CARBONELL AWARDS Adds Two New Judges for 2026-27 Season
Haller, a critic for Florida Theater on Stage, and Oksner, widow of late judge Hap Erstein, join judges across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
The Carbonell Awards, South Florida's highly coveted recognition of theatrical production and performance excellence, today announced two new judges. Their addition brings the total number of active Carbonell judges to 50, including 17 in Broward County, 12 in Miami-Dade, and 21 in Palm Beach County. Collectively, they will see and evaluate more than 100 different productions at more than 30 professional theaters across all three counties during the current theater season that runs between September 1, 2026, and August 31, 2027. The two new Carbonell Award judges are:
Britin Haller (Boca Raton) has been a critic for Florida Theater on Stage for three years, designs their website show calendar, and is a judge for the distinguished Silver Palm Awards. She studied theater, radio/TV/film, and creative writing at Indiana University, performed in various choirs and musicals, and assistant directed plays before working as a radio DJ and an on-camera personality at a CBS television affiliate. As a media escort for major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Brit toured with international best-selling authors. She has been a celebrity wrangler, a book editor for Turner Publishing, a film/TV columnist for GHOST! Magazine, and a journalist for Florida Weekly. Brit currently serves on the board of directors for the Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter where she won their Flamingo Award for outstanding service. Brit has sold several short stories and is currently working on launching her self-publishing venture in the mystery/horror fields.
Elaine Oksner (West Palm Beach) is the widow of longtime theatre critic and highly respected Carbonell judge Hap Erstein. A former ballet student, she earned a BA in Dance before studying acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan. After teaching dance for 12 years, she studied hotel management in Maryland and later worked as a concierge for luxury hotels in Washington, D.C. and Palm Beach. For decades, she regularly accompanied Hap as he reviewed hundreds of shows. After he passed away in July 2025, Elaine created the Hap Erstein Memorial Scholarship in conjunction with the Carbonell Awards and now serves on the committee that selects the annual recipients.
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