The Doras take into account plays, musicals, opera, dance and children's theatre, and recognizes the need for separate "divisions" based on budget or discipline.
Canadian Stage Company's Fire and Soulpepper Theatre Company's Top Girls tied for for the top spot in the General Theatre Production Division with seven nominations each, and VideoCabaret's Laurier earned six nominations in the Independent Theatre Production Division.
Tony Award-winning actor Brent Carver (Kiss of the Spider Woman) was nominated for his work in The Elephant Man.
The North American premiere of the London smash Dirty Dancing was nominated as Outstanding Production of a Musical.
Judith Thompson's Iraq War-themed The Palace of the End, now surfacing in theatres around North America, is a Dora nominee as Outstanding New Play. Epic Theatre Ensemble will give the play its New York City premiere starting June 11 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater in the Playwrights Horizons complex. The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) administer the Doras. The awards ceremony will be hosted by Sharron Matthews on June 30 at the Winter Garden Theatre, with special guest Thom Allison.
A total of 35 Dora Awards will be handed out, plus the Silver Ticket Award, the Pauline McGibbon Award and the Audience Choice Award.
As well, in a special gift from the late Bluma Appel, arts patron and honorary Dora winner, a $5,000 prize will be awarded to the winning playwright of Outstanding New Play in the General Theatre Production Division for the third year in a row, in addition to the continuation of Bluma's Indies comprised of a cash prize of $1,000 to all winners in the Independent Theatre Production Division.
Recipients of three awards were announced June 5:
The 2007-08 Dora Award Nominees
GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Judith Thompson The Palace of the End
The Ensemble Tazed and Confused
Hannah Moscovitch Essay
Hannah Moscovitch East of Berlin
Brendan Gall Alias Godot
OUTSTANDING NEW MUSICAL
Lizt Alfonso and Kelly Robinson VIDA!
Juliet Palmer & Anna Chatterton Stitch
Chris Earle Peter Pan - The Family Musical
Guy Mignault Et si on chantait
Devised by Jim LeFrancois and David Oiye Arthouse Cabaret
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
Top Girls Soulpepper Theatre Company
The December Man The Canadian Stage Company in co-production with The Citadel Theatre
Rose Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company
Le Misanthrope Le Théâtre français de Toronto
Intimate Apparel Obsidian Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Little Shop of Horrors The Canadian Stage Company
Fire The Canadian Stage Company in co-production with The Citadel Theatre
Dirty Dancing The Classic Story On Stage David Mirvish and Jacobsen Entertainment, Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions
Arthouse Cabaret Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
A Man of No Importance Acting Up Stage Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Alisa Palmer Top Girls
Micheline Chevrier The December Man
Diana Leblanc Rose
Jean-Stéphane Roy Le Misanthrope
Philip Akin Intimate Apparel
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Kelly Robinson and Lizt Alfonso VIDA!
Ted Dykstra Little Shop of Horrors
James MacDonald Fire
Jim LeFrancois and David Oiye Arthouse Cabaret
Lezlie Wade A Man of No Importance
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY
Joseph Ziegler The Time of Your Life
Julian Richings The Palace of the End
Brent Carver The Elephant Man
John Jarvis The Drawer Boy
Brian Dooley The December Man
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY
Kelly Fox Top Girls
Megan Follow Top Girls
Megan Follows Three Sisters
Arsinée Khanjian The Palace of the End
Nicola Lipman The December Man
Lally Cadeau Rose
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – MUSICAL
Ross Petty Peter Pan - The Family Musical
Ted Dykstra Fire
Rick Roberts Fire
Keith Cole Arthouse Cabaret
Douglas E. Hughes A Man of No Importance
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – MUSICAL
Sharron Matthews The Wizard of OZ
Patricia Zentilli Little Shop of Horrors
Nicole Underhay Fire
Amélie Lefebvre Et si on chantait
Britta Lazenga Dirty Dancing The Classic Story On Stage
Patty Jamieson A Man of No Importance
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY OR MUSICAL
Robyn Stevan Top Girls
Stuart Hughes The Time of Your Life
Caroline Gillis How It Works
Diego Matamoros As You Like It
Ellen Ray Hennessy Age of Arousal
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Judith Bowden Top Girls
John Ferguson The December Man
Dany Lyne Pelléas et Mélisande
Astrid Janson From the House of the Dead
Camellia Koo East of Berlin
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Judith Bowden Top Girls
Nina Okens Le Misanthrope
Tamara Marie Kucheran Intimate Apparel
Margaret Lamb Idomeneo
Julia Tribe A Midsummer Night's Dream
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Kimberly Purtell The Russian Play
Andrea Lundy The Eco Show
Phillip Silver Rose
Thomas C. Hase Pelléas et Mélisande
Kevin Lamotte Democracy
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Mike Ross Under Milk Wood
Richard Feren The Eco Show
Creighton and Melanie Doane Salt Water Moon
Keith Thomas Rose
Peter McBoyle Fire
OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTION
Mike Ross The Time of Your Life
Andrew Parrott Idomeneo
Ted Dykstra Fire
Sir Richard Armstrong Eugene Onegin
Paolo Olmi Don Carlos
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY IN A PLAY OR MUSICAL
Lizt Alfonso VIDA!
Monica Dottor The Russian Play
Tracey Flye Peter Pan - The Family Musical
Jody Ripplinger Little Shop of Horrors
Kate Champion Dirty Dancing The Classic Story on Stage
OUTSTANDING TOURING PRODUCTION
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby David Mirvish presents
The Drowsy Chaperone Dancap Productions Inc.
Sexual Practices of the Japanese Produced by Theatre Replacement and presented by Factory Theatre
Risk Everything Harbourfront Centre and Luminato
Famous Puppet Death Scenes Young Centre for the Performing Arts presents The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
OPERA DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Stitch A Theatre Centre and Urbanvessel co-production
Pelléas et Mélisande Canadian Opera Company
Idomeneo Opera Atelier
From the House of the Dead Canadian Opera Company
Don Carlos Canadian Opera Company / Welsh National Opera
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Robert Gleadow The Marriage of Figaro
Isabel Bayrakdarian Pelléas et Mélisande
Russell Braun Pelléas et Mélisande
Measha Breuggergosman Idomeneo
Peggy Kriha Dye Idomeneo
Kresimir Spicer Idomeneo
DANCE DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Rite of Spring and Re - Harbourfront Centre and Luminato presents Shen Wei Dance Arts
Portal Peggy Baker Dance Projects
Chapel/Chapter Harbourfront Centre
Bas-Reliefs DanceWorks
adelheid solos DanceWorks
A Story Before Time DanceWorks / Kaha:wi Dance Theatre
24 Preludes by Chopin The National Ballet of Canada
OUTSTANDING NEW CHOREOGRAPHY
Valerie Calam PARLIAMENT
Peggy Baker Portal
Mélanie Demers Les angles morts
Ginette Laurin & Guillaume Bernardi Bas-Reliefs
Heidi Strauss adelheid solos
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Peggy Baker Portal
Jacques Poulin-Denis Les angles morts
Sashar Zarif Life is the Feeling of a Migrating Bird
The Ensemble A Story Before Time
The Ensemble 24 Preludes by Chopin
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Peter Chin & Garnet Willis Transmission of the Invisible
Philip Strong Inverse
Eric Chenaux Double Bill #1
Charles Hong, Joo Hyung Kim and Sosun Suh Choonengmu
Alexander MacSween & Gaétan Leboeuf Bas-Reliefs
INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION
OUTSTANDING NEW PLAY
Anusree Roy Pyaasa
Michael Rubenfeld My Fellow Creatures
Beatriz Pizano Madre
Michael Hollingsworth Laurier
Brendan Gall A Quiet Place
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Waiting for Godot Modern Times Stage Company
Lullaby Dark Horse Theatre
Laurier VideoCabaret
April 14, 1912 Theatre Rusticle
A Quiet Place single threat
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION
Soheil Parsa Waiting for Godot
Nina Lee Aquino People Power
Michael Hollingsworth Laurier
Allyson McMackon April 14, 1912
Geoffrey Pounsett A Quiet Place
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE
Nicco Lorenzo Garcia People Power
Benjamin Clost My Fellow Creatures
David Ferry Lullaby
Ryan Hollyman Lawrence and Holloman
Christopher Stanton A Quiet Place
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE
Erin Shields The Unfortunate Misadventures of Masha Galinski
Anusree Roy Pyaasa
Marcia Bennett Madre
Maev Beaty Dance of the Red Skirts
Pragna Desai Canada Steel
Karin Randoja Breakfast
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Trevor Schwellnus Waiting for Godot
Camellia Koo People Power
Trevor Schwellnus Madre
Lindsay Anne Black April 14, 1912
Jackie Chau Antigone: Insurgency (Sophocles Revisited)
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
Angela Thomas Waiting for Godot
Jenna McCutchin The Fort at York
Astrid Janson and Sarah Armstrong Laurier
Nina Okens Bella Donna
Lindsay Anne Black April 14, 1912
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
Andrea Lundy Waiting for Godot
Michael Spence Raging Dreams - into the visceral
Trevor Schwellnus Madre
Andy Moro Laurier
Laird Macdonald Breakfast
Michelle Ramsay April 14, 1912
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION
Romeo Candido People Power
Thomas Ryder Payne Madre
Brent Snyder Laurier
Richard Windeyer Breakfast
Christopher Stanton A Quiet Place
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Ensemble TOUGH!
Ensemble Offensive Fouls
Ensemble Love You Forever and More Munsch
Kyle Cameron Cranked
Ensemble Binti's Journey
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
TOUGH! The Factory Theatre in association with Luminato
Offensive Fouls Theatre Direct Canada
Love You Forever and More Munsch Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
Cranked Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People presents Green Thumb Theatre
Binti's Journey Theatre Direct Canada
