Brevo Theatre to Receive Carbonell Awards' Jan McArt Award

The Carbonell Awards, South Florida's Theater & Arts Honors, has revealed the recipient of the third of nine Special Awards that will be presented at the 49th annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 16, at 7:30 pm at FAU's University Theatre. The Jan McArt Award For Outstanding Achievement by a Small Theatre will be given to Brévo Theatre.

Brévo Theatre was founded in 2019 by Zaylin Yates and Terrence Pride. The dynamic theatre is committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and sparking cultural dialogue through fearless, socially conscious storytelling, and is renowned for its Broadway-caliber productions and original premieres. Based in Pompano Beach, the theatre creates transformative work that reflects, challenges, and elevates local diverse communities, such as its holiday tradition Black Nativity and the 2025 production of Fat Ham in partnership with Island City Stage and GableStage. Brévo's most recent production of the musical The Color Purple was a triumph despite the tragic death of star Toddra Brunson just days before opening.

Additionally, the theatre's signature program, Young, Gifted & Brave provides free in-school residencies and a summer conservatory for high school students across three public high schools reaching students in under-resourced communities where access to sequential, high-quality theater training is otherwise limited. 

The only previous winner of the Jan McArt Award is New City Players (2025).

Previously Announced Carbonell Special Awards 2026

The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Stuart Meltzer, Founding Artistic Director of Zoetic Stage.
The Christine Dolen Award for Outstanding Debut
Ali Tallman, Director of The 39 Steps for New City Players.

Still to be Announced

The Vinnette Carroll Award – August 4
The Charlie Cinnamon Award – August 11
The Ruth Foreman Award – August 18
The Bill Hindman Award – August 25
The Howard Kleinberg Award – September 1
The Bill von Maurer Award – September 8
120 Carbonell Award Finalists in 20 Categories – September 15

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.