CARBONELL AWARDS Virtual Ceremony Comes to YouTube August 3

Donald R. Walters, Esq., board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida's Theatre & Arts Honors, today announced that the 44th awards ceremony-the first virtual one in its history-will be streamed at 7:30 pm on Monday, August 3, through the YouTube Channel of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYGa-RlNvCuRe34c0TxntA). The original live ceremony was postponed due to COVID-19.

Carbonell Awards will be presented in 20 competitive categories, featuring 100 different nominations. Palm Beach Dramaworks earned 29 nominations overall, the most of any theater in the tri-county region. Zoetic Stage received 20 nominations, the most for any theater in Miami-Dade County, and Slow Burn Theatre Company in Fort Lauderdale earned 12 nominations, the most of any theater in Broward County. Out of more than 80 shows that opened in 2019 at regional theaters, 62 were eligible for nominations.

At the upcoming virtual event, four Special Awards will also be presented:

+ The George Abbott Award to Kelley Shanley, President & CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

+ The Bill Von Maurer Award to Palm Beach Dramaworks.

+ The Bill Hindman Award to Barbara Bradshaw, the recipient of four Carbonell Awards.

+ The Ruth Foreman Award to Broadway Factor for The Amparo Experience, the critically acclaimed immersive theater production in Miami.

Another highlight will be the awarding of the 2020 Jack Zink Memorial Student Scholarships to Skye Alyssa Friedman (Palm Beach County, $3,000), Amaris Rios (Miami-Dade County, $2,000), and Jeremy Fuentes (Broward County, $1,000).

The virtual ceremony is being produced by Fantel Music, including Carbonell Award winner Caryl Fantel, who has been part of the award show's production team for 12 years and is a two-time Silver Palm Award-winning music director, pianist and vocal coach; and her daughter Alyssa Fantel, an actress, acting coach and award-winning playwright.

Because the live ceremony in April was postponed less than a month before it was to happen, many of the nominees and attendees had already purchased gowns and outfits to wear. Accordingly, Carbonell Managing Director Mary Damiano has invited attendees to submit a photo of themselves wearing their party attire, which she will post on the organization's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CarbonellAwardsInc/). A virtual red carpet to go with the virtual awards ceremony.

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 fosters 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, each season volunteer panelists and judges choose nominees and recipients from hundreds of shows produced on stages throughout the tri-county area. For more information, visit www.carbonellawards.org.