The 2026 Dora Awards, celebrating the best of the performing arts in Toronto from the previous season, were dolled out Monday night at Meridian Hall, at a ceremony hosted by Canadian actor Amaka Umeh.
“Through the Eyes of God,” a solo play by Anusree Roy about a young mother in India, claimed the top prize in the general theatre division, while Andrew Kushnir’s “The Division,” about his journey uncovering his grandfather’s story as a soldier for a Nazi unit in the Second World War, won four Doras in the independent theatre division. Other productions that picked up multiple awards include the musical “Octet” and the Canadian Opera Company revival of “Orfeo ed Euridice.”
Here’s a full list of the winners in all 45 categories.
General Theatre Division
- Outstanding production: “Through the Eyes of God”
- Outstanding new play: “The Neighbours,” by Nicolas Billon
- Outstanding direction: Gregory Prest, “Bremen Town”
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Sophia Walker, “Slave Play”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Marta Armstrong, Liz Der, Philippa Domville, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, Noa Furlong, Bria McLaughlin, Sofía Rodríguez, and Emerjade Simms, “Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs”
- Outstanding scenic/projection design: Andy Moro (scenic and projection), “Mischief”
- Outstanding costume design: Melanie McNeill, “Le Malentendu (The Misunderstanding)”
- Outstanding lighting design: Bonnie Beecher, “The Welkin”
- Outstanding sound design/composition: Romeo Candido, “Through the Eyes of God”
Independent Theatre Division
- Outstanding production: “The Division”
- Outstanding new play: “The Division”
- Outstanding direction: Andrew Kushnir, “The Division”
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Nick Eddie, “Bug”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Mariya Khomutova, Ivy Charles, Alon Nashman, and Karl Ang, “The Division”
- Outstanding scenic/projection design: Anahita Dehbonehie (scenic), “The Green Line”
- Outstanding costume design: Melanie McNeill, “Night at the Grand Guignol”
- Outstanding lighting design: André du Toit, “Public Consumption”
- Outstanding sound design/composition: Heidi Chan and Chris Pereira, “The Green Line”
Musical Theatre Division
- Outstanding production: “Octet”
- Outstanding new musical: “Narnia,” by Fiona Sauder (writer); Landon Doak (composer); Matt Pilipiak (dramaturge); Jonathan Corkal-Astorga (music supervisor/arranger/orchestrator); and Victor Pokinko (creative producer)
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Kaylee Harwood, “Bright Star”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Damien Atkins, Alicia Ault, Andrew Broderick, Ben Carlson, Hailey Gillis, Zorana Sadiq, Jacqueline Thair and Giles Tomkins, “Octet”
- Outstanding creative direction: Fiona Sauder (director); Matt Pilipiak and Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks (associate directors); Fiona Sauder and Rohan Dhupar (co-choreographers); and Jonathan Corkal-Astorga (musical director), “Narnia”
- Outstanding achievement in design: Olivia Wheeler (sound), “Octet”
Opera Division
- Outstanding production: “Orfeo ed Euridice”
- Outstanding new opera: “Canuck Cantatas,” by Danika Lorèn, Sarah Slean and Spencer Kryzanowski (composers); Royce Vavrek, Vern Thiessen and Emma Pennell (librettists)
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Iestyn Davies, “Orfeo ed Euridice”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: The Canadian Opera Company Chorus, “Orfeo ed Euridice”
- Outstanding creative direction: Christophe Gayral (revival director), based on the original direction of Robert Carsen; and Bernard Labadie (musical director), “Orfeo ed Euridice”
- Outstanding achievement in design: Robert Thomson (lighting), “Bluebeard’s Castle/Erwartung”
Theatre for Young Audiences Division
- Outstanding production: “Love You Forever … And More Munsch”
- Outstanding new play: “She Holds Up the Stars,” by Sandra Laronde
- Outstanding direction: Sandra Laronde, “She Holds Up the Stars”
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Morgan St. Onge, “Morgan’s Journey”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Kali Kennedy Bomberry, Falciony Patiño, Katie Couchie, Montana Summers and Santee Smith, “The Mush Hole”
- Outstanding achievement in design: Nick Barnes (puppetry), “She Holds Up the Stars”
Dance Division
- Outstanding production: “Make Banana Cry”
- Outstanding original choreography: Esie Mensah, “ZAYO”
- Outstanding performance by an individual: Rose-Mary Harbans, “ZAYO”
- Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Stephen Thompson, Cynthia Koppe, Francesca Chudnoff, Hanako Hoshimi-Caines, Sehyoung Lee, and Winnie Ho, “Make Banana Cry”
- Outstanding original sound composition: Ben Waters, “Reverence (Adieu Mixed Programme)”
- Outstanding achievement in design: Jeff Logue (lighting), “Reverence (Adieu Mixed Programme)”
Other
- Outstanding touring production: “What the Day Owes to the Night”
- Outstanding innovative experience: “The Haunting”
- Jon Kaplan audience choice award: “The Drowsy Chaperone”
