Ryan G. Hinds Will Host the 44th Dora Mavor Moore Awards; New Category Announced

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced today that the 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be held Monday, June 24th at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre. The celebration will be hosted by Toronto theatre icon Ryan G. Hinds. The celebration will commence at 7:30 PM. 

The Dora Awards eligibility cut-off date for the 2023-2024 season is Sunday, May 12, 2024 for productions that meet all eligibility requirements and present a minimum of 60% of juror-eligible performances prior to the cut-off date. Nominations for the 2024 Dora Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 28th, at 10:00 AM ET at Meridian Hall. 
Canada’s largest and oldest awards program, the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, is gender inclusive and celebrates excellence in professional theatre, dance, and opera. The 44th celebration will recognize all award categories and honour the incredible artistry of the 2023-2024 season.

“The 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards promise to be the most impressive yet, brimming with razzle and dazzle,” said Jacoba Knaapen, Dora Awards Producer and TAPA Executive Director. “The Dora Awards serve as a cornerstone of Canada's live theatre, dance, and opera scene, recognizing the most prestigious and innovative productions and honouring the highest achievements in Toronto’s performing arts community. It is with great excitement that we look forward to once again celebrating, inspiring, and entertaining the best and brightest in the industry.”

Ryan G. Hinds, a Toronto musical theatre darling, will host the 44th Annual Dora Awards for the first time. He has played the role of Hedwig in a production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and appeared in the 2001 movie adaptation. Ryan has been part of numerous other shows, including cabaret performances and dance-theatre hybrids. He has even shared the stage with famous personalities like Liza Minnelli, Todrick Hall, Debbie Reynolds, Billy Stritch, and Lady Bunny. So, get ready for an exciting evening of entertainment!
Herbie Barnes, the Artistic Director of Young People's Theatre, will direct the Dora Awards for the second year. Diane Flacks, who has been nominated for Emmy, Gemini, and Dora awards, will return for her eighth year as the scriptwriter. Additionally, Andrea Lundy, a veteran Dora Award winner and multi-award-winning lighting and production designer, will return for her twentieth consecutive year. The Dora Awards are delighted to welcome back these talented individuals.

New Award 

The 2024 Dora Awards will have 43 Awards with one new award category: Outstanding Innovative Experience. The Outstanding Innovative Experience category is designed to recognize any production or theatrical artform that  is not eligible to register for any existing Dora Awards, Canadian Screen Awards, or Canadian Comedy Awards categories. This category can include, but is not limited to, digitally delivered content, immersive experiences, augmented or virtual reality, or any other experimental work in theatre or alternative forms of delivery.

Please find a list of 2024 Dora Mavor Moore Award events and dates below:

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

The 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE, will take place at 10:00 AM ET at Meridian Hall. A complete list of the 2024 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 and the George Luscombe Award for Mentorship. 
Press must register for credentials to cover this event.
The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award online voting will open for all audience members to vote for their favourite nominated production or add their own. Voting is powered by Now Playing Toronto and starts at 11:30 AM ET.

Tickets to the 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will go on sale on Tuesday, May 28th, at 11:00 AM ET. 

Monday, June 24, 2024

The 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards CEREMONY AND AWARD PRESENTATION will be hosted by Ryan G. Hinds, featuring special musical guests and VIP presenters. The event will start at 7:30 PM ET and will acknowledge the recipients of 43 award categories across 8 distinct divisions. The Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award and the Silver Ticket Award recipient will also be recognized. The Dora Awards After-Party celebration will be held immediately after the awards ceremony in the unique Cascading Lobbies of the EWGTC.
 

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, Touring and Innovation.  
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 43 categories over 8 divisions.
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). In addition to the Doras, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: Annual Arts Day at the City, hipTIX (offering $10 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), TAPA RBC Emerging Artists Mentorship Program (TREAM),  the Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant and the professional development TAPA Trade Series.

About Ryan G. Hinds

Dubbed as “a Toronto theatre icon” by CBC, “exuding 100% star quality” by Glenn Sumi, and “one of Toronto’s most beloved cabaret performers” by My Entertainment World, Ryan G. Hinds is a critically acclaimed actor, director, and Associate Artist at lemonTree creations.

Toronto audiences have seen Ryan’s work onstage in Midsummer Night’s Dream for Canadian Stage Company, #KanderAndEbb at Stratford Festival and on tour, Starry Notions for Toronto Fringe, Lilies; Or, the Revival of a Romantic Drama at Buddies in Bad Times, and MacArthur Park Suite: A Disco Ballet for Summerworks, in addition to major events for Nuit Blanche and Pride Toronto (as well as Pride festivals across Canada and the US). Ryan’s directorial debut at Shaw Festival, A Christmas Carol, is set for November 2024 and follows a season-long stint with Shaw as the 2022 Neil Munro Directing intern (assisting Brian Hill, Philip Akin, and Tim Carroll, and directing Kat Sandler’s Bright Lights). Other directing includes shows for Theatre New Brunswick, Theatre Sheridan, and Vanier College Productions.
 

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