Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

Toronto, June 30, 2008 – A special Honorary Dora Mavor Moore Award was presented to the Actors’ Fund of Canada for its vital role in providing emergency financial support to performing arts professionals in need at the 29th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, held on Monday evening, June 30th, 2008 at Toronto’s Winter Garden Theatre.

It was the first time this prestigious honour has ever been presented to an institution and it joins the ranks of a very select few who have previously received it: dearly-missed arts patron Mrs. Bluma Appel, esteemed late artistic director of Tarragon Theatre Urjo Kareda, legendary deceased actor William Hutt and philanthropist and supporter of the arts Joan Chalmers.

Traditionally awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the performing arts industry in Canada, the Honorary Dora Award was given to the Actors’ Fund of Canada for its vital role in providing emergency financial aid to performing arts professionals. 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Actors’ Fund, which to date has provided over $3.5 million in emergency financial aid in the last ten years.

Founded in 1958 by actors Jane Mallett, Barbara Hamilton, Donald Davis, Barry Morse and William Needles, the Fund is a registered charity that provides short-term financial aid to entertainment industry professionals working in theatre, film, television, music and dance. Over 10,000 performers and those working behind the scenes have been helped by the Fund, which recently set a new record for the amount of financial aid delivered to cultural workers in a single year, topping $500,000 in the 12-month period that ended on March 31.

The Fund is generously supported not only by individuals and long-standing contributors such as theatres, festivals and enterprising producers, but also by the majority of the performing and technical unions and associations whose members it exists to serve. It receives no government funding and is wholly sustained by support from individuals and entertainment industry organizations.

The Actors’ Fund truly is the lifeline for Canada’s entertainment industry and without it, many members of the performing arts and cultural industries would be unable to maintain their health, housing and ability to work after an illness, injury or other economic or personal hardships that may have sidelined them.

The Actors’ Fund has helped to change people’s lives through restoring hope and dignity to the people who make our cultural products – people who are vital contributors to Canada’s culture and a great source of national pride.
TAPA is an arts service organization that represents nearly 200 professional theatre, dance and opera companies in the City of Toronto, and works to create an environment in which the performing arts may flourish. In addition to the Dora Mavor Moore Awards, programs and services offered by TAPA include: T.O. TIX – Toronto’s One-Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square, the Go Live Toronto marketing campaign and the Commercial Theatre Development Fund.