Nominations Announced for 38th Annual Carbonell Awards; Maltz Jupiter Theatre Leads With 19 Nominations

A musical about the struggles of a bipolar woman and the plight of two prisoners in a concentration camp during the Holocaust received the most nominations in the musical and play categories when the nominations were announced for the 38th Carbonell Awards, which honors excellence in theatre in South Florida.

Next to Normal, produced by Slow Burn Theatre Company in Boca Raton, led the musical category with 10 nominations. The Timekeepers, produced by Island City Stage in Fort Lauderdale, led the play category with 6 nominations. Fifteen of South Florida's theaters earned nominations for a variety of shows produced during 2013. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre earned the most nominations of any theater with 19. Actors' Playhouse in Coral Gables received 13 nominations, the most of any theater in Miami-Dade County, and Island City Stage led the Broward County theaters in nominations with 6. Nominations were spread over 34 shows from theatres stretching from Coral Gables north to Jupiter.

Palm Beach County theaters earned a total of 62 nominations, followed by Miami-Dade theaters with 28 nominations and Broward County theaters with 8 nominations.

The awards will be handed out at the Carbonell Awards ceremony, which will be held Monday, March 31, 2014 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

The Carbonell Awards is a not-for-profit organization and is funded by tax-deductible donations and award sponsorships. This season's sponsorsinclude the South Florida Cultural Consortium, the Adrienne Arsht Centerfor the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Rita and Jerry Cohen, Kerry and Scott Shiller, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, Mary Ellen and Michael Peyton, Tony Finstrom, Broadway Across America, and the South Florida Theatre League.

Four theaters, three based in Boca Raton, garnered nominations in their first year of Carbonell Award eligibility. Slow Burn Theatre Company earned 10 nominations for their one eligible show of the season, Next to Normal. Outre Theatre Company earned a nomination for their production of An Iliad. The Wick earned 3 nominations for the musicals The Sound of Music and White Christmas. In Fort Lauderdale, Thinking Cap Theatre earned a nomination for their production of The Rover.

Several performers and designers have double the reason to be happy with the nominations this year. Colin McPhillamy is nominated as Best Actor for Exit the King at Palm Beach Dramaworks as well as Best Supporting Actor for Dial M for Murder at Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Karen Stephens is nominated as Best Actress in Fear Up Harsh at Zoetic Stage and as Best Supporting Actress in Doubt at Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Patti Gardner is nominated as Best Actress, Musical, for Chicago at Boca Raton Theatre Guild and Best Supporting Actress for Sons of the Prophet at GableStage. Manny Schvartzman is nominated for as Musical Director for his work on In the Heights at Actors' Playhouse and Next to Normal at Slow Burn Theatre Company. Mark Martino is nominated as Best Director, Musical as well as Choreographer for Annie at Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Michael Amico is nominated for Best Scenic Design for Dial M for Murder at Maltz Jupiter Theatre and The Lion in Winter at Palm Beach Dramaworks. And Ellis Tillman is nominated for Best Costume Design for The Fox on the Fairway and Ruthless!, both at Actors' Playhouse.

"This year's group of nominees reflects the rich diversity of work produced on stages throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties," said Scott Shiller, President of the Carbonell Awards' board of directors. "We thank the dedicated professional theater community - the producers, actors and designers who created such a robust and dynamic season."

Tickets are now on sale for the Monday, March 31, 2014 ceremony, which will take place in the Amaturo Theater, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets purchased in advance are $25 with $20 tickets available for groups of 10 or more, $35 at the door. Tickets are available at the Broward Center's box office or by visiting www.browardcenter.org.

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 Awards. The Carbonell Awards foster the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the diversity of our theater artists, providing educational scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community. Named after Manuel Carbonell, an internationally renowned sculptor who designed the original solid bronze and marble award in 1976, the awards are selected each season by volunteer panelists and judges who choose nominees and recipients from shows produced on stages throughout the tri-county area.

A complete list of the 2013 Carbonell Award nominations follows.

Carbonell Award Nominations, 2013:

Best New Work, Play or Musical (Two nominees in this category)
Fear Up Harsh, Christopher Demos Brown, Zoetic Stage
Gloucester Blue, Israel Horovitz, Theatre at Arts Garage

Best Production of a Play
A Raisin in the Sun, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Cock, GableStage
Fear Up Harsh, Zoetic Stage
The Lion in Winter, Palm Beach Dramaworks
The Timekeepers, Island City Stage

Best Director/Play
Joseph Adler, Cock, GableStage
Lou Tyrrell, Lungs, Theatre at Arts Garage
Michael Leeds, TheTimekeepers, Island City Stage
Seret Scott, A Raisin in the Sun, Palm Beach Dramaworks
William Hayes, The Lion in Winter, Palm Beach Dramaworks

Best Actor/Play
Cliff Burgess, Lungs, Theatre at Arts Garage
Colin McPhillamy, Exit the King, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Ethan Henry, A Raisin in the Sun, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Michael McKeever, The Timekeepers, Island City Stage
Nicholas Richberg, Cock, GableStage

Best Actress/Play
Betsy Graver, Lungs, Theatre at Arts Garage
Karen Stephens, Fear Up Harsh, Zoetic Stage
Laura Turnbull, Good People, GableStage
Pat Bowie, A Raisin in the Sun, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Tod Randolph,The Lion in Winter, Palm Beach Dramaworks

Best Supporting Actor/Play
Avi Hoffman, My Name is Asher Lev, GableStage
Colin McPhillamy, Dial M for Murder, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Marckenson Charles, A Raisin in the Sun, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Stephen G. Anthony, Fear Up Harsh, Zoetic Stage
Todd Allen Durkin, All New People, Zoetic Stage

Best Supporting Actress/Play
Angie Radosh, Exit the King, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Jessica Brooke Sanford, Fear Up Harsh, Zoetic Stage
Karen Stephens, Doubt, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Lindsey Forgey, The Savannah Disputation, Zoetic Stage
Patti Gardner, Sons of the Prophet, GableStage

Best Production of a Musical (Six nominees in this category)
In the Heights, Actors' Playhouse
The Longing and the Short of It, Theatre at Arts Garage
Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
The Sound of Music, The Wick
Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre

Best Director/Musical
David Arisco, In the Heights, Actors' Playhouse
Mark S. Hoebee, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Mark Martino, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Max Friedman, The Longing and the Short of It, Theatre at Arts Garage
Patrick Fitzwater, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company

Best Actor/Musical
Christopher Carl, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Matthew William Chizever, Damn Yankees, Broward Stage Door Theatre
Matthew Korinko, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Nick Duckart, In the Heights, Actors' Playhouse
Oscar Cheda, They're Playing Our Song, Boca Raton Theatre Guild

Best Actress/Musical
Amy Miller Brennan, Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
Laurie Veldheer, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Margot Moreland, They're Playing Our Song, Boca Raton Theatre Guild
Patti Gardner, Chicago, Boca Raton Theatre Guild
Vicki Lewis, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre

Best Supporting Actor/Musical
Bruno Vida, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Burke Moses, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Clay Cartland, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Gabriel Zenone, Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
Ken Clement, Chicago, Boca Raton Theatre Guild

Best Supporting Actress/Musical
Anne Chamberlain, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Elizabeth Dimon, The Longing and the Short of It, Theatre at Arts Garage
Julia Dale, Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
Lourelene Snedeker, The Sound of Music, The Wick
Missy McArdle, White Christmas, The Wick

Musical Direction/Musical
Eric Alsford, Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
Helen Gregory, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Manny Schvartzman, In the Heights, Actors' Playhouse
Manny Schvartzman, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Paul Reekie, The Longing and the Short of It, Theatre at Arts Garage

Choreography/Musical
Denis Jones, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Marc Robin, Singing in the Rain, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Mark Martino, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Ron Hutchins, Chicago, Boca Raton Theatre Guild
Stephanie Klemons, In the Heights, Actors' Playhouse

Best Scenic Design/play or musical
Michael Amico, Dial M for Murder, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Michael Amico, The Lion in Winter, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Michael McClain, The Timekeepers, Island City Stage
Paul Tate dePoo III, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Sean McClelland, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company

Best Lighting Design/play or musical
Donald Edmund Thomas, Annie, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
John Hall, Of Mice and Men, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Lance Blank, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company
Paul Miller, Dial M for Murder, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Preston Bircher, The Timekeepers, Island City Stage

Best Costume Design/play or musical
Brian O'Keefe, The Lion in Winter, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Chastity Collins and Nicole Stodard, The Rover, Thinking Cap Theatre
Ellis Tillman, The Fox on the Fairway, Actors' Playhouse
Ellis Tillman, Ruthless!, Actors' Playhouse
Robin McGee, Dial M for Murder, Maltz Jupiter Theatre

Best Sound Design/play or musical
Danny Butler, An Iliad, Outre Theatre Company
David Hart, The Timekeepers, Island City Stage
Marty Mets, Dial M for Murder, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Matt Corey, Exit the King, Palm Beach Dramaworks
Rich Szczublewski, Next to Normal, Slow Burn Theatre Company

Best Ensemble Production (play or musical)
All New People, Zoetic Stage
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Plaza Theatre
The Longing and the Short of It, Theatre at Arts Garage
Making God Laugh, Actors' Playhouse
Savage in Limbo, ALLIANCE THEATRE Lab

Photo Credit: Brooke Noble