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The 2026 Toronto Arts Awards celebrated six recipients whose work spans dub poetry, Afro-Caribbean stilt dancing, living algae sculpture, Colombian-Indigenous music, Cuban jazz, and grassroots youth programming. Announced at the annual Mayor's Arts Lunch hosted by Mayor Olivia Chow, the awards distributed $95,000 across six categories, part of more than $600,000 given directly to Toronto artists and organizations over the program's 21-year history.
The 2026 Mayor's Arts Lunch, held today, looked exactly like the city it was celebrating: a dub poet, a stilt dancer rooted in Caribbean tradition, a Colombian-Canadian composer working out of Jane and Finch, and a scientist-artist growing algae sculptures from human breath.
Five-time Dora Award-winning actor Amaka Umeh is set to host the 46th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, presented by the Romano D'Andrea Foundation, on Monday, June 29, 2026, at Toronto's Meridian Hall. Canada's largest and oldest performing arts awards programme will celebrate outstanding achievements across theatre, dance, and opera with 42 gender-inclusive award categories. Nominations will be announced on June 1 at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre.
Toronto's performing arts community has something major to look forward to this summer. The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) has announced that the 46th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, presented by the Romano D'Andrea Foundation, will take place on Monday, June 29, 2026, at Meridian Hall (1 Front Street East). The evening will be hosted by Amaka Umeh, a celebrated, five-time Dora Award-winning actor of Igbo and Ikwerre (Nigerian) descent whose presence alone signals the kind of bold, culturally grounded energy that makes the Doras one of the most anticipated events on Toronto's cultural calendar.
As Black arts organizations across Ontario navigate a complex funding landscape, strategic investment in long-term capacity has become essential. A recently completed Ontario Trillium Foundation grant marks a pivotal moment for BCurrent Performing Arts, reinforcing its leadership, resilience, and future-facing vision.
For more than three decades, BCurrent Performing Arts has played a defining role in shaping Black creative expression in Toronto and beyond. Founded in 1991, the organization has consistently provided space for Black artists to imagine, experiment, and present work that reflects the complexity and expansiveness of Black life in Canada. That legacy has now been reinforced by the successful completion of an 18-month, $79,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, awarded in 2024.
The National Theatre School of Canada marks its 65th anniversary with a year-long celebration honouring its legacy of training and transforming generations of theatre artists. From Sandra Oh to Wajdi Mouawad, NTS continues to shape the national and global performing arts landscape.
This fall marks a major milestone for Canadian theatre. The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS), one of the country’s most esteemed performing arts institutions, celebrates its 65th anniversary—a testament to its enduring influence on Canada’s cultural and creative landscape. Since its founding in 1960, NTS has been the beating heart of theatre education in Canada, producing generations of artists whose work resonates from coast to coast and across the world.
TO Live’s explorations program unveils its 2025 cohort, expanding support for seven groundbreaking artists. The initiative champions research, risk, and innovation.
Toronto’s artistic landscape thrives on experimentation, and TO Live is making sure that spirit has the room it needs to flourish. The multi-arts organization has announced the 2025 cohort of its explorations program, now entering its fifth year. Designed as a platform for experimental research, explorations gives artists the chance to pursue ambitious inquiries free from the usual pressures of production timelines or predetermined outcomes.
Now in its fifth year, TO Live’s explorations initiative has supported 32 artists with funding totalling $200,000
explorations is a TO Live initiative to support Toronto-based artists who want to push the boundaries of their practice.
TO Live today announced that the annual application process for explorations is now open. $7,000 will be awarded to each of six Toronto-based artists, artist collectives, or project-based organizations to research an idea or technique that will push the boundaries of their practice.
The Metcalf Foundation is pleased to announce the five winners and their protégés for the 2025 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes / Les Prix Johanna-Metcalf des Arts de la scène (Johannas), with a total value of $195,000 in prizes. Each winner received a prize of $25,000, announced at a ceremony on May 5, 2025, at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto.
