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The envelope, please

Monday (June 27) is party night for Toronto theatre, opera and dance companies as they celebrate the Dora Mavor Moore Awards . The 26th annual Doras kick off with the awards presentation at the Winter Garden Theatre , hosted by Rick Roberts and Melanie Johnson , followed by a party in the theatre lobby. For more info, call 416-872-5555 or check out www.tapa.ca .

Thunder rolls

Here’s an unusual example of Stratford actors working Toronto. Drumroll Thunder Pause Theatre is composed of former Stratford child actors who want to make a mark in local theatre. Some of them – Eli Ham and Robin Michael Taylor – are recent George Brown Theatre grads, while executive producer Dan Leberg has directed at Hart House and the U of T Drama Festival. The company premieres with Taylor’s The Sabbatical , which features Ham as Mikey G, a former video store employee who’s holed up in his apartment and become, as he describes himself, “hermit prince of the Danforth.” Taylor plays Mikey B, his long-time friend who tries, along with Mikey B’s fiancée Mickey C ( Sarah Joy Bennett ), to coax him out into the world.

Performed in an intimate apartment, the script demonstrates Taylor’s nice sense of comedy and some strong monologues, though the writing could be edited down, especially in a flabby second act where the narrative becomes forced and muddled. Mikey G is the richest character, a guy who plays mind tricks with the others and looks for confrontations Ham gives him a rapid-fire delivery and emotional believability.

Director Leberg stages some parallel, two-location scenes cleverly in this no-frills production.

Drumroll’s still perfecting its rhythms, but we’ll keep our eye on this company. See listings, page 100.

Park rangers

You can be part of CanStage ‘s Dream in High Park this summer. Well, okay, not onstage, but as a volunteer for the open-air production of Much Ado About Nothing . The production features husband-and-wife Juan Chioran and Jacklyn Francis as the sparring couple Benedick and Beatrice. The company is looking for people to help on the hillside amphitheatre in a number of capacities. Shifts are three hours, beginning at 5:45 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, from June 28 to September 4.

For more information, call Tina Dugas at 416-367-8243 ext 230, or e-mail tdugas@canstage.com .

Siminovitch ambitions

Last month, the list for this year’s Siminovitch Prize in Theatre was made public, nominating 53 of Canada’s top playwrights. The winner will be announced next October. Think you have the makings to be on a future list? The 2005 Siminovitch Master Class for Playwrights , August 26-28, will be taught by Carole Frechette , winner of the 2003 prize.

Candidates for the master class must be Canadian playwrights who have written at least one play that’s been produced professionally in the past five years. Send an application, resumé and cover letter highlighting your playwriting experience and how you would benefit from the training.

Participants should have at least some knowledge of both English and French the workshop will be held in the two languages.

Deadline is June 29. Check out www.siminovitchprize.com .

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