TAPA reveals 2025 Dora Award nominees 

It’s that time of year again!

This morning, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the nominees for the 45th annual Dora Awards, which will be given out at Meridian Hall on June 30. Actor Peter Fernandes will host the ceremony (he’s also nominated this year for his performance in Canadian Stage’s Fat Ham).

This year, there are 225 nominations across 43 categories in seven divisions. 

Canadian Stage’s presentation of Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata leads the general theatre division with 15 nominations across its two parts (Part One: Karma and Part Two: Dharma), which are considered individually and, in many cases, nominated together within the same category.

In the independent theatre division, CORPUS’ Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) and Bad New Days’ Last Landscape lead with eight nominations each, followed closely by Coal Mine Theatre’s People, Places and Things with seven.

Yonge Street Theatricals’ Life After tops the musical theatre division with nine nominations, followed by Canadian Stage’s The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical, which earned eight.

Below is the full list of nominees in the general theatre, independent theatre, and musical theatre divisions. A complete list of nominees in the opera, dance, theatre for young audiences, and touring divisions — as well as the link to vote for this year’s Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award — will soon be available on the TAPA website.

General Theatre Division

Outstanding Production
Flex (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Rosmersholm (Crow’s Theatre)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Canadian Stage)

Outstanding New Play
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit by Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose by Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem (Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company)
There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death, or The Born-Again Crow by Caleigh Crow (Native Earth Performing Arts and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Trident Moon by Anusree Roy (Crow’s Theatre and National Arts Centre English Theatre)

Outstanding Direction
Brendan Healy, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Canadian Stage)
Djanet Sears, Table for Two (Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Mumbi Tindeybwa Otu, Flex (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Ravi Jain, Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)

Outstanding Performance by an Individual
Akosua Amo-Adem in Table for Two (Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Ins Choi in Kim’s Convenience (Soulpepper Theatre Company in association with Adam Blanshay Productions and American Conservatory Theatre)
Kevin Matthew Wong in Benevolence (Tarragon Theatre in association with Why Not Theatre and Broadleaf Creative)
Martha Burns in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Canadian Stage)
Miriam Fernandes in Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Peter Fernandes in Fat Ham (Canadian Stage)
Vanessa Sears in Shedding a Skin (Nightwood Theatre in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Virgilia Griffith in Rosmersholm (Crow’s Theatre)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
Flex (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Interior Design (Tarragon Theatre)
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
The Wolf in the Voice (Tarragon Theatre in association with Nightswimming)

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design
Flex with scenic design by Ken MacKenzie (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit with scenic design by Lorenzo Savoini and projection design by Hana S. Kim (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose with scenic design by Lorenzo Savoini and projection design by Hana S. Kim (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Erased with scenic design by Nick Blais (Open Heart Surgery Theatre in partnership with Theatre Passe Muraille)
seven methods of killing kylie jenner with scenic design by Nick Blais and projection design by Laura Warren (Obsidian Theatre in association with Crow’s Theatre)

Outstanding Costume Design
Oraculum with costume design by Christos Darlasis (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Denim & Pythia) 
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit with costume design by Gillian Gallow (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with costume design by Julie Fox (Canadian Stage)
Erased with costume design by Jung A Im (Open Heart Surgery Theatre in partnership with Theatre Passe Muraille)
Wonderful Joe with costume design by Ronnie Burkett (TO Live) 

Outstanding Lighting Design
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Rosmersholm with lighting design by Kimberly Purtell and Imogen Wilson (Crow’s Theatre)
Erased with lighting design by Nick Blais (Open Heart Surgery Theatre in partnership with Theatre Passe Muraille)
Flex with lighting design by Raha Javanfar (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
A Streetcar Named Desire with sound design and composition by Debashis Sinha, Mike Ross, Kaleb Horn, SATE, and Divine Brown (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Roberto Zucco with sound design by Dasha Plett (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit with sound design and composition by John Gzowski and Suba Sankaran (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose with sound design and composition by John Gzowski and Suba Sankaran (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
Flex with sound design by Thomas Ryder Payne (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)

Independent Theatre Division

Outstanding Production
A Case for the Existence of God (Coal Mine Theatre)
Big Stuff (Baram and Snieckus Productions)
Last Landscape (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) [CORPUS]
People, Places and Things (Coal Mine Theatre)

Outstanding New Play
Last Landscape by Adam Paolozza with the company (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
MONKS by Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján (Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján presented by The Theatre Centre)
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) by David Danzon (CORPUS)
Performance Review by Rosamund Small (Outside the March)
The Tempest: A Witch in Algiers by Makram Ayache (Shakespeare in the Ruff)

Outstanding Direction
Adam Paolozza, Last Landscape (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
David Danzon, Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) [CORPUS]
Diana Bentley and Alyssa Martin, People, Places and Things (Coal Mine Theatre)
Jackie Maxwell, Infinite Life (Coal Mine Theatre)

Outstanding Performance by an Individual
Charlotte Dennis in Job (Coal Mine Theatre)
Haley McGee in Age Is a Feeling (Haley McGee, Soho Theatre, and Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Jakob Ehman in Cock (Talk Is Free Theatre)
Lindsay Merrithew in Red (Riot King)
Louise Lambert in People, Places and Things (Coal Mine Theatre)
Mazin Elsadig in A Case for the Existence of God (Coal Mine Theatre)
Naomi Snieckus in Big Stuff (Baram and Snieckus Productions)
Noah Reid in A Case for the Existence of God (Coal Mine Theatre)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
INSERT CLOWN HERE (Parlous Theatre)
Last Landscape (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
MONKS (Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján presented by The Theatre Centre)
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) [CORPUS]
People, Places and Things (Coal Mine Theatre)

Outstanding Scenic/Projection Design
Last Landscape with scenic design by Adam Paolozza and Ken MacKenzie, scenic marionettes by Roxanne Ignatius, and additional puppets by Graeme Black Robinson, Clelia Scala, and Puppetmongers Theatre (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
Red with scenic design by Kenzia Dalie (Riot King)
Qalb – A Journey of the Ego with scenic design by Maryam Hafizirad and projection design by Laura Warren (1s1 Theatre co-presented by Why Not Theatre)
Carried by the River with scenic design by Ting-Huan Christine Urquhart and projection design by William Yong (Red Snow Collective)
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) with scenic design by Yann Becker (CORPUS)

Outstanding Costume Design
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) with costume design by Atsuko Kiyokawa (CORPUS)
Pochsy IV: Unplugged with costume design by Justin Miller (VideoCabaret)
People, Places and Things with costume design by Laura Delchiaro (Coal Mine Theatre)
Carried by the River with costume design by Ting-Huan Christine Urquhart (Red Snow Collective)
Last Landscape with costume design by Valerie Calam (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)

Outstanding Lighting Design
Last Landscape with lighting design by André du Toit (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
Takwahiminana with lighting design by André du Toit (Punctuate! Theatre presented by Soulpepper Theatre Company)
People, Places and Things with lighting design by Bonnie Beecher and Jeff Pybus (Coal Mine Theatre)
A Case for the Existence of God with lighting design by Nick Blais (Coal Mine Theatre)
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) with lighting design by Yann Becker (CORPUS)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition
Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) with sound design and composition by Anika Johnson (CORPUS)
Last Landscape with sound design and composition by Cheldon Paterson, a.k.a SlowPitchSound (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
Red with sound design by Kenzia Dalie (Riot King)
Qalb – A Journey of the Ego with sound design and composition by Siavash Sadrmahdavi (1s1 Theatre co-presented by Why Not Theatre)
People, Places and Things with sound design by Thomas Ryder Payne (Coal Mine Theatre)

Musical Theatre Division

Outstanding Production
A Strange Loop (Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Young People’s Theatre)
Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Shifting Ground Collective)
The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)

Outstanding New Musical/New Opera
La Reine-garçon by Julien Bilodeau and Michel Marc Bouchard (Canadian Opera Company and Opéra de Montréal)
I Was Unbecoming Then by Lyndsey Bourne and Sam Kaseta (Downtown Theatre presented by Next Stage Theatre Festival)
The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical by Matt Murray (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)
Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White by Sean Mayes and HAUI (Canadian Opera Company in association with the National Arts Centre and Canada Council)
Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale Retold by Titilope Sonuga, based on music by Igor Stravinsky (Art of Time Ensemble)

Outstanding Performance by an Individual
Dan Chameroy in The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)
Isabella Esler in Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
Jake Epstein in Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
Julia Pulo in The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)
Julia Pulo in Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
Malachi McCaskill in A Strange Loop (Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live)
Mariand Torres in Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
Vanessa Sears in The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
A Strange Loop (Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Young People’s Theatre)
Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Shifting Ground Collective)
The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)

Outstanding Creative Direction
Life After with direction by Annie Tippe, choreography by Ann Yee; music supervision, orchestration, and arrangements by Lynne Shankel; and music direction by Chris Kong (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with direction by Jennifer Walls, choreography by Nicholas Rocque, and music direction by Michael Ippolito (Shifting Ground Collective)
A Strange Loop with direction by Ray Hogg, choreography by Rodney Diverlus, and music direction by Chris Tsujiuchi (Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live)
Lindsay Merrithew in Red (Riot King)
The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical with direction by Ted Dykstra, choreography by Jennifer Mote, and music direction by Mark Camilleri (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with direction by Thom Allison, choreography by Allison Plamondon, and music direction by Jeannie Wyse (Young People’s Theatre)

WRITTEN BY

Krystal Abrigo

Krystal is Intermission’s Publishing and Editorial Assistant. A Scarborough-based writer of Philippine and Egyptian descent, she graduated cum laude with an Honours BA in Professional Writing from York University, specializing in Book Publishing and Corporate/Organizational Communication. She enjoys reading bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin. At any given moment, you can probably find her at a concert or on a long walk somewhere in Toronto.

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