JB Nelles Awarded 2026 Jack King Award

Denyse Karn — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:17:20 +0000

The Associated Designers of Canada is thrilled to announce the 2026 recipient of the $4,000 Jack King Award. The Award is presented biennially to a Canadian live performance designer in a pursuit of personal artistic development.

The jury was unanimous in selecting JB Nelles as the 2026 recipient of the Jack King Award, noting: JB’s application represents the spirit of Jack King’s self-taught, multifaceted career perfectly. They have created an exciting, intensive professional development period on puppet creation and construction with a few mentors: we loved their enthusiasm for a craft in which it is difficult to find training in Canada. Taking this period of exploration will boost their knowledge and craft exponentially.

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Press Release

ADC condemns TAPA’s decision to eliminate discipline-specific design Dora awards and urges reversal

Robin Fisher — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:52:45 +0000

The Associated Designers of Canada and IATSE Local ADC659 (ADC) condemns the Toronto Alliance of the Performing Arts (TAPA) decision to consolidate design awards in their General and Independent Theatre divisions into a single award per division and calls on TAPA to reverse this decision.

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UPDATE – November 3, 2026:

ADC applauds TAPA’s decision to pause changes to the 2026-27 Dora Awards categories. We further extend our appreciation to both TAPA and P.A.I.S. Toronto for their commitment to engaging in an open review process in the new year. We look forward to participating in that process and supporting the Dora Awards’ celebration of the diverse artistry that makes up Toronto’s performing arts community.

ADC Press Release

Uncategorized – Associated Designers of Canada

JB Nelles Awarded 2026 Jack King Award

ADC condemns TAPA’s decision to eliminate discipline-specific design Dora awards and urges reversal