Dancap Productions' The Toxic Avenger earned five nominations — including one for Louise Pitre — in the newly added Musical Theatre Division. Its competition in the production category is The Light in the Piazza (Acting Up Stage Company), Mimi (Tarragon Theatre), Assassins (BirdLand Theatre and Talk is Free Theatre) and Altar Boyz (Angelwalk Theatre).

There were 225 eligible productions that opened between June 1, 2009, and May 31, 2010, for the 31st annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards. A total of 35 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award, the Pauline McGibbon Award and the Audience Choice Award will be given out in a ceremony hosted by Jian Ghomeshi on June 28 at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.

In the General Theatre Production Division, Necessary Angel's Hamlet, presented by Harbourfront Centre's World Stage, took the top spot with six nominations. If We Were Birds, presented by Tarragon Theatre in association with Groundwater Productions, followed closely with five noms. Competition in the Outstanding Production category is Parfumerie (Soulpepper Theatre Company), Courageous (Tarragon Theatre in a co-production with Citadel Theatre) and 7 Stories (The Canadian Stage Company in a co-production with Theatre Calgary).

In the General Theatre Division, works nominated in the category pf Outstanding New Play include Michael Healey's Courageous, Judith Thompson's Such Creatures, Erin Shields' If We Were Birds, Carmen Aguirre's Refugee Hotel and Anusree Roy's Letters to my Grandma.

In the Musical Theatre Production Division, in the category of Outstanding New Musical/Opera, the nominees are R. Murray Schaefer's The Children's Crusade, Leslie Arden's The Princess & the Handmaiden, Chris Earle's Robin Hood, The Environmental Family Musical, Catherine Magowan & Spy Dénommé-Welch's Giiwedin and Allen Cole, Melody A. Johnson and Rick Roberts' Mimi. In the Independent Theatre Production Division, The Mill, presented by Theatrefront in association with the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, earned seven nominations. With five nods each, Aluna Theatre's La Comuniòn, and DVxT Theatre's The Turn of the Screw, are the runners-up.

The Outstanding New Play or New Musical category in the Independent Theatre Production Division includes Norman Lup-Man Yeung's Pu-Erh; Michele Smith, Dean Gilmour, Ravi Jain and Adam Paolozza's Spent; Hannah Moscovitch's The Mill (Part Two): The Huron Bride; Donna-Michelle St. Bernard's Gas Girls; and Beatriz Pizano's La Comuniòn.

In the Opera Division, the Canadian Opera Company's The Flying Dutchman took seven nominations (four of which are in the General Theatre Production Division).

In a special gift from the Bluma Appel Community Trust, a $5,000 prize will be awarded to the winning playwright of Outstanding New Play in the General Theatre Production Division for the fifth year in a row. In addition, the awards known as Bluma's Indies, comprised of a cash prize of $1,000 per winning category in the Independent Theatre Production Division, will be given.

For information about the ceremony, and a complete list of nominees, visit www.tapa.ca.