Gone are the days of best actor, best actress: starting next year, all of the performance categories for Toronto's Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be gender neutral. 

Big exciting announcement from @TAPA_TO for the @DoraAwards ! Thank you for sharing with the facebook live stream, for being open and ready for change and for this wonderful news! #theaTO https://t.co/a9tOyKkT8o

— In the Greenroom (@intheGreenRoom_) April 25, 2018

The Dora Awards recognize top performers in theatre, dance and opera.

Announced today at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), all gendered performance categories will be made gender neutral and replaced with with the "Outstanding Performance" designation.

The upcoming changes will also see the nominees in each category increased from the current five, to eight for June 2019's 40th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

These changes are the result of a review process that the Dora Awards undertook last year, which included five Town Hall meetings (one for each award division), community panels, feedback from the Toronto theatre community and research into alternative award structures. 

Some very exciting news from @TAPA_TO today for the future of the @DoraAwards. Thank you for taking the time to ask, listen and actively respond to the #theaTO community. Congratulations on this wonderful next step. 👏🏻💕 https://t.co/4Y08adL5Nh

— The Howland Company (@TheHowlandCo) April 25, 2018

The TAPA Board of Directors have a standing commitment to review the Dora Awards every five years.