35th Annual Carbonell Awards Set For April 4th

35th Annual Carbonell Awards Set for

Monday, April 4, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Outstanding achievements of South Florida's theater community with be celebrated

at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts as funds are raised for aspiring theater students

The South Florida community is invited to celebrate the achievements of the talented theater professionals in the region at the 35th Annual Carbonell Awards on Monday, April 4, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $25 with $20 tickets available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available at the Broward Center's box office or by calling 954-462-0222 or visiting www.browardcenter.org. This must-see award ceremony will feature performances from each of the productions nominated for Best Musical in 2010.

A musical about a war-time romance and a controversial play that took audiences to the depths of humanity top the list of nominees for the 35th Annual Carbonell Awards, celebrating the best shows and performances in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Miss Saigon at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables led the pack with 11 nominations; Blasted at GableStage in Coral Gables garnered 7 nominations.

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 feature the area's top entertainers and theater insiders as they step out from behind their roles in an unforgettable behind-the-scenes celebration. Theater companies in Broward County received 27 nominations; companies Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties tied with 36 nominations each.

The following sponsorships of award categories have been announced: Actors Equity Association - Best Actress in a Play; Rita and Jerome Cohen - Best Actress in a Musical; Jay Harris - Best Production of a Play; Michael and Ellen Peyton - Best Sound Design. Other supporters of this year's awards include: Mike and Dr. Margaret Eidson, Ann Kelly, Scott and Kerry Shiller, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Broward Performing Arts Foundation, and Raymond J. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

Opportunities to sponsor an award category and appear on stage to announce the winner are available beginning at $1,000. Email carbonellhotline@gmail.com for more information.

The annual Carbonell Awards ceremony is designed to raise funds to offer scholarships to students in the tri-county area for study at accredited colleges and universities in the fields of visual and performing arts and in journalism. The 2011 scholarship winners, outstanding high school students committed to continuing their studies in the theater arts, will be announced at the April 4 award ceremony.

The prestigious 2011 George Abbott Award will be presented to Patrice Bailey, Dean of Theater at Miami's New World School of the Arts. Ms. Bailey has been responsible for the expansion and growth of a program is today among the premiere centers of theater training in Florida. She has helped lead New World graduates to success in South Florida, New York and around the country. Each year, the George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts presented for significant contributions to the artistic and cultural development of the region.

The Ruth Foreman Award, which recognizes significant contributions to theater development in South Florida, will be presented to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in its 20th anniversary season for its collaborative approach to regional presentations and the development of the artists and audiences of tomorrow.

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. 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 including a complete listing of this year's nominations, visit the Carbonell Awards website at www.carbonellawards.org. Inquiries may also be sent to carbonellhotline@gmail.com.

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