Reply to the Toronto Star

Dear TAPA Membership,

In the past two weeks we have received a lot of response from the TAPA membership about the recent Toronto Star newspaper articles that have appeared on the topic of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

First of all, I want to say thanks to all of you who have contacted me and expressed your support of TAPA and the work that we do. Many of you have asked me which TAPA companies are discontinuing their membership. I have no idea. I have not had any communication of any kind from any TAPA members about a decision to change their membership status. Further to this, and to set the record straight, I spoke with Mirvish Productions yesterday and they very clearly expressed that they have absolutely no intention to withdraw their TAPA membership, which was insinuated in the most recent Toronto Star article.

Many of you have also asked about the responses that TAPA sent to the Toronto Star which were not published. Please see my replies below, and also links to the original articles.

Thank you again for your ongoing support of the Alliance. TAPA is incredibly proud of the TAPA membership and the work that we do in support of Toronto`s performing arts community. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Dora Mavor Moore Awards on June 28th. .

Lastly a reminder about the upcoming TAPA Tent Talk at the Fringe Club: Meet The Media Part One: Theatre Criticism in Toronto. Monday July 5, 4 – 5:00pm at the Brand New Fringe Club at Honest Ed`s at 581 Bloor Street West.

For those who expressed interest in reading TAPA`s official responses to the Star, please see below the emails that I sent to the Toronto Star newspaper in response to the recent articles that were published about the Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

With best regards,
Jacoba Knaapen
Executive Director, TAPA

Response #2

June 22, 2010

Good afternoon Doug, I left you an important voice mail message a short while ago about inaccurate information that appears in Richard Ouzounian`s online article Here

1. These are the errors:

The online article states that: “And in light of TAPA`s refusal to make any significant changes….”
The actual fact is that TAPA believes in organizational learning and is open to new knowledge. We continually reassess our programming, our services, and there is a specific Dora Eligibility Committee that replies to membership queries, responding to membership needs as they change and develop. The strong Board of Directors and active Committees contribute to the vitality of the Alliance through active participation and input. The statement of ”refusal” is absolutely incorrect. The assessment of the Doras is ONGOING.

The online article states that: TAPA`s budget is primarily supported by the dues of its members, and those dues are predicated on the annual budget of the organizations in question”.
The actual fact is that the TAPA membership revenue actually accounts for just 13% of TAPA total revenue.

The online article states that: ”In other words, Mirvish Productions foots a lot more of the total bill than say, Theatre Columbus”.
The actual fact is that there are just 5 companies paying an annual membership fee of only $1415.09 (like Mirvish), which is the highest level membership fee. The larger companies that Mr. Ouzounian references are in fact paying only less than 1% of the entire membership revenue. The TAPA membership is at 175 companies, so that means that the other 170 companies are in fact paying the majority of the membership fees.

The online article states that: ”….because the producers involved either can`t or won`t spent the cash to join TAPA”.
The actual fact is that we have very low membership rates, of which there has been no increase for four years. TAPA has never refused a producer from becoming a member for financial reasons, and in fact we have offered flexible payment plans for producers so that they can participate in all of TAPA`s programs.

The online article states that: ”…..why would she support an organization that really can`t do much for her”.
The actual fact is that TAPA is an arts service organization that represents 175 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 and online at www.totix.ca; The 5 Star Experience Theatre & Dining Packages, Toronto’s Official Theatre Guide featuring comprehensive listings for theatre, dance and opera performances & theatre map; hipTIX offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of15 and 29,; The Travel Retreat Initiatives Program (TRIP), the Commercial Theatre Development Fund (CTDF), SPOTLIGHT – Tourist Industry Trade event, the TAPA Trade Series, the citySPECIAL offering tickets to at-risk youth and at-risk communities, the OPENING NIGHT DIRECTORY and goliveto.ca.

2. Please do not print this article with the aforementioned errors.
Richard had previously written an article that was published in the Sunday Star on Jun 6, 2010 and I wrote a response letter to the Editor which was never published or posted on line anywhere to the best of my knowledge. Can you please tell me why. The original response that I sent is cut & pasted here below.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jacoba Knaapen, Executive Director, TAPA

Response #1

June 7, 2010

Toronto Star
Letter to the Editor;

In light of the recently published Toronto Star article by Richard Ouzounian (Sunday June 6, 2010) and his commentary criticizing the general constituency of Dora Mavor Moore Award jurors and questioning their capacity to effectively carry out their duties in assessing this past year’s productions, it is necessary to provide some reflection and counterpoints.

Firstly, the fact that there is a disparity between the assessment of the jurors and the opinions of theatre critics and producers does not, in and of itself, establish a basis upon which to question the process or the soundness of the jurors’ considered judgement.

Secondly, it is central to the concerns of TAPA, in regards to the Dora Awards, that every effort is made to ensure a fair and effective nomination process, reflecting both the broad-ranging nature of its constituency and the variety of work that is produced, spanning all levels of production.

To this end, there are currently 2 core principles at work:
The first being the concept of peer adjudication, with representation from all facets of the performing arts community. The second being a Jury Selection Committee, whose membership is specifically drawn from all quarters of TAPA’s membership,
providing a specific mechanism and oversight to better ensure that the cross-section of jurors does in fact represent all artistic sensibilities of the community and its work.

Though subject to ongoing review and adjustment, TAPA remains confident in the judgements exercised by both the Jury Selection Committee and the award jurors themselves.

Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees, good luck!

Jacoba Knaapen, Executive Director TAPA
Meredith Potter, TAPA Board President