Video: Meet the 2023 Recipients of Special Tony Awards

Later tonight, 26 people will be the proud recipients of 2023 Tony Awards. While we still have a few more hours to wait before we find out who, let's catch up with the very special honorees who already have a Tony to their name. 

Jerry Mitchell
Isabelle Stevenson Award Recipient

When Mr. Mitchell first arrived in New York City, in the 1980's, the AIDS epidemic had begun to take hold of the city. In 1992, Jerry wanted to help those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS the best way he knew - by putting on a show. That year, when Jerry organized his fellow Broadway dancers from The Will Rogers Follies for a burlesque performance that raised $8,000 - Broadway Bares was born. Today Broadway Bares is performed annually in New York and on the West End (where it is celebrating its 10th anniversary), as well as a satellite performance in Las Vegas. In 2020, during COVID-19, Jerry was instrumental in creating the first-ever digital edition of Broadway Bares, which raised more than half a million dollars for BC/EFA.

Lisa Dawn Cave 
(watch her acceptance speech)

was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She attended the H.S. of Performing Arts and received her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase. Her professional theatre career started as a dancer/singer where she performed in Cats, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls, Bubblin' Brown Sugar and Golden Boy. Lisa Dawn is currently the Production Supervisor for Disney's The Lion King and Frozen worldwide, along with the re-imagined Aida, which is currently playing in the Netherlands. In addition to her theatre credits, Lisa Dawn serves on the Board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. She is a founding member of both Black Theatre United and Broadway & Beyond: Access for Stage Managers of Color and has served as an elected Councilor for Actors Equity Association for 11 years.

Victoria Bailey 
(watch her acceptance speech)

has been the Executive Director of TDF since 2001. TDF sustains live theatre and dance by engaging and cultivating a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. It envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible, and inspirational. TDF fulfills its mission by expanding access through ticketing, accessibility, and information initiatives; by cultivating communities through school and community engagement programs and by supporting theatre makers through training, professional development programs, and national audience research.

Robert Fried 
(watch his acceptance speech)

a practicing certified public accountant for almost four decades, has provided tax, consulting and accounting services almost exclusively to the theatre industry for over 32 years. Working on hundreds of theatrical productions during his career, his childhood aspirations of being a professional musician grounded him in the arts and helped drive his passion for the theatre industry. In his current position with the firm of Withum Smith & Brown, which has a team of over thirty five professionals dedicated to the theatre industry, Robert works with and represents some of the most prominent and successful Broadway musicals including Wicked, Hamilton, Book of Mormon, New York, New York, MJ, Some Like it Hot, Bad Cinderella, & Juliet, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Harry Potter, Six, Kimberly Akimbo, Moulin Rouge, A Beautiful Noise, Sweeney Todd, Shucked, Parade, and others.

Below, watch as they check in with Richard Ridge to chat about their very special Tonys honors.