Shortlist announced for the Kevin Spacey Foundation Awards

The shortlist for the Kevin Spacey Foundation Artists of Choice 2017 has been announced.

The award is a funding and mentoring initiative for UK and US artists working in theatre, musical theatre, dance or film. Eight winners will be chosen from the shortlist below by a panel including Wayne McGregor, Maury Yeston, Roy Williams and Kevin Spacey.

Each winner will receive either £10,000 or $10,000 a year.

The companies shortlisted for dance are Corey Baker The First Antarctica Dance, Holly Blakey The Garden of Eden Tour, Eleesha Drennan Infinite Glimpse, Rhiannon Faith Smack That (A Conversation), Deborah Lohse More Like Your Mom, Katherine Hawthorne Between the Wish and the Thing, Monica Bill Barnes One Night Only and Visceral Dance Chicago Waiting.

On the musical theatre shortlist is Adam Foley A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad), Kate Williams Eye of the Storm, Matt Board Fanatical, Tim Connor and Susannah Pearse The Station Master, Arties Sievers The Goree All-Girl String Band, Doug Kreeger The Demise, Taylor Tash Night Tide and Zack Zadek Deathless.

The theatre shortlist features David Sloan Twilight Song, Hannah Smith Education, Education, Education, Molly McGee The Scar Test, Sara Joyce Hedda Gabler, Thomas Eccleshare Heather, Aaron Landsman Patient Boy, Clare Barron Dance Nation, Hammaad Chaudry An Ordinary Muslim, Heather Christian Animal Wisdom and Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz Jack and the Beanstalk, A New York Panto.

The film shortlist is Benjamin Bee Metroland, Carl Rock The Truthful Phone, Elizabeth Mizon Birthday Party, Max Gill Mercy, Saeed Taji Farouky Strange Cities, Anna Hopkins Mama of Dada, Hayley Anderson Kween, Kimberly Hwang Houndgirl, Liv Larsen From Flint: Voices of a Poisoned City, Raven Jackson Nettles.

Spacey said: "I am proud to say that our artists of choice program has become hugely successful in the discovery of new work by some incredible artists. And once again I am heartened by the calibre of the judging panel who are so eager to give back and support these hugely diverse artists."

Steve Winter, executive director of KSF said: "We congratulate our shortlist but also want to say thank you to the thousands that applied and look forward to hearing from them in future."