The Clive & Valerie Barnes Foundation, under the leadership of Holly Jones and Lloyd Mayor, has announced the finalists and date for the 12th Annual Clive Barnes Awards, recognizing excellence in theater and dance every year since 2009. Hosted by New York 1’s Frank DiLella, the awards ceremony will take place at the Westbeth Studio in Greenwich Village on Sunday, September 18, 2022, beginning at 3:00 pm.
From 1965-77, London-born writer, critic, and journalist Clive Barnes was the dance and theater critic for The New York Times and later, from 1978-2008, The New York Post. He also served as senior consulting editor at Dance Magazine, where he wrote a popular monthly column called “Attitudes.” Throughout his professional career, Barnes, who had a significant influence in reviewing new Broadway productions and evaluating the international dancers who often performed in NYC, was known for his generosity in giving practical advice to his colleagues and friends, especially to young emerging artists.
In honor of that spirit, the Foundation was formed in 2009, to create annual awards giving recognition, encouragement, and financial support to two talented young professionals, thereby honoring the memory of the many years of critical work and the warm personal generosity of their namesake. Previous finalists in theater include Annaleigh Ashford, MJ Rodriquez, Derek Klena, Rob McClure, Alex Sharp, and Timothée Chalamet. Previous finalists in dance include Isaabella Boylston, Lauren Lovette, Lloyd Mayor, Calvin Royal III, Zoey Anderson, Gemma Bond, and Indiana Woodward.
The finalists for this year’s Theater Artist Award are: Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo); Jasai Chase-Owens (Sanctuary City); Erin Wilhelmi (To Kill a Mockingbird); and Samantha Williams (Caroline, or Change).
This year’s Dance Artist Award finalists are: Zimmi Coker (American Ballet Theatre); Erica Lall (American Ballet Theatre); Mira Nadon (New York City Ballet); and Jake Tribus (Gibney Dance Company). Nadon and Tribus also recently received 2022 awards from the Princess Grace Foundation.
Finalists and winners are chosen by a Selection Committee, comprised of critics and performers in each field. This year’s selection committee includes Mindy Aloff, William H. Ausman, Diana Byer, Jenny Chiang, Frank DiLella, Nicole Duffy, Erik Forrest Jackson, Marshall Heyman, Patrick Pacheco, and William Whitener. All finalists receive a cash prize of $500, and each of the two winners will receive an award of $5000.
Following the live in-person awards ceremony, attendees are invited to Stafili Wine Café, at 796 Greenwich Street, for a cocktail reception.
The 12th Annual Clive Barnes Awards will be presented on Sunday, September 18, 2022, beginning at 3 pm, at Westbeth Studio, 55 Bethune Street, 11th floor, NYC. To RSVP, go online. Tickets are free, but donations to the Foundation are welcome.
And the winners of the 2022 Clive Barnes Awards are: Justin Cooley for his performance in Kimberly Akimbo, which will be transferring to Broadway later this season; and Mira Nadon of New York City Ballet, who will dance Jerome Robbins’ Piano Pieces and George Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations during the first two weeks of City Ballet’s Fall season.