Dora Mavor Moore Awards
Canadian award for the performing arts in several categories honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto (1978–)
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the awards program was established on December 13, 1978, with the first awards held in 1980. Each winner receives a bronze statue made from the original by John Romano.
Awards
Awards are given in major divisions: General Theatre (Drama/Comedy/Play, budget over $100,000 and over 150 seats), Musical Theatre (Musical/Revue/Cabaret), Independent Theatre (budget under $100,000 and/or under 150 seats), Dance, Opera, Theatre for Young Audiences, and Touring. Each of these major categories is further sub-divided in an assorted number of awards. In 2018, the awards announced that beginning with the 2019 awards, it would discontinue gender-based performance categories, replacing its previous performance categories for men and women with "Outstanding Performance" categories.
General Theatre
Production
Original Play
Leading Performer
Supporting Performer
Direction
Scenic/Projection Design
Costume Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design/Composition
Leading Actor (retired)
Leading Actress (retired)
Supporting Actor (retired)
Supporting Actress (retired)
Ensemble (retired)
Choreography (retired)
Musical Theatre
Production
Original Musical
Leading Performer
Supporting Performer
Direction
Musical Direction
Choreography
Design
Leading Actor (retired)
Leading Actress (retired)
Supporting Actor (retired)
Supporting Actress (retired)
Ensemble (retired)
Scenic Design (retired)
Costume Design (retired)
Lighting Design (retired)
Original Score (retired)
Independent theatre
Production
Original Play
Direction
Performer
Ensemble
Scenic/Projection Design
Costume Design
Lighting Design
Sound Design/Composition
Leading Actor (retired)
Leading Actress (retired)
Supporting Performer/Ensemble (retired)
Dance
Production
Performer
Ensemble
Choreography
Design
Sound Design/Composition
Actor (retired)
Actress (retired)
Opera
Production
Original Opera
Performer
Ensemble
Direction
Musical Direction
Design
Actor (retired)
Actress (retired)
Theatre for Young Audiences
Production
Original Play
Performer
Ensemble
Direction
Design
Touring
Production
Ancillary awards
In association with the Dora Awards, several ancillary awards are also administered and presented by TAPA.
Although the Doras were cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada shutting down theatre production in the 2020-21 season, ancillary awards were still presented that year as they are presented for the recipient's overall body of work rather than for specific shows within an eligibility period.
Pauline McGibbon Award
This award was established in 1981 in honour of former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Pauline McGibbon. The winner is announced at the Dora Mavor Moore Award ceremony. This award is "Intended to assist a member of Ontario’s theatre community who has displayed a unique talent, a potential for excellence and who is in the early stages of his or her career." The Award recipient moves in a three-year cycle, rotating through individuals working as a director, a production craft person and a designer respectively.
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Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5297422. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978, 1980, 2018 and 2019.
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