




The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presents this year’s MasterWorks honour to Polka Dot Door, which aired on TVO from 1971 to 1993.
Polka Dot Door was a children’s series what brought to life a world of exploration, music, learning and play. An adaptation of the long-running BBC children’s show Play School, the series was set in a large playhouse that had a polka-dotted front door where hosts would lead children in songs and stories and interact with characters Humpty, Dumpty, Marigold and Bear.
From Monday to Friday, each episode had a specific theme, in which the stuffed toy inhabitants were made part of the action. The hosts, always one man and one woman, would often peer through the Polka Dot Door to watch a video and visit Storytime Mouse who would emerge from a tall clock to help the hosts tell the time. During the week the Polkaroo, a mischievous polka-dotted kangaroo, visited the two hosts, while other guests dropped by on occasion.
Some of the many talented hosts who frequented the playhouse included Alex Laurier, the late Denis Simpson, Gloria Reuben, Tonya Lee Williams, Taborah Johnson, Cindy Cook, Catherine Bruhier, Rex Hagon, Sherry Miller, Johnie Chase, Nerene Virgin and Nina Keogh. The series’ unmistakable music was played, written and directed by virtuoso Canadian pianists Herbie Helbig and John Arpin.
Produced by Ted Coneybeare and Jed MacKay, Polka Dot Door’s initial executive producer was Vera Good. Following the end of the series, Jed MacKay went on to create and produce the multi-award winning series Polka Dot Shorts which ran from 1995-2007. Polka Dot Door has impacted generations of Canadians and has raised the international profile of the Canadian television industry.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television presents this year’s MasterWorks honour to The New Music, which aired on Citytv and MuchMusic from 1979 to 2008.
Created by the late John Martin, The New Music was a bridge between the spirits of Rolling Stone magazine and New Musical Express. It took the form of a weekly music and culture television news magazine and presented current popular music in a broad social, political and economic context. It received an Iris Award in 1984 and a Gemini Award in 1992.
The New Music vision was to document youth culture and its music heroes. It went beyond the popular style of entertainment journalism based around scandalous sound bites and instead explored real issues in the music world. It owed much of its style and appeal to Citytv’s trademark unorthodoxy in shooting from unconventional camera angles and favouring a free-flowing approach to each program. All of these elements were part of co-founder Moses Znaimer’s vision for the new station.
Debuting on Citytv in 1979, The New Music began life as a staple element of the independent station and in the mid-80’s, the series moved to the newly launched MuchMusic station. A number of talented hosts fronted the show over the years, including Jeannie Beker, J.D. Roberts, Denise Donlon, Laurie Brown, Daniel Richler, Avi Lewis and George Stromboulopoulos.
Exploring the face of contemporary music, The New Music was still going strong when the program celebrated its 25th Anniversary in August 2004. Following the series cancellation in 2008, the brand has been resurrected online and features news items, concert reviews and exclusive pictures.
Produced by John Martin and executive produced by Gemini Award-winner Moses Znaimer, The New Music was a unique and exceptional series that changed the landscape of television programming. It has influenced generations of Canadians and has raised the international profiles of the Canadian television and music industries.

© 2010 Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and AutoSOFT Systems
The Gemini statue was designed by Scott Thornley
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