Q&A: 36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards

Chris Earle

The 36th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be held on Monday June 22, 2015 at Harbourfront Centre on the open-air WestJet stage. Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto's performing arts industry, the Doras honour the creators of over 200 theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera and Theatre for Young Audiences.

This year's awards ceremony is hosted by award-winning comedian and actor Gavin Crawford, while playwright Chris Earle returns for the fifth time as writer.

We caught up with Earle to find out more about his vision for the show.

Theatromania: How would you describe the theme of this year’s Dora Awards in a few sentences?

CE: The theme of the Dora's this year is "mentorship" - the importance of veteran artists supporting and encouraging younger artists. Of course, the underlying theme of any awards show is also brutal competition, bitter resentment, and schadenfreude. So... take your pick.

Theatromania: This is your fifth time writing the show. Does it get easier with experience? What are some of the challenges?

CE: It gets both easier and harder. Getting familiar with the format makes it easier, but you also start running out of awards show jokes. I'm not sure how many more times I can use the "Here's How to Accept Your Dora Award" bit done like an airplane safety demo. Killer! Luckily, having new hosts every year keeps it fresh. Working with people like Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus (last year's hosts) or this year's host, Gavin Crawford, makes it super easy. They're just so good. The big challenge is to add enough funny without making the night go on forever.

Theatromania: If you could change one thing about theatre in Toronto what would it be?

CE: We definitely need more plays that explore important issues and investigate troubling themes. We could also use some plays that dissect contemporary morality. So to recap: more exploring, investigating, and dissecting. Also, a forensic audit would be cool. Maybe I'll write that one.

Theatormania: What excites you most about this year's lineup?

CE: Surprise presenters Donald Trump and Sepp Blatter!

The 36th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be held on Monday, June 22, 2015 at Harbourfront Centre. Visit tapa.ca/dora-awards for more information.