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 yearly celebration. Companies in Broward County received 27 nominations, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties tied with 36 nominations each.

South Florida revelers gathered on Monday April 4th to celebrate an artistic standard in the local theatrical community —the 35th Annual Carbonell Award. The ceremonies were attended by South Florida theatre-goers, actors, producers, directors, cast and crew members at the Amaturo Theater at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The evening featured performances from each of the productions nominated for Best Musicals, and the festivities continued into the wee hours of the morning at the after-party, hosted by South Florida Theatre League at The Green Room.

The annual Carbonell Awards ceremony is designed to raise scholarships for students in the tri-county area to study at accredited colleges and universities for careers in the visual and performing arts, and in journalism. 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. For additional information contact Michael McKeever 954-261-9597 or visit the Carbonell Awards website www.carbonellawards.org

Internationally-renowned sculptor Manuel Carbonell is the creator, namesake and Grand Benefactor of South Florida's Carbonell Awards. Mr. Carbonell designed the original solid bronze-and-marble award in 1976. Born in 1918 in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba and educated throughout Europe, he fled Cuba's totalitarian regime in 1959. His art works now adorn museums, galleries, private collections and public projects throughout the free world.

35TH ANNUAL CARBONELL AWARD WINNERS:
Best New Work: Christopher Demos-Brown, When the Sun Shone Brighter, Florida Stage (Palm Beach County)
Best Production of a Play: Blasted, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Director, Play: Joseph Adler, Blasted, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Actor, Play: Gregg Weiner, Fifty Words, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Actress, Play: Barbara Bradshaw, Collected Stories, Mosaic Theatre (Broward County)
Best Supporting Actor, Play: Will Connolly, Candida, Palm Beach Dramaworks (Palm Beach County)
Best Supporting Actress, Play: Deborah L. Sherman, Goldie, Max & Milk, Florida Stage (Palm Beach County)
Best Production of a Musical: Mack and Mabel, Broward Stage Door Theatre (Broward County)
Best Director, Musical: David Arisco, Miss Saigon, Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (Miami-Dade County)
Best Actor, Musical: Herman Sebek, Miss Saigon, Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (Miami-Dade County)
Best Actress, Musical: Tari Kelly, Anything Goes, Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Palm Beach County)
Best Supporting Actor, Musical: Nick Duckart, Dr. Radio, Florida Stage (Palm Beach County)
Best Supporting Actress, Musical: Lisa Manuli, Motherhood the Musical, GFour Productions (Broward County)
Best Musical Direction: Eric Alsford, Miss Saigon, Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (Miami-Dade County)
Best Choreography: Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Anything Goes, Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Palm Beach County)
Best Scenic Design, Play or Musical: Tim Connolly, Blasted, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Lighting, Play or Musical: Jeff Quinn, Blasted, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Costume Design, Play or Musical: Jose M. Rivera, La Cage Aux Folles, Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Palm Beach County)
Best Sound Design: Matt Corey, Blasted, GableStage (Miami-Dade County)
Best Ensemble, Play or Musical: 12 Angry Men, Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Palm Beach County)

SPECIAL AWARDS:
George Abbott Award: Patrice Bailey, Dean of Theater at Miami's New World School of the Arts
Ruth Foreman Award: Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Carbonell Scholarship Winners:
Abby Jaros, Boca Raton Community High School
Jennifer Jaroslavsky, American Heritage School of Boca/Delray
Kimberlee Johnson, JP Taravella High School
Valerie Novakoff, Pine Crest School
Mario Pavón, Boca Raton Community High School

"Tonight we celebrated the artistry of live theatre through camaraderie, laughter and reflection...and honored the creativity of powerful stage and costume design, fabulous music and unsurpassed talent," says Scott Shiller, Vice Chairman, Carbonell Awards Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. "It's been a fabulous evening!"

See the current theatre season schedule for southern Florida.

-- John Lariviere