The Carbonell Awards

49^th Annual Carbonell Awards will be Presented November 16 at 7:30 pm at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton

(South Florida – September 1, 2026) Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors, today announced the recipient of the eighth of nine Special Awards that will be presented at the 49^th annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 16, at 7:30 pm at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton 33431.

“While we will be honoring specific people and productions in 20 competitive categories from approximately 100 shows presented between September 2025 and August 2026, the Carbonell board of directors has unanimously voted to also bestow this Special Award,” said Schweikhart.

The Howard Kleinberg Award 2026 – For Outstanding Contribution to the Health and Development of the Arts in South Florida – Theatre Educators Inspiring the Next Generation

+ Gary Cadwallader is Director of Education and Community Engagement at Palm Beach Dramaworks, where he uses drama as a spark for meaningful conversations about complex social issues. His One Humanity Tour brings three powerful plays about teen human trafficking, opioid abuse, and conflicts between law enforcement and communities directly to schools, reaching more than 40,000 students so far. Additional programs include the PBD Young Playwrights 10-Minute and 1-minute Play Contest; The ‘Lit’ Theatre Project ethics program; Dramawise education for adults; TheAcademy@pbd, which builds skills in a safe, encouraging, professionally aligned, rigorous environment; The Legacy Project, an intergenerational LGBTQ+ digital storytelling program; and skills-building workshops for educators.

+ Jairo Ontiveros is Executive Producer and Dorothea Green Chair of Education & Community Engagement for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, where he oversees a multifaceted portfolio of programs that engage more than 100,000 K-12 students and adult learners a year in meaningful arts learning experiences. His work focuses on outreach to populations traditionally underserved by the arts, and his programs include Learning Through the Arts, an arts integration initiative that reaches Miami-Dade County Public Schools students with live theater; Jazz Roots: Sound Check, which provides high school music students behind-the-scenes interaction with the world’s finest jazz musicians; Accessing the Arts, a residency program that sends teaching artists into public schools to promote music, movement and theater learning among students with disabilities; and AileyCamp Miami, a summer camp for at-risk middle school students held in cooperation with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.

+ Lori Slade Sessions is Chairperson of the South Florida Cappies, which she launched 25 years ago and serves private and public schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties. The program celebrates excellence in high school theatre and has trained thousands of students to observe, analyze, discuss, and write thoughtful reviews of theatrical productions. By encouraging young performers and technicians, she is cultivating the next generation of informed theatre audiences and arts supporters. In addition to serving as the Theatre Director at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs for over 30 years, Lori also serves as Assistant State Director for Florida Thespians and Chairperson for District 7 Thespians.

Previous winners of this award include Harvey Burstein / Miamiartzine (2025); Kermit Christman, Founder & Artistic Producing Director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival (2024); actor, director, playwright, and producer Ronnie Larsen (2023); Andie Arthur, playwright, dramaturg, co-founding Artistic Director of Lost Girls Theatre, and Executive Director of the South Florida Theatre League (2022); Deborah Margol with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2018); longtime critic and Carbonell judge Christine Dolen (2015); and Iris Acker, actor, director, author, talk show host, and Carbonell judge (2014).

Previously Announced Carbonell Special Awards 2026

Still to be Announced

All the 2026 Special Award recipients were nominated by members of South Florida’s theatre community with the Carbonell Board of Directors making the final selection. The 120 Carbonell Award Finalists will be based on accumulated scores from the nonprofit organization’s pool of nearly 50 experienced and diverse volunteer judges — with seven judges from various counties assigned to each show. During the 2025-2026 season, Carbonell judges evaluated approximately 100 professional productions at more than 30 theatres throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.

This season’s Carbonell Awards will be presented on November 16 at a glittery ceremony that is South Florida’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards®. Hundreds of actors, musicians, performers, writers, directors, back-stage technicians, producers, critics, designers, specialty artists, and diehard theater fans are expected to attend. The event is being produced and directed by Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, with the award-winning Caryl Fantel serving as Music Director and Eloisa M. Ferrer as Coordinating Producer. Tickets for the ceremony and after party are only $45 and will go on public sale in mid-October.

Sponsors of the 49^th Annual Carbonell Awards ceremony and after party include the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Aventura Arts & Cultural Center; BroadwayWorld; 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; Florida Atlantic University Department of Theatre & Dance; Greenspoon Marder LLP; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Legends Radio; Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel – Florida Injury Lawyers; Miami-Dade County Auditorium, The Dennis C. Moss Center, OutClique Magazine, South Florida Cultural Consortium; South Florida Theatre League, Mark Traverso & Conor Walton, Donald R. Walters, P.A., and The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum.

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 30 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 nearly half a century, the Carbonell family has donated more than $250,000 in awards. For more information, please visit www.carbonellawards.org.