SPRING AWAKENING Stars Among Clive Barnes Award Nominees; Ceremony Today!

The Sixth Annual Clive Barnes Awards for Theatre and Dance will be held this afternoon, January 11, at 3 p.m. at The Walter Reade Theatre, Lincoln Center. One recipient from each category will be chosen and the winners announced today. All finalists will receive a cash prize, with the winners in each category receiving an award of $5,000.

In an unusual move, Sandra Mae Frank and Katie Boeck are sharing a nomination for their performances in the Deaf West Theatre's Broadway revival of SPRING AWAKENING, where roles are simultaneously played by deaf actors who sign their roles and hearing actors who voice them.

Frank, who is deaf, and Boeck, who hears, are staged with a great deal of interaction playing the singular role of abused adolescent Wendla. Also nominated from SPRING AWAKENING is Austin P. McKenzie, who takes on the role of sexually aggressive rebel Melchior himself.

Rounding out the theatre nominees are two Off-Broadway performances, Jack DiFalco in MERCURY FUR and Dave Thomas Brown for THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE.

Nominees for dance include Catherine Hurlin of American Ballet Theatre, Joseph Gordon of New York City Ballet, Jacqueline Green of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Gabe Stone Shayer of American Ballet Theatre.

As the New York Times' theatre and dance critic from 1965 to 1977, Clive Barnes was one the most influential people in the city's performing arts scene for over a decade.

Throughout his professional life, Clive Barnes was caring and generous to his colleagues and friends; always ready to advise and listen. After his death, many condolence letters spoke of his generosity and practical help, especially to young people. In this spirit, The Clive Barnes Foundation was formed in 2009 to create Annual Awards giving recognition, encouragement, and financial support to two talented young professionals and, thus, honoring the memory of the many years of critical work and the warm personal generosity of Clive Barnes.

The Foundation gives an Annual Award to two talented young professionals in the artistic fields of dance and theatre. The finalists are nominated by the Selection Committee, which is comprised of a panel of critics and performers in each field.

The Selection Committee for the Clive Barnes Award includes William H. Ausman, Siobhan Burns, Diana Byer, Frank DiLella, George Dorris, Barbara Hoffman, Arthur Mitchell, Patrick Pacheco, James Sutton, Valerie Taylor-Barnes, and Craig Wright.

The Clive Barnes Foundation Board of Directors includes Valerie Taylor-Barnes (Preisdent), William H. Ausman (Vice President), Brenda Anderson, Charles Askegard, Anthony Ferro, Paloma Herrera, Michelle Mathesius, Arthur Mitchell, Michael Riedel, Spring Sirkin, and Craig Wright.

This year's Theatre Award will be presented by 2015 Tony-Award-winner for You Can't Take It With You and current star of Broadway's Sylvia, Annaleigh Ashford. Blakeley White-McGuire, Principal Dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company will present the Dance Award. The New York Post's Michael Riedel, author of bestselling book Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway will oversee the Awards as Master of Ceremonies. In addition, 2014 Clive Barnes Award winners, New York City Ballet soloist Russell Janzen and Tony-Award winner Alex Sharp will be speaking at the event.

Past presenters have included Wendy Whelan, Susan Stroman, Frederic Franklin CBE, Cherry Jones, Paloma Hererra, and Nina Arianda. Previous winners are Chase Finlay (2010, Principal with New York City Ballet), Nina Arianda (2010, Venus in Fur, Tony Award-winner, now starring in Manhattan Theatre Club's Fool for Love), MJ Rodrigues (2011, RENT) , Isabella Boylston (2011, Principal with American Ballet Theatre), Rob McClure (2012, Chaplin, Tony Award-nominee, upcoming Roundabout Theatre production of Noises Off), Lauren Lovette (2012, Principal with New York City Ballet), Jonny Orsini (2013, The Nance, Fish in the Dark, currently starring in Signature Theatre's Incident at Vichy), Lloyd Mayor (2013, Martha Graham Dance Company), Russell Janzen (2014, Soloist for New York City Ballet), and Alex Sharp (2014, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Tony Award-winner).

Deaf West Theatre's acclaimed production of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's SPRING AWAKENING, directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Spencer Liff, opened on Sunday night, September 27, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

SPRING AWAKENING, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical of 2007, ran 18 weeks only, through Saturday, January 9. It was performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken and sung in English by a cast of 28. Deaf West Theatre was last represented on Broadway with the triumphant production of Big River in 2003.

Based on Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 expressionist play of the same name and featuring an electrifying pop/rock score, SPRING AWAKENING follows the lives of a group of adolescents as they navigate their journey from adolescence to adulthood in a fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll. An extraordinary creative team including Michael Arden and Spencer Liff has reinvented the groundbreaking musical about lost innocence and the struggles of youth in true Deaf West style.