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March 23: Stock/Roadshow Winners
"Frozen" Leads Plays, "Aida" Tops Musicals
As Coral Gables Theaters Dominate
Regional Theatre Awards
Produced By
JEAN ANN RYAN PRODUCTIONS
Jean Ann Ryan
Director/Choreographer
The Broward Performing Arts Center Foundation
Charles Cinnamon Associates
The Broward Center
Sponsored by
Playbill Magazine
Barton G. Weiss, Barton G. Restaurants & Event Planning
Jay Harris
Southern Wine & Spirits
Lenore Nolan Ryan Catering
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel
American Express • Citibank • Perry Ellis International
Hard Knox Graphics • Tony Finstrom • Jerome J. Cohen
Patrons
Broadway Across America • G-Four Productions
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Rhoda Levitt • Shelly Spivack
FORT LAUDERDALE, APRIL 10 – Buried alive was the theme for the 30th Annual Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s theater and arts honors, presented tonight at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
With five awards apiece, the GableStage production of the drama “Frozen,” about a serial child killer, and the Elton John/Tim Rice musical about a doomed Egyptian romance, “Aida” at The Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, led the regional theater awards from Miami through the Palm Beaches. Both venues are in the tony Miami suburb of Coral Gables.
Total 11 Shows at 7 Theaters In Win Column
The other half of the 20 regional citations were sprinkled among theaters from Miami through the Palm Beaches. Three awards went to shows at Palm Beach Dramaworks, for three different shows. Patti Gardner (“Lips Together, Teeth Apart”) and Todd Allen Durkin (“That Championship Season”) for dramatic supporting roles, and Erin Amico (“Seascape”) for costume design.
Top acting honors went to Euriamis Losada in the title role of “Jekyll & Hyde” at the Broward Stage Door, Gordon McConnell as the killer in “Frozen,” Desmon N. Walker as “Aida” and Lisa Morgan as a victim’s mother in “Frozen.
A hyperventilating Losada, though nearly speechless, was gracious in acknowledgement while Walker gave credit to both God for breath control to sing her role, and her grandmother for inspiration. Morgan, nominated in three of the six actress/play slots, acknowledged the excellent work by her competitors, including herself (twice) in other roles. McConnell was a no-show, accepted by his director Joseph Adler, who described the leading man as a proponent of George C. Scott’s no-competition philosophy.
Henderson Leads Quip Fest
The show was held at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ 600-seat Amaturo Theatre, hosted with verve for the second time by Florence Henderson. Besides her quick-witted banter, the ceremony featured a “critics’ notebook” sketch illustrating the play nominees by guest star Gary Sandy, an overture medley of the musical nominees by bandleader Peter Graves and his orchestra, plus solo turns by Henderson and guest star John Herrera, the latter on a night off from Broadway previews of “Threepenny Opera.”
Henderson breezily hosted the event and acknowledged the free efforts from throughout the entertainment community to support the awards' scholarship program. Henderson announced during the show a $1,000 scholarship donation of her own, which was subsequently matched by several others.
Herrera won a supporting actor nod in stock/roadshow categories for “Anna In The Tropics,” a Maltz Jupiter Theatre coproduction with the Seattle Repertory Company. The play concerns workers in a Tampa cigar factory early in the 20th century. With Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nilo Cruz in the audience, Herrera dedicated his performance to his grandmother, who worked in such a factory in her youth.
Other musical turns included a sassy lament by a quartet of South Florida’s musical divas, a dance turn to “All That Jazz” by the Jean Ann Ryan singers and dancers, and a grand finale from “Aida” featuring Nadeen Holloway and 73 singers of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus.
The show was produced by Jean Ann Ryan Productions, with Ryan as director-choreographer, and presented in association with the Broward Center, Charles Cinnamon Associates, Playbill, Barton G. Weiss and Lenore Nolan Ryan. Sponsors included American Express, Citibank, Hard Knox Graphics, Perry Ellis International, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Southern Wine & Spirits, Jerome Cohen, Jay Harris and Tony Finstrom.
Henderson kept up a lively banter with recipients and presenters, including Lucie Arnaz, Patricia Conolly and Sandy. Impresario Zev Buffman, now based in Kentucky, reminisced about the origins of what is now LiveNation’s Broadway Across America circuit when he began a subscription circuit at four South Florida venues in the late 1960s and early 70s. Arnaz and Tommy Tune opened the Miami Beach Theatre of the Performing Arts, now the Jackie Gleason Theater, with “Mack and Mabel” following its conversion from an exhibition auditorium space.
Previously-Announced Honorees
The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, to Arnold Mittelman, was announced April 3. Mittelman, producing artistic director of Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse, was visibly moved while delivering a touching acceptance speech. Stock/Roadshow awards (for large-scale independent, stock and touring shows) were announced March 23. A revival of “The Constant Wife” coproduced by The Coconut Grove Playhouse and Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre was picked Best Production and Malcolm Black best director.
The 30th annual awards are for an extended 16-month period because the award ceremony was moved from autumn to spring, and the annual eligibility cutoff date changed from Labor Day to New Year’s Day.
The shift apparently didn’t hurt the shows that were part of the September-December 2004 period carried over into the 2005 eligibility year. Voters have long memories, since “Frozen” opened October, 2004, “Beauty and the Beast” in November 2004 and “Aida” in March 2005.
Also honored at the anniversary was sculptor Manuel Carbonell, 87, who designed the award statuette and has them cast. The oval sculptures this year were cast in Italy and mounted on Carrera Marble bases. Each award is valued at $5-$7,000, according to Ricardo Gonzalez, director of the Carbonell family gallery, Beaux Arts.
Winners By Show
“Frozen” 5
“Aida” 5
“Beauty and the Beast” 2
“Art” 1
“Bug” 1
“Enchanted April” 1
“Ice Glen” 1
“Jekyll & Hyde” 1
“Lips Together, Teeth Apart” 1
“Seascape” 1
“That Championship Season” 1
By Theater
GableStage: 6
Actors’ Playhouse: 7
Palm Beach Dramaworks: 3
Florida Stage: 1
Caldwell Theatre Company: 1
Broward Stage Door: 1
Mosaic Theatre: 1
LIST
Best New Work (award to author, plays and musicals): “Ice Glen,” by Joan Ackermann, Florida Stage.
Best Ensemble (plays and musicals) (award to theater; citations to cast and director): “Art,” Mosaic Theatre.
PLAYS
Production (award to producer): “Frozen,” GableStage.
Director: Joseph Adler, “Frozen,” GableStage.
Actor: Gordon McConnell, “Frozen,” GableStage.
Actress: Lisa Morgan, “Frozen,” GableStage.
Supporting Actor: Todd Allen Durkin, “That Championship Season,” Palm Beach Dramaworks.
Supporting Actress: Patti Gardner, “Lips Together, Teeth Apart,” Palm Beach Dramaworks.
MUSICALS
Production (award to producer): “Aida,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Director: David Arisco, “Aida,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Actor: E. L. Losada, “Jekyll & Hyde,” Broward Stage Door Theatre.
Actress: Desmon N. Walker, “Aida,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Supporting Actor: Terrell Hardcastle, “Beauty and the Beast,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Supporting Actress: Lourelene Snedeker, “Beauty and the Beast,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Musical Direction: Eric Alsford, “Aida,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
Choreography: Barbara Flaten, “Aida,” The Actors’ Playhouse at The Miracle Theatre.
DESIGN (Plays and Musicals)
Scenic Design: Tim Bennett, “Enchanted April,” Caldwell Theatre Company.
Lighting Design: Jeff Quinn, “Frozen,” GableStage.
Costume Design: Erin Amico, “Seascape,” Palm Beach Dramaworks.
Sound Design: Michael J. Hoffman, “Bug,” GableStage.
OTHER AWARDS, PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARNOLD MITTELMAN OF COCONUT GROVE PHS
NAMED ABBOTT AWARD WINNER ...
STARS, PROGRAM DETAILS FOR APRIL 10 CEREMONY
ANNOUNCED ...
FLORENCE HENDERSON
GARY SANDY
LUCIE ARNAZ
PATRICIA CONOLLY
JOHN HERRERA
FORT LAUDERDALE GAY MEN'S CHORUS
PETER GRAVES ORCHESTRA
April 3, 2006
For immediate release
MIAMI BEACH, April 3 – Carbonell Awards president Leslie J. Feldman tonight announced Coconut Grove Playhouse producing artistic director Arnold Mittelman as the recipient of the 2006 George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, at the Carbonell program’s annual Nominee and Sponsors’ gala reception at Barton G’s restaurant on South Beach.
The announcement was made to an invited crowd of about 150 at the awards’ annual private gala for nominees, sponsors, voting panel members and program officials, hosted by restaurateur Barton G. Weiss at South Beach’s hottest hospitality address. Mittelman will be officially honored along with other award recipients at the the 30th annual award ceremonies on Monday, April 10 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
The Abbott Award, Feldman told the Barton G audience, is the 30-year-old Carbonell program’s highest individual honor. Mittelman has been the Grove Playhouse’s artistic mentor and producer for the last 21 of its 50 years as a live theater, sustaining and building its national and international recognition. Last autumn, Mittelman and the Grove board of directors partnered with the Broward Center for the Performing Arts to bring the Grove’s entire regional theater season to Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse. The Grove recently committed to extending the twin-city residency through 2007 and beyond.
The award is voted upon by former Abbott Award recipients, the current Carbonell board of directors, and members of the South Florida Critics Circle representing newspapers, magazines and other journalistic media from Miami through the Palm Beaches.
Previous recipients of the award, named after legendary Broadway director, playwright and producer George Abbott, span the hierarchy of South Florida culture from concert impresaria Judy Drucker, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra maestro James Judd, Miami Film Festival founder Nat Chediak, theater producer-actress Jan McArt, Miami City Ballet founder Toby Ansin and artistic director Edward Villella, to Miami Book Fair founder Mitchell Kaplan.
Show details
The ceremonies will be hosted by stage, film and TV star Florence Henderson, also starring Gary Sandy, whose “WKRP In Cincinnati” TV highlight is flanked by over 70 Broadway, off-Broadway and national theater appearances (and the Oscar-nominated film “The Insider”), plus Carbonell Award-winner and Tony Award nominee John Herrera, the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, and other performers to be announced. Nationally renowned band leader Peter Graves is music director.
Presenters include former Carbonell Award Best Actress Lucie Arnaz, star of the Grove’s current “Sonia Flew,” plus Broadway veteran Patricia Conolly of the Parker Playhouse’s current “About Time,” legendary theater impresario Zev Buffman and many more.
The April 10 award ceremony will include music from the Best Musical nominees in a special arrangement by the Peter Graves Orchestra. Guest Star Sandy will highlight Best Play nominees in a special “Critic’s Notebook” dramatization. The Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus will literally bring the house down with a 75-voice finale, with orchestra, from the Elton John-Tim Rice musical “Aida.” The year’s artistic highlights will be covered further in song and parody by Henderson and South Florida’s most deserving divas.
This special anniversary edition traces the development of South Florida's theater community back to its beginnings while celebrating today's red-hot theatrical scene with 45 shows at 16 different theaters up for awards. The competition this year is more fierce than ever before since additional blockbusters were eligible thanks to an extended voting period that added four extra months of performances to accommodate a change from judging during the traditional theatrical season to a normal calendar year.
In addition to honoring shows at regional theaters, awards will also be made in the new stock/road show category and include awards for Hairpspray, Tuesdays with Morrie, Elaine Stritch in At Liberty, Chicago, The King and I, The Constant Wife and two separate productions of Anna in the Tropics.
One of the most anticipated events of the theatrical season, the Carbonell Awards are South Florida’s oldest and most prestigious arts honors, citing the best shows and performances in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
The event is a benefit to raise college scholarships for South Florida students studying performing arts and journalism. Nearly $100,000 has been awarded since the program began in 1975.
The award ceremony is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Center Foundation, The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Charles Cinnamon, Jay Harris, Playbill Magazine and Barton G. Weiss. Sponsors and patrons include American Express, The Manuel Carbonell family, CitiBank, Jerome J. Cohen, Tony Finstrom, G-Four Productions, The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and Michael McKeever.
Tickets are $50 and $75 and are available through the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office at 954/462-0222 or www.browardcenter.org.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Ivan's Keyboard Collection, Marriott Hotels, El Dorado Furniture, TAM Brazilian Airlines, Mercedes Benz of Fort Lauderdale, Spirit Airlines, Humana, Pepsi and A Family Limousine are proud supporters of the Broward Center. All dates, programs and artists are subject to change.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is a founding partner in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District, South Florida's most exciting destination for arts, culture shopping and dining. The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District connects more than180 unique shops and restaurants with the Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grand Opera, Concert Association of Florida, Old Fort Lauderdale Village & Museum and Historic Stranahan House along a 1.5 mile waterfront setting.
Come for the Sun and Stay for the Stars in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District, Downtown Fort Lauderdale. For more information, or to receive your free copy of the 2005/06 Riverwalk A&E: Arts & Entertainment District Guide, visit wwwstay4strars.com. The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District is supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Presentations at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Support is also contributed by the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. Student performances are presented in partnership with the School Board of Broward County, Florida through the Student Enrichment in the Arts (SEAS) Program.
STOCK/ROADSHOW WINNERS ANNOUNCED
How Do You Spell "Regional"?
A New Era In American Theater Awards Begins:
Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle
And "Broadway Across America"
Share South Florida's Carbonell Awards
With Resident Companies.
MIAMI, March 23, 2006--M. Somerset Maugham’s 1926 comedy “The Constant Wife” and the now-musical remake of “Hairspray” on tour take multiple honors in the newly-minted stock/roadshow categories of the 30th Annual Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s theater and arts honors.
Other winners include Harold Gould in “Tuesdays With Morrie,” Elaine Stritch in “At Liberty,” two separate productions of “Anna In The Tropics,” plus the tours of “Chicago” and “The King and I.”
The honorees, plus winners to be announced in over 20 regional theater and arts categories, will be feted on Monday April 10 in ceremonies at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, the program’s principal sponsor. Florence Henderson is mistress of ceremonies, repeating her smashing success at the the 29th awards ceremonies.
“The Constant Wife,” a coproduction of Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse and Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre, was chosen Best Production and Malcolm Black as Best Director in balloting by area theater critics.
The tour of “Hairspray” that appeared at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts won for Best Choreography by Jerry Mitchell, and for Kenneth Posner’s lighting.
Elaine Stritch was named Best Actress for “At Liberty” at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, and Harold Gould won Best Actor for “Tuesdays With Morrie,” also produced by the Grove and picked up for the Broadway Across America tour, beginning at Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse.
Also on the Broadway Across America lineups were “Chicago” at the Kravis Center, whose Anne L. Nathan was chosen Best Supporting Actress as Mama Morton, and the Broward Center appearance of “The King and I,” winner of Best Costumes for Roger Kirk.
Two separate productions of Nilo Cruz’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Anna in the Tropics” won Stock/Roadshow awards. John Herrera was named Best Supporting Actor for an appearance at Maltz Jupiter Theatre in a coproduction with The Seattle Repertory Company, which mounted the show. Herrera won a Carbonell best actor award in 1990 for the national tour of “Chess.” A Coconut Grove Production of “Anna” directed by author Cruz was a finalist in several categories, and won for Best Scenic Design by Adrian W. Jones.
List: Stock/Roadshow Winners
(BAA = Broadway Across America Series, a division of LiveNation, appearing at the Kravis Center, West Palm Beach; the Broward Center and Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale; Jackie Gleason Theater, Miami Beach).
Best
Production:
The
Constant
Wife,
Coconut
Grove
Playhouse
coproduction
with
the
Walnut
Street
Theatre,
Philadelphia.
Director:
Malcolm
Black,
The
Constant
Wife,
at
Coconut
Grove
Playhouse
&
Walnut
Street
Theatre.
Choreography:
Jerry
Mitchell,
Hairspray,
BAA
at
Broward
Center
Actor:
Harold
Gould
(as
Morrie),
Tuesdays
With
Morrie,
at
Coconut
Grove
Playhouse
(&
BAA
at
Parker
Playhouse)
Actress:
Elaine
Stritch
(as
herself),
At
Liberty,
Maltz
Jupiter
Theatre
Supporting
Actor:
John
Herrera
(as
Santiago),
Anna
In
The
Tropics,
Maltz
Jupiter
Theatre
coproduction
with
the
Seattle
Repertory
Company.
Supporting
Actress:
Anne
L.
Nathan
(as
Mama
Morton),
Chicago,
BAA
at
Kravis
Center
Scenery:
Adrian
W.
Jones,
Anna
In
The
Tropics,
Coconut
Grove
Playhouse.
Lighting:
Kenneth
Posner,
Hairspray,
BAA
at
Broward
Center
Costumes:
Roger
Kirk,
The
King
& I,
BAA
at
Broward
Center.
Stock/Roadshow voters: www.carbonellawards.org/voters ... scroll to "stock/roadshow" voters list.
Plays/Musicals Combined ... 34 Eligible Productions
Plays and musicals are lumped together in Stock/Roadshow categories, which include non-resident touring shows, coproductions, and the Grove Playhouse’s large-scale shows. A total of 34 shows from Miami through Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches were eligible, although return engagements by some touring companies previously eligible were open for consideration for cast replacements only.
Combined Stock/Roadshow awards were routinely presented in the 1970s and 80s but stock was dropped due to changes in the theater industry, and touring citations were limited to a few categories. The rise of independent productions, large scale regional shows and coproductions led the Carbonell Awards’ to re-establish a full slate of Stock/Roadshow awards this year, according to board president Leslie J. Feldman, publisher of Playbill Magazine in southern, southwest and midwest regions.
The overall tally shows the Grove and Broadway Across America presentations with four awards apiece, and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre with two.
Coproduction Awards Unique
The awards for coproductions among distant major regional theaters involving the Grove, Walnut Street, Maltz Jupiter and Seattle Repertory theaters are unique in modern theater awards around the country.
Further, the development of large-scale regional theaters such as the Coconut Grove, Walnut, Goodman, Denver Center Theatre Company and others add new dynamics to the 1970s and 80s style definitions of "resident," "regional" and "stock" theaters.
While the term "stock" is a throwback, it represents better than any other yet devised the emerging dynamics. The Carbonell Awards are the first to recognize this emergence of a new tier in American national theater, Feldman said.
In addition, the Grove's production of "Tuesdays With Morrie" was picked up by LiveNation for its Broadway Across America touring series in several markets, further blending the contemporary regional-stock-touring market.
Large LORT and other heavily-capitalized regional theaters in major regional theater markets have uneasy relationships with resident theaters and regional theater awards programs. The Walnut Street Theatre does not participate in Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards, the Goodman briefly seceded from Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards, and the Denver Center Theatre Company has had adversarial relationships with other local troupes in that area's awards, among other examples.
While the Carbonell "Stock/Roadshow" awards borrow traditional labels, Feldman said the new definition recognizes the most up-to-date developments in American theater where local, regional and national interests converge.
New Award Design
The April 10 award ceremony reflects a 16-month “season” for 2004-2005 only, resulting from the shift of the awards from a fall to a spring ceremony, and changing the eligibility cutoff date from Labor Day to New Year’s Day. Awards in 2007 will be for the 2006 calendar year.
Other changes include a redesign of the bronze award statuettes by sculptor Manuel Carbonell. The sculptures are now forged in Italy. Major hanges in the voting panels and selection processes also began Jan. 1, 2006. Special interdisciplinary awards presented in recent years are still being redefined with new broader input and more specific selection procedures, and will be re-introduced in 2007.
Regional Awards To Be Announced
The major difference between Stock/Roadshow and Regional voting processes is that only critics on shared opening-night press lists participate in Stock/Roadshow balloting. A larger panel including arts professionals and patrons consider over 100 resident company productions in 20 categories, separating plays and musicals.
A total of 45 shows at 16 different theaters are nominated for South Florida’s resident theater awards, whose winners will be announced at the April 10 Broward Center event.
The ceremonies are hosted by Florence Henderson, featuring the Peter Graves Orchestra and entertainment highlighting the 2004-05 seasons.
Proceeds from the award ceremony go to the Carbonell Awards scholarship fund, which has provided over $100,000 in awards to South Florida students. Tickets are $50 and $75, with scholarship benefit packages starting at $200. For information, go online to www.carbonellawards.org.
EVENT DETAILS:
30th Annual Carbonell Award Ceremonies
Florence Henderson, Mistress of Ceremonies, 7:30 p.m. sharp, April 10 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Amaturo Theatre, 201 SW 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets $50, $75. Call the Broward Center at 954-462-0222 or online, www.browardcenter.org. Further information at www.carbonellawards.org. (Scholarship benefit packages start at $200, call Playbill Miami at 305-624-5001).
The Award Ceremony is presented by the Broward Performing Arts Center Foundation, The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Charles Cinnamon, Jay Harris, Playbill Magazine and Barton G. Weiss.
Sponsors and patrons include American Express, The Manuel Carbonell family, CitiBank, Jerome J. Cohen, Tony Finstrom, G-Four Productions, The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and Michael McKeever.
-end-
FLORENCE HENDERSON RETURNS AS SHOW HOST
FORT LAUDERDALE, FEB. 7, 2006--The awards are solid brass, and so is our leading lady. Glamorous and quick-witted star Florence Henderson returns to host the 30th Annual Carbonell Awards ceremony on April 10 at the Broward Center.
Henderson was an overwhelming hit as she "chaired" the hugely successful 29th awards before a sold-out house in downtown Fort Lauderdale, trading unscripted quips with presenters, award winners and special guests.
The star of the the popular teleseries "The Brady Bunch" as Carol Brady is a multi-faceted entertainer whose career spans Broadway and national touring musicals, who brought the musical "The Song Of Norway" to film. She is also the co producer and host of cable TV's "Country Kitchen," another mom on CBS-TV's "Dave's World," top-notch entertainer in personal appearances throughout the nation, and mistress of ceremonies for such events as the "Florida Follies" at Fort Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse in early 2004.
Henderson also is a dedicated proponent of charitable causes that now include the Carbonell Awards, which not only honor the arts in South Florida but also provide scholarships for the region's future performers, designers, directors and artists.
Henderson will be joined by a cast of regional, national and international stars and performers to be announced for the annual benefit ceremonies.
The program is once again produced by Jean Ann Ryan Productions, directed and choreographed by Jean Ann Ryan, whose supperclub and theatrical shows grace the top showrooms and cruise ship lines the world over.
Musical direction is by Carbonell Award-winning conductor Peter Graves, among the nation's top big band and jazz band leaders, leading the Peter Graves Orchestra.
Regular ticket prices are $50 and $75, on sale at the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office beginning Feb. 10. Call 954-422-0222 or online at www.browardcenter.org.
Donor and sponsor benefit packages for both the awards and scholarship programs start at $200 through $10,000. See links to patrons' page below or at left, and call Playbill Miami at 305-624-5001, ext. 40.
New Voting Panels Seated For 2006
JAN. 3, 2006--The Carbonell Awards voting panel and procedures have been restructured beginning Jan. 1, 2006. The new two-level panel format has been adapted from successful operations developed in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington in recent years.
The panel membership has also changed, a practice that is expected to continue on a regular basis to rotate a percentage of new panelists into the system annually. Over 1/3 of the panel is new for 2006.
Three panels, two levels
The level one panels consist of two groups of 10 nominators each (20 total), who attend opening week performances in north and south districts (split in central Broward County). Each eligible production is assigned 6 nominators, who then vote whether to "recommend" the show to judges for further consideration.
The level two panel consists of 10 Judges required to see every production "recommended" by both nominator panels. At the end of the year, the judges draw up final nominations and then vote on winners
Links to new voters, new rules
A total of 12 new voters (including a few who have served terms in the past) are added to the 2006 panel, and 18 voters are retained from the 2004-05 panel. A complete list is posted on the "voting panel" page, with a link on the bar at left. Complete description of the new rules and regulations are also posted, with the link on the bar at left to "rules & eligibility."
A fourth panel of critics and media representatives and their voting procedures on stock/roadshow productions (national tours, nonresident productions, etc.) remain unchanged.
Nominations Due Mid-January
Regional Theater Rules, Procedures Updated
2006 Voting Panels Being Selected
DEC. 7, 2005--Nominations: The 2004-05 voting panels will meet shortly after the first of the year to draw up nominations for the 30th annual Awards to be given out April 10. Nominations in all regional categories will be posted in mid-January, along with early ticket and other information for the April 10 ceremonies. Stock/Roadshow award nominations will also be drawn up separately in January by the program's media/critics panel.
Improved procedures & better attendance: The Carbonell board of directors has updated and restructured regional theater eligibility and voting procedures, as well as in-house administrative structures and procedures, following more than a year of extensive review and research. The most extensive changes involve the awards program's regional theater panel makeup and guidelines, to resolve persistent complaints over attendance issues from participating regional theaters, improve the balance and integrity of the process and address internal issues. The new attendance formula guarantees attendance by fixed voting panels at each participating theater.
New voters: Attrition over the past two years, plus the board's restructuring of the voting process, prompted the board to begin a complete review of the awards panel membership. A large number of candidates were recommended or came forth recently, and are being considered along with current voters willing to continue under the new guidelines. The 2006 panel will be announced as soon as the board completes its review.
The complete rules, regulations and guidelines beginning Jan. 1, 2006 can be found by clicking on the "rules & eligibility" link on the link bar at left.
Rules in place through Dec. 31, 2005 to be used to draw up nominees/winners for the 30th anniversary awards on April 10, 2006, are also included in a special link.
Voting Panel Positions Open
OCT. 7, 2005--The Carbonell board is accepting nominations and inquiries to fill anticipated vacancies on the 2006 regional theater awards voting panel. Carbonell voting panel members have a thorough understanding and appreciation of the artistic process, especially relating to theater, whether professionally, academically, the media, as experienced theater goers or arts patrons
Voters are expected to avoid potential conflicts of interest vis a vis frequent or ongoing business or volunteer relationships with eligible theaters, and must recuse themselves in considerations where such conflicts exist.
New tiered voting processes are being examined and designed to reduce time and travel obligations. Still, candidates will be expected to attend dozens of eligible professional regional theater productions annually.
Panel positions are for one year, renewable at the discretion of the board, with additional guidelines under development.
For nominations and inquiries, click on the "contact us" link at left or write directly to info@carbonellawards.org.
Additional Board Positions Open
OCT. 7, 2005--The Carbonell board has several remaining vacancies and is accepting open nominations and inquiries. Candidates should have strong business backgrounds and philanthropic interests, and be determined to assist the organization to raise the profile of the entire regional arts community locally, nationally and internationally. For contact information, please click on "contact us" on the index bar at left.
2005 Scholarship Funds Awarded
OCT. 7, 2005--A total of $7,500 has been awarded for 2005 in scholarship funds to schools and students in the South Florida area by the Carbonell board of directors. Awards of $2,500 each are being given to schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The Broward award was contributed earlier this year to the Broward School Board's Arts For The Future scholarship program, a pool for high school seniors throughout the Broward educational system funded by numerous public and private sponsors. Program administrators have determined to award two scholarships of $1,250 each.
The Palm Beach award is presented to the new theater department at Lynn University in Boca Raton, being developed by Jan McArt, former owner-producer of the Royal Palm Dinner Theatre and other regional theater operations, and an accomplished theater and opera performer.
The Miami-Dade award is presented to the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, to be applied specifically to worthy candidates from South Florida for the NFAA's nationally-recognized program.
Institutions awarded Carbonell scholarships choose individual recipients according to school, state and national guidelines, as applicable, for seniors going on to accredited college programs or for college freshmen students deserving of assistance in their sophomore year.
Information on student recipients will be posted as they are received.
For a complete description of the scholarship program guidelines, click on "The Carbonell Award Scholarship Program" at left.
Scholarship Named For Jean Ann Ryan
OCT. 7, 2005--The Carbonell Awards Board of Directors has approved a $2,500 scholarship for Broward's 2006 Arts For The Future scholarship fund, and named it in honor of Jean Ann Ryan for the selfless work by herself and her company on behalf of the Carbonell Awards ceremony.
Ms. Ryan and Jean Ann Ryan Productions, involving all members of the production company, have and are contributing tirelessly on a pro bono basis to the 29th and 30th award ceremony and related events. The Carbonell board of directors, recognizing Ms. Ryan's contributions on behalf of the entire theater and arts community, wishes to thank her, her company and its staff, for their individual and collective dedication, efforts and contributions.
Realizing that the Awards program can in no way adequately repay Ms. Ryan and her compatriots for their efforts, the board has dedicated its scholarship award to Broward's arts education programs in both her and their honor.
The Broward School Board may award either one scholarship, or two equal scholarships of $1,250 each, at its discretion under the Arts For The Future program guidelines. The Carbonell Awards' Jean Ann Ryan Scholarship(s) will be presented at the program's annual ceremony in the spring of 2006 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Jerome Cohen Named To Board
OCT. 7, 2005--The Carbonell Awards Board of Directors has appointed Miami attorney, businessman and philanthropist Jerome J. Cohen as a director, effective immediately. Mr. Cohen, who has been a member of the awards' voting panel for the past two years, has a long history as a leading member of Miami's entertainment and cultural arena. His public corporations have included interests in real estate development, consumer finance and resort hotels.
Mr. Cohen and wife Rita both met at the University of Miami in the 1940s, and have four children. Both are active in the arts and civic endeavors. Jerome is a member of the board of directors of the Performing Arts Center Foundation of Greater Miami, the Miami City Ballet and the Coconut Grove Playhouse, and a founder at both the Jewish Home and Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation, and a an active member of the Citizens' Board of the University of Miami.
Previous Announcements
South Florida's 30th Anniversary Carbonell Award Ceremony
Moves To Spring, 2006 As Part Of Major Improvements
The 30th Annual Carbonell Awards, originally scheduled for Nov. 7, 2005 at the Broward Center, have been rescheduled for Monday, April 10, 2006 in the center’s Amaturo Theatre as part of the program’s ongoing reorganization, it was announced today by Carbonell board president Leslie J. Feldman.
For the transition, the 2004-05 season will span a 15-month eligibility period (Sept. 6, 2004-Dec. 31, 2005). Beginning Jan. 1, 2006, ensuing 12 month eligibility periods will follow the calendar year. Theater nominees will be announced in late January. The awards also honor career and special achievement in all disciplines of the performing arts as well as arts advocacy.
The eligibility deadline was Memorial Day when the awards began in 1976 and was changed to Labor Day in the 1980s, as theaters and concert halls began programming through the summer “off season.” The shift to a calendar year recognizes that South Florida has long-since evolved from a winter resort to a year-round cultural community, said Feldman, who is publisher of Playbill’s southern, southwestern and midwest regions.
Board member and immediate past president Jay Harris said evaluations by the board’s awards committee determined that this move will help achieve the program’s twin goals to improve the theater/arts community’s public visibility in South Florida, and to the national and international theater communities. Harris further noted that nominations will coincide with the peak of the region’s entertainment and social season, and the awards will be presented in the same time frame as many of the nation’s other major awards selections.
The glamorous benefit ceremonies that bestow the Carbonell performance and recognition awards are designed to enable the nonprofit arts organization’s accompanying mission to provide scholarships to South Florida theater and arts students for continuing college educations. The generous partnerships by The Broward Center and its Foundation have been indispensable to that mission as well as to provide the showcase for the awards themselves. The ceremony's move to high season is also designed to assist the board's efforts to raise the profile of the scholarship program throughout the region's educational and philanthropic communities, said Feldman.
Jean Ann Ryan Productions, which produced the highly successful 29th annual Carbonell Awards ceremony at the Broward Center in Nov. 2004, will produce the epochal 30th annual event, with Ms. Ryan as director and choreographer. Long-time Carbonell Awards music director Peter Graves and the Peter Graves Orchestra will once again oversee the musical lineup, with guest stars to be announced.
Among other items planned as the Carbonell Awards head toward their 30th anniversary will be design modifications to the award, a solid bronze statuette by Manuel Carbonell that is a work of art in itself—accompanied by a special recognition and tribute to Mr. Carbonell and other pioneers of the region’s arts community.
Carbonell Directors Set Precedent,
Pairing Coconut Grove Playhouse
In Award Categories
With Touring & Independent Shows
Move called a practical solution
to thorny philosophical issues
also affecting regional awards
in other major markets
Fort Lauderdale, Oct. 25, 2004--The Carbonell Board of Directors has voted to remove the Coconut Grove Playhouse from all regional theater category consideration, retroactive to the beginning of this eligibility year, Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2004.
The decision has potentially national implications, since other regional theater awards programs also have faced similar issues involving the disparity between large regional theater institutions and smaller local companies that make up the bulk of the regional theater communities. Philadelphia's Walnut Theatre, Chicago's Goodman and the Denver Center Theatre Company have had rocky relations with regional theater awards programs in their markets, due to perceived biases in the awards systems.
Grove and previously-labeled non-resident (touring & independent) productions will now be reclassified, and be eligible for voting by a panel of critics and other media representatives.
Due to modern seating policies for touring and other nonresident productions controlled by the producing or management agent (not the presenting house), the normal voting panel for touring and other "large production" shows in South Florida is limited to the host venues' collective press lists, including selected critics, columnists and commentators.
A larger panel of about 30 judges including arts community figures as well as the media group, participates in the regional theater voting process.
The board's action, proposed by President Leslie J. Feldman, was based upon evolution of the regional theater strata--and in a sense a return to practices of 30 years ago.
From the late 70s through the early 80s, the Carbonell awards were split into "regional" (local resident) and "stock/roadshow" categories. In addition to occasional tours at that time, producer Zev Buffman built winter stock productions using predominately non-local "star package" elements but with local designers.
Feldman cited the Carbonell program's decades-old precedent as a practical solution to a knotty philosophical problem that deserves further study. Feldman is Publisher of Playbill Magazine for its Southern, Southwest and Midwest regions of the U.S
The Grove frequently coproduce