The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation has announced the 2023 finalists for The Clive Barnes Award in Dance and Theatre. Awards will be presented April 29 at 5:30 PM at Florence Gould Hall in an evening hosted by Frank DiLella. 

Theatre finalists include Jordan Dobson (A Beautiful Noise), Liam Pearce (How to Dance in Ohio), Lark White (The Covenant), and Anna Zavelson (The Light in the Piazza). The finalists for dance include Michael de la Nuez, Frances Lorraine Samon, Jake Roxander, and Mac Twining. 

Finalists were selected by an 11-member committee of arts journalists and industry professionals based on performances in New York City in 2023. Winners in each category will receive an unrestricted gift of $5,000. 

The forthcoming ceremony will include performances from dancers Zoey Anderson, Christopher Bloom, Gilbert Bolden III, and Mira Nadon; and actor Evan Ruggiero. Tony winner Nina Arianda, who received the first Clive Barnes Award for Theatre in 2009, and Jacob’s Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen will serve as presenters. 

"We are delighted to honor this year's finalists and winners, and to expand the celebration of young emerging talent with special performances by our alumni in theatre and dance,” Lloyd Mayor, president of the Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation and 2014 winner of the Clive Barnes Award for Dance, said in a statement. “The Foundation has planned a thrilling and vibrant award ceremony, a showcase of the best in today’s performing arts.”

The CBVF (formerly The Clive Barnes Foundation) was formed in 2009 in honor of the late dance and theatre critic Clive Barnes, who wrote for The New York Times and New York Post. The CVBF supports young artists through recognition, encouragement, and financial support. Past award winners include Isabella Boylston, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Rob McClure, Alex Sharp, Zoe Anderson, Andrew Burnap, Celia Rose Gooding, Mira Nadon, Justin Cooley, and Lorna Courtney.

Visit CVBarnesFoundation.org.