Sheridan Shines at Dora Awards

The groundbreaking production of Brantwood, produced by Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Project (CMTP), along with Sheridan music theatre alumni, were recognized at the 2015 Dora Mavor Moore Awards celebrating excellence in Toronto’s performing arts. The 36^th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards were handed out on June 22 at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.

Brantwood won the Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production. Created by Julie Tepperman and Mitchell Cushman, Brantwood was the largest production of immersive, site-specific musical theatre in Canadian history. The production featured 11 era-specific storylines, running concurrently, and was staged at the former Brantwood School site in Oakville this spring.

“We are grateful to be recognized by Toronto audiences and the theatre community with this unprecedented honour,” said Michael Rubinoff, Brantwood’s Producer. Rubinoff is also the Associate Dean, Visual and Performing Arts in the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design at Sheridan. “Along with our dynamic students, faculty and staff from the Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance and Technical Production for Theatre and Live Events programs, over 100 individuals had a part in creating this inventive and exciting new musical,” he added.

In the Music Theatre/Opera Division, Stephanie Graham won for Outstanding Choreography for The Wild Party produced by the Acting Up Stage Company. A 1995 graduate of Sheridan’s Music Theatre Performance diploma program, Graham is also a professor at the College. The Mirvish production of Once led the Musical Theatre Division with three Dora Awards, including Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance – Ensemble. Emily Lukasik, who was cast in Once while she was still a Sheridan student, graduated from the Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program earlier this month. She played Reza, one of the leading roles. The production also featured 2008 Music Theatre graduate, Alicia Toner as the Swing/Understudy. Donna Garner, former Sheridan faculty, was part of the cast ofOnce as well, playing the role of Baruska.

About the Canadian Music Theatre Project: 

Launched in 2011, The CMTP is Canada’s first incubator for the development of new musical theatre works by Canadian and international composers, lyricists and book-writers. Writers work with a cast of students to bring their new musical to life through workshops and staged readings. Brantwood is the latest CMTP production to receive acclaim. May 2015 saw the professional debut of two new musicals: The Theory of Relativity premiered at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera House and Come From Away debuted at California’s La Jolla Playhouse, the theatre that brought the hits Jersey Boys and Memphis to Broadway. 

Click here for more about Sheridan's Canadian Music Theatre Project

About Sheridan

Long recognized for excellence in music theatre performance, Sheridan College serves 20,000 full-time students at campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville. Notable alumni of the music theatre performance program include Michael Therriault, Tina Maddigan, Chilina Kennedy, Scott Campbell, Sarah Cornell, Brittany Allen and Aaron Walpole.

More about Sheridan's Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance

Photo caption: Celebrating the Audience Choice Award win for Brantwood at the Dora ceremony: from right to left, Michael Rubinoff (Producer), Mitchell Cushman and Julie Tepperman (writers), Anika Johnson (Co-Composer) and Jon Kaplan (NOW Magazine)