theatre award show in Canada to make the ground-breaking change to gender-inclusive awards. This marked her final award show.

And the recipients of the 2024 Dora Mavor Moore Awards presented by The Romano D'Andrea Foundation are:

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION RECIPIENTS

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

General Theatre: Three Sisters, Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company

Independent Theatre: Appropriate, Coal Mine Theatre

Musical Theatre: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company

Opera: Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Dance: Young, Gifted & Jazz, dance Immersion and Holla Jazz in association with Canadian Stage

Theatre for Young Audiences: Storybook Search, Bad Hats Theatre

Touring Production: Pinocchio, Harbourfront Centre

GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION

There is a three-way tie in the General Theatre Division, with Three Sisters, Bad Roads and The Master Plan each earning 3 awards.

Outstanding Production: Three Sisters, Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company

Outstanding New Play: Michael Healey, The Master Plan, Crow's Theatre Company

Outstanding Direction: Andrew Kushnir, Bad Roads, Crow’s Theatre Company

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Amaka Umeh, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Soulpepper Theatre Company

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of: Akosua Amo-Adem, Virgilia Griffith, Daren A. Herbert, Sterling Jarvis, JD Leslie, Tawiah M'Carthy, Ngabo Nabea, Oyin Oladejo, Tony Ofori, Makambe K. Simamba, Ordena Stephens-Thompson and Amaka Umeh,Three Sisters, Produced by Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Joshua Quinlan (Scenic) and Amelia Scott (Projection), The Master Plan, Crow's Theatre Company

Outstanding Costume Design: Astrid Janson, Abby Esteireiro and Merle Harley, Mad Madge, Nightwood Theatre in association with VideoCabaret

Outstanding Lighting Design: Christian Horoszczak, Bad Roads, Crow’s Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Adrian Shepherd Gawinski (Sound Design) and Moneka Arabic Jazz Band (Composition), King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild, Soulpepper Theatre Company and TRIA Theatre co-production

INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION

Appropriate, Coal Mine Theatre, nominated for 5 Awards, leads the Independent Theatre Division with 2 Doras.

Outstanding Production: Appropriate, Coal Mine Theatre

Outstanding New Play: Peter N. Bailey, Tyson's Song, Pleiades Theatre

Outstanding Direction: Jonathan Seinen, Access Me, Boys in Chairs Collective

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Lindsey Middleton, Suddenly Last Summer, Riot King

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of: Conor Bradbury, Julian Frid, Victoria Laberge, Lowen Morrow, Seann Murray, Sharjil Rasool, Alec Toller, Jon Blair and Connor Low, SwordPlay, Sex T-Rex & Bad Dog Comedy Theatre

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design: Steve Lucas and Rebecca Morris (scenic), Appropriate, Coal Mine Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design: Nancy Anne Perrin, Bremen Town, Bremen Town Collective, in association with the Next Stage Festival

Outstanding Lighting Design: Raha Javanfar, (EVERYONE I LOVE HAS) A TERRIBLE FATE (BEFALL THEM), VideoCabaret in association with Crow's Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Nariman Eskandari and Goli Zarei, Voiceless, Veylān Film and Theatre Production

MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION

Two productions took home Doras in the Musical Theatre Division. Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, presented by Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company had the most nominations this year with 10 taps and earns 4 Dora Awards, followed by De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail presented by Soulpepper Theatre Company, receiving 2 Awards.

Outstanding Production: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Damien Atkins, De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail, Soulpepper Theatre Company

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of: Rita Dottor, Donna Garner, Lawrence Libor, Marcus Nance, Heeyun Park, Andrew Penner, and Brendan Wall, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company

Outstanding Creative Direction: Chris Abraham (Director), Ray Hogg (Choreographer) and Ryan deSouza (Musical Director), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Julie Fox and Joshua Quinlan (Scenic), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Crow's Theatre and The Musical Stage Company

SHARED BY MUSICAL THEATRE & OPERA DIVISIONS

Outstanding New Musical/New Opera: Gregory Prest, Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson, De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail, Soulpepper Theatre Company

OPERA DIVISION

There is a clean sweep in the Opera Division with Medea presented by the Canadian Opera Company in co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago, receiving all the awards in the division.

Outstanding Production: Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Chiara Isotton, Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Outstanding Musical Direction: Sir David McVicar (Director), Jo Meredith (Movement Director) and Lorenzo Passerini (Musical Director), Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Sir David McVicar (Scenic), Medea, Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago

DANCE DIVISION

Nominated for 3 Dora’s each, both Young, Gifted & Jazz presented by dance Immersion and Holla Jazz in association with Canadian Stage, and Cymatix (Citadel Spring Mix - Programme 1) presented by Citadel + Compagnie, take home 2 Dora Awards each.

Outstanding Production: Young, Gifted & Jazz, dance Immersion and Holla Jazz in association with Canadian Stage

Outstanding Original Choreography: Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, Cymatix (Citadel Spring Mix - Programme 1), Citadel + Compagnie

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, Cymatix (Citadel Spring Mix - Programme 1), Citadel + Compagnie

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of: Zhenya Cerneacov, Miyeko Ferguson, Jarrett Siddall, Lukas Malkowski, Sully Malaeb Proulx, Connor Mitton, Tyler Gledhill, and Natasha Poon Woo, The Man in Black (Living Dances), Citadel + Compagnie

Outstanding Original Sound Composition: Edgardo Moreno (Musician and Composer), NOMADA, Canadian Stage and DanceWorks present Uarhi Creations

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Alexa Belgrave (Sound), Young, Gifted & Jazz, dance Immersion and Holla Jazz in association with Canadian Stage

THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION

Storybook Search, Bad Hats Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre received 2 Dora Awards out of 5 nominations.

Outstanding Production: Storybook Search, Bad Hats Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre

Outstanding New Play: Kanika Ambrose, Truth, Young People's Theatre

Outstanding Direction: Fiona Sauder and Matt Pilipiak, Storybook Search, Bad Hats Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre

Outstanding Performance by an Individual: Jasmine Case, Truth, Young People's Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble: The Ensemble of: Parastoo Amanzadeh, Georgia Bennett, Shelayna Christante, Autumn Davis, Kevin Forster, 郝邦宇 Steven Hao, Melanie Leon, Annie Lujan, Izzi Nagel, Anthony Perpuse, and Daniel Yeh, Storybook Search, Bad Hats Theatre presented by Harbourfront Centre

Outstanding Achievement in Design: Anna Treusch (Scenic), The Fixing Girl, Young People's Theatre

TOURING DIVISION

The Outstanding Touring Production Dora was awarded to Pinocchio, Harbourfront Centre presents Teater Patrasket.

INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCE

The Outstanding Innovative Experience Dora was awarded to Benevolence Hall, Broadleaf Creative with Why Not Theatre and Toronto History Museums.

Jon Kaplan AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

The TAPA Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, in honour of the beloved, long-time theatre critic Jon Kaplan and supported by nowToronto, was given out at the ceremony and selected by the general public via online vote. Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award winner is Woking Phoenix, a Theatre Passe Muraille and Silk Bath Collective co-production.

See the accompanying complete list of recipients. The full list is also available online at tapa.ca.