34th annual theater awards honor the region’s finest shows and performances
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - 2009 could go down as the year of the musical with seven of the top 10 nominated shows edging out the edgier dramas for the 34th annual Carbonell Awards nominations celebrating the best shows and performances in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Les Miserables at Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables led the pack with a dozen nominations. Broadsword at Miami’s Mad Cat Theatre Company and Why Torture is Wrong and the People Who Love Them at Plantation’s Mosaic Theatre tied with five nods each as the most recognized plays for the annual honors to be held on Monday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
South Florida’s answer to the Tony Awards and a highlight of each arts season, the Carbonell Awards pay tribute to the very best theatrical productions on local stages and features the area’s top entertainers and theater insiders as they step out from behind their roles in an unforgettable behind-the-scenes celebration.
Nominations encompass the entire length of South Florida with 13 companies receiving nods and 33 of the 75 eligible shows that opened in 2009 being recognized.
With 13, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre was the most nominated local company as nominations were distributed among the tri-county area with 38 for Palm Beach, 37 for Miami-Dade and 25 for Broward.
Actor Gregg Weiner and sound designer Matt Corey are tied for the most individual nominations with three each, yet Weiner could be the night’s big winner if he takes home a fourth honor as a cast member of Broadsword or GableStage’s Farragut North which have both been nominated for Best Ensemble.
Double nominees, not including Best Ensemble nominations, include director Joe Adler, choreographer Chrissi Ardito, actor Todd Allen Durkin, music director Helen Gregory, set designer Sean McClelland and lighting designer Jeff Quinn as well as Paul Tei who is nominated in acting and directing categories. Robert Creighton and Christopher McGovern also have two nominations each for Cagney at Florida Stage in Manalapan as Best Actor in a Musical and musical direction, respectively, as well as for creating the musical which is nominated in the Best New Work category.
Amy London returns to direct the gala award production following last year’s critically-acclaimed show. The annual awards ceremony raises scholarships for South Florida arts students. Along with New York’s Drama Desk and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation’s senior regional arts awards and predate others including Washington, D.C.’s Helen Hayes and Philadelphia’s Barrymore Awards.
Tickets are $25 with $20 tickets available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 19 through the Broward Center’s box office by calling 954-462-0222 or visiting www.browardcenter.org.
Opportunities to sponsor an award category and appear on stage to announce the winner are available beginning at $1,000. Email swhaley@carbonellawards.org for more information.
The Broward Center is located at 201 S.W. 5th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.
Click here to view the full list of nominations
Click here to view nominations by show
