Toronto, August 25, 2025 – Costume designer Michelle Tracey is the 2025 winner of the $25,000 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design. The award is given annually to a professional costume designer in Ontario in mid-career to further enrich their career through research and travel.
About Michelle Tracey
Michelle Tracey
is a costume designer and scenographer based in Tkaronto working in the fields of theatre, opera, film and events in between. Michelle was trained in theatre production and design at York University and the Soulpepper Academy. Michelle is also a wardrobe technician and has constructed costumes for numerous professional productions. Michelle is a founding member of Triga Creative, a collective of designers exploring ecoscenography and sustainable design.
Select design credits include: Feu Monsieur Feydeau! (Théâtre français de Toronto), Roberto Zucco (Buddies in Bad Times), Candida, The Clearing (The Shaw Festival), Every Little Nookie, Nathan the Wise (The Stratford Festival), Behind the Moon, This Was The World, Much Ado About Nothing (Tarragon Theatre), Indecent (Studio 180 / Mirvish) Garden of Vanished Pleasures, Hell’s Fury (Soundstreams), WILDWOMAN, Wedding at Aulis, Sisters, Waiting for Godot (Soulpepper Theatre). Upcoming: The Welkin (Soulpepper), Big Stuff (Baram & Snieckus / Segal Centre) The Importance of Being Earnest (The Grand Theatre).
“I am deeply honoured to have been selected as laureate for the 2025 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award,” says Michelle Tracey. “I love my work and feel privileged to create art for a living. I’m truly grateful to my community of costume artists who have passed on their knowledge to me, and I hope to continue to share and perpetuate this knowledge through costume design.”
Assessment
Michelle Tracey was selected by an assessment panel comprising of Jennifer Goodman (Toronto) designer for costume, set, props and lighting for theatre and film; Nadine Grant (Kitchener) costume designer, Head of Wardrobe for University of Waterloo, and 2024 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design laureate; and Ellie Koffman (Toronto) costume designer, and Head of Wardrobe for Soulpepper Theatre.
The assessors were unanimous in their choice of Michelle Tracey as the 2025 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design. They said, “Michelle is an incredible visual storyteller. Context is so deeply embodied in the designs that the character is apparent even without knowing the show. Her construction and design skills are outstanding, creating a seamless transition from page to stage. Michelle’s draping, palate, texture, and underpinnings are excellent, articulating nuance within the parameters of every production.”
About the Award
Established through a generous gift under the will of Dr. Virginia Cooper, the Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award is to be given “For the Love of Creation”. Dr. Cooper served as a director of the Tarragon Theatre and was a charter member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto and active in its activities. She had a keen interest in the performing arts, particularly in costume design.
The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the award, and the Ontario Arts Council manages the nomination and adjudication process.
Previous award winners include Nadine Grant (2024), Vanessa Imeson (2023), and Anna Treusch (2022). See the full list of previous recipients here.
###
For information, please contact:
Bruce Bennett, Executive Director
Ontario Arts Foundation
Tel: (416) 969-7413 bbennett@oafdn.ca
Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2024-2025, the OAF paid $4.8 million in endowment income to arts organizations and $540,000 in grants and awards to artists and arts organizations.
For more than 60 years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians. In 2024-2025, OAC invested its grant program budget of $52.2 million in 204 communities across 123 Ontario ridings, providing 1,960 grants to individual artists and 1,030 grants to organizations.
Ce document existe également en français.