A Cinderella story at theatre's 2013 Dora Awards

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Young People's Theatre dominated Dora on Monday night.

Since most of YPT's audience probably thinks she is a cartoon explorer, please be sure to explain to any impressionable lil' ones reading the paper that this means the kid-friendly Toronto theatre company picked up a leading eight clown statuettes at the 34th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards – all but one for British playwright Mike Kenny's rethink of a popular fairy tale.

Cinderella – subtitled A RATical Retelling and 100 per cent free of fairy godmothers – beat out several productions for adult audiences in the musical-theatre division including Theatre 20's Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare, which went into the night with nine nominations but won no awards. Cinderella was named best production of a musical, while YPT head honcho Allen MacInnis was named outstanding director.

MacInnis recently chaired the closed-door committee responsible for the Doras' idiosyncratic category changes this year, and so deserves a hiss in addition to a huzzah.

One of his committee's ideas is the new category of best ensemble – and Cinderella's mischief of supporting rats headed by Elodie Gillett (currently doing a heck of a job as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls at the Shaw Festival) and Dmitry Chepovetsky (who was also deservedly up for his work in the ensemble of Do You Want What I Have Got: A Craigslist Cantata) were the inaugural honourees in the musical-theatre division.

The Wizard of Oz, Mirvish Productions and Andrew Lloyd Webber's own rejig of a popular children's tale, picked up just one award, for Lisa Horner as the Wicked Witch of the West. That darn witch may not thwart Dorothy in the show, but Horner did beat out Steffi DiDomenicantonio's Cinderella at the awards show despite having the smaller role. (The Doras this year eliminated separate categories for supporting and lead performance.)

Bruce Dow, meanwhile, won for best performance by an actor in a musical for his daring work incarnating performance artist Leigh Bowery in Alistair Newton's Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical at Buddies in Bad Times. Dow, taking a season off from Stratford, was similarly honoured by the Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards for the same role.

Indeed, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre had some very good times last night, picking up a further three awards for Tawiah M'carthy's solo show Obaaberima – named the best production of the 2012-2013 season in the Dora general theatre division.

Surprisingly, M'carthy did not win for best performance by an actor in a role of any size, however. That honour went to Stratford Festival star Tom Rooney for his portrait of a doctor on a downward slide in Kristen Thomson's Someone Else. Thomson's emotionally exhausting play about an unravelling marriage was named the best new script of the season.

Someone Else was directed, memorably, by Crow's Theatre artistic director Chris Abraham, but Abraham lost out on the best director of a play award for this to himself – for his production of John Mighton's The Little Years at Tarragon Theatre, which had originated at the Stratford Festival the season before.

In the Doras' indie (a.k.a. low-budget) division, another show recently seen at Stratford led the winners: VideoCabaret's The War of 1812, Michael Hollingsworth's mad history play, picked up three awards – including one for Hollingsworth's direction. Mr. Marmalade, a play staged by Outside the March Theatre Company in a kindergarten classroom, was named best production.

And how did Young People's Theatre pick up its eighth award? Its presentation of Théâtre Qui Va Là's La Fugue was named best production in the theatre-for-young-audiences category.

Yes, there's a whole division for children's theatre – which for some reason Young People's Theatre can choose or choose not to compete in – as well as opera and dance awards.

THE FULL LIST OF DORA WINNERS

GENERAL THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production: Obaaberima (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)

Outstanding New Play: Kristen Thomson, Someone Else (Crow's Theatre in association with Canadian Stage)

Outstanding Direction: Chris Abraham, The Little Years (Tarragon Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Male: Tom Rooney, Someone Else (Crow's Theatre in association with Canadian Stage)

Outstanding Performance - Female: Irene Poole, The Little Years (Tarragon Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Soulpepper Theatre Company)

Outstanding Scenic Design: Julie Fox, Arigato, Tokyo (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)

Outstanding Costume Design: Dana Osborne, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Soulpepper Theatre Company)

Oustanding Lighting Design: Michelle Ramsay, Obaaberima (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Kobena Aquaa-Harrison, Obaaberima (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)

INDEPENDENT THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production: Mr Marmalade (Outside the March)

Outstanding New Play: Adam Seybold, The De Chardin Project (The Quickening Theatre)

Outstanding Direction: Michael Hollingsworth, The War of 1812 (Videocabaret in association with the Young Centre for the Performing Arts)

Outstanding Performance - Male: Gavin Crawford, A Few Brittle Leaves (The Cabaret Company)

Outstanding Performance - Female: Michelle Monteith, The Lesson (Modern Times Stage Company)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of The War of 1812  (Videocabaret in association with the Young Centre for the Performing Arts)

Outstanding Scenic Design: Andrea Mittler, The Dumb Waiter (Wordsmyth Theatre)

Outstanding Costume Design: Astrid Janson, The War of 1812  (Videocabaret in association with the Young Centre for the Performing Arts)

Oustanding Lighting Design: Rebecca Picherack, BOBLO (Kitchenband and The Theatre Centre)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Andrew Penner, BOBLO (Kitchenband and The Theatre Centre)

MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION

Outstanding Production: Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

Outstanding Touring Production: She She Pop & Their Fathers: Testament (Harbourfront Centre's World Stage presents She She Pop)

Outstanding Performance - Male: Bruce Dow, Of A Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical (Ecce Homo Theatre in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Female: Lisa Horner, The Wizard of Oz (Bill Kenwright, The Really Useful Group, David Mirvish, Troika Entertainment, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

MUSICAL THEATRE/OPERA DIVISION

Outstanding New Musical/Opera: Alice Ping Yee Ho and Marjorie Chan, The Lesson of Da Ji (Toronto Masque Theatre)

Outstanding Direction: Allen MacInnis (Young People's Theatre)

Outstanding Scenic Design: Robin Fisher, Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

Outstanding Costume Design: Robin Fisher, Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

Oustanding Lighting Design: Lesley Wilkinson, Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

Outstanding Choreography: Jo Leslie, Cinderella (Young People's Theatre)

Outstanding Musical Direction: Johannes Debus, Dialogue des Carmélites (Canadian Opera Company presents the Nederlandse Opera production)

OPERA DIVISION

Outstanding Production: Dialogue des Carmélites (Canadian Opera Company presents the Nederlandse Opera production)

Outstanding Performance - Male: Russell Braun, Il Trovatore (Canadian Opera Company presents the Opéra de Marseille production)

Outstanding Performance - Female: Elena Manistina, Il Trovatore (Canadian Opera Company presents the Opéra de Marseille production)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of Dialogue des Carmélites (Canadian Opera Company presents the Nederlandse Opera production)

THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION

Outstanding Production: La Fugue (Young People's Theatre presents SMCQ Jeunesse/Qui Va Là)

Outstanding New Play: Jordan Tannahill, rihannaboi95 (Surburban Beast)

Outstanding Direction: Richard Greenblatt, Wrecked (Roseneath Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Individual: Oyin Oladejo, In This World (Roseneath Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of Alligator Pie (Soulpepper Theatre Company)

DANCE DIVISION

Outstanding Production: Political Mother (Hofesh Shechter Company's production presented by Canadian Stage)

Outstanding Choreography: Santee Smith, Susuriwka (Kaha:wi Dance Theatre)

Outstanding Performance - Male: Aakash Odedra, Alchemy (Harbourfront Centre's NextSteps in association with Sampradaya Dance Creations)

Outstanding Performance - Female: Molly Johnson, Lab Rats (DanceWorks)

Outstanding Performance - Ensemble: The ensemble of Road Trip (DanceWorks)

Outstanding Lighting Design: Marc Parent, Stereophonic (Peggy Baker Dance Projects)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition: Rodney Sharman, From the House of Mirth (Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie)