47th Annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony at the
Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, November 11
Online Tickets on Sale Now at
https://www.showpass.com/47th-annual-carbonell-awards
(South Florida – October 21, 2024) Tickets are on sale now for the 47th annual Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors, which will be held on Monday, November 11, at the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center at 3800 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill, FL 33311. They are only $40 each (including facility fee) and are available for purchase online at
https://www.showpass.com/47th-annual-carbonell-awards/.
At this upcoming ceremony—which is South Florida’s glittery version of the Tony Awards—Carbonell Awards will be presented in 20 competitive categories along with six Special Awards. During the 2023-2024 theater seasons, nearly 90 productions at 30 different theatres were evaluated by a diverse group of more than 40 judges representing all three participating counties (Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach).
Last month, the Carbonell Awards announced 120 talented finalists. For participating theaters, Slow Burn Theatre Company topped the list with 28 nominations, followed by Maltz Jupiter Theater with 22, 15 for Zoetic Stage, 14 for Miami New Drama, 13 for The Wick Theatre, nine for GableStage, and five for Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Collectively, 120 nominations were given to 13 different theaters.
Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard at Miami New Drama is the production that garnered the most individual nominations (12), followed by Slow Burn Theatre Company picking up 11 for The SpongeBob Musical and 10 for The Little Mermaid.
Maltz Jupiter Theater netted eight nominations for 42nd Street, seven for Murder on the Orient Express, and six for A Christmas Carol. Also getting six nominations each are The Lehman Trilogy at GableStage, and two plays at Zoetic Stage: Clyde’s and Wicked Child.
Carbonell finalists with multiple nominations include Patrick Fitzwater (4), Laura Turnbull (3), and (2) each for Jeni Hacker, Bruce Linser, Rick Pena, Reynel Reynaldo, Heather Jane Rolff, Clifford Spulock, and Michael Ursua.
In addition to the 20 competitive award categories, the 47th annual Carbonell Awards will also present six Special Awards selected by the nonprofit organization’s board of directors, including:
+ The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts to Nilo Cruz, the Cuban American playwright who gained national prominence in 2003 when he won the Pulitzer Prize for drama for Anna in the Tropics.
+ The Vinnette Carroll Award for significant achievement in advancing the cause of diversity, equality, and inclusion in South Florida theater to Director and Actor John Pryor, who has been a valued theater professor at Miami-Dade Community College and Florida Memorial College
+ The Ruth Foreman Award, which recognizes contributions to South Florida theater development by an individual or group, to Marilynn Wick, Founder and CEO of The Wick Theatre & Museum Club and Costume World, Inc.
+ The Bill Hindman Award, which honors significant, long-term contributions to the region’s cultural life and onstage career achievement, to Carl Waisanen, who served as Production Stage Manager for more than 120 shows at Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables.
+ The Howard Kleinberg Award, which honors an individual or organization for contributions to the health and development of the arts in South Florida, to Kermit Christman, Founder & Artistic Producing Director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.
+ The Bill von Maurer Award for Theatrical Excellence, which honors a theater company that exemplifies excellence for the totality of its programming: productions, educational outreach, developmental programs, and audiences served, to Area Stage, founded by John & Maria Rodaz and now celebrating its 35th anniversary offering world-class professional productions and a vibrant conservatory program.
As part of the 2024 Carbonell Awards, $2,000 Jack Zink Memorial Student Scholarships will be presented to Alexandra Dreszer (Miami-Dade County), Lillian Jones (Palm Beach County), and Morgan Brooke Wilder (Broward County).
The Carbonell Awards Ceremonyon November 11 is once again being produced by celebrated playwright, actor, and designer Michael McKeever with Stuart Meltzer, the founding artistic director of Zoetic Stage, serving as writer and director, and Caryl Fantel is returning as Music Director.
Sponsors of the 47th Annual Carbonell Awards include the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Broward Cultural Division, Carbonell Sculptures Ltd., Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival presented by MorseLife Health System, John Knox Village, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, Miami-Dade County Auditorium, The Dennis C. Moss Center (formerly The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center), OutClique Magazine, South Florida Theater Magazine, South Florida Theatre League, Mark Traverso & Conor Walton, and Donald R. Walters, P.A.
About The Carbonell Awards
The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the excellence and diversity of our theater artists, providing scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community. More than 20 professional theater companies in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties participate in the awards process every year. The Carbonell Awards also celebrate the accomplishments of local artistic leaders by presenting various Special Awards.
Along with New York’s Drama Desk and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation’s oldest regional arts awards and predate others, including Washington, D.C.’s Helen Hayes Awards. The Carbonell Awards are named after the internationally renowned sculptor Manuel Carbonell, who designed the signature solid bronze and marble award given annually to Carbonell Award winners. Over the last 45 years, the Carbonell family has donated more than $250,000 in awards. For more information, please visit www.carbonellawards.org.