The best of South Florida theatre will be celebrated Nov. 18 when the 27th Annual Carbonell Awards will be handed out in a ceremony hosted by Broadway's Marc Kudisch, of Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Productions of James Joyce's The Dead, The King and I, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Ruthless are the top nom earners this year.
Also in the nomination mix are playwrights Lee Blessing and Nilo Cruz; the musicals The Spitfire Grill and The Immigrant; and Ray Cooney's farce, Caught in the Net.
The ceremony is at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
The King and I and Smokey Joe's Cafe both played at The Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables (where Little Shop of Horrors will launch in 2003 prior to Broadway). The Dead was the first musical ever mounted by the current regime at the GableStage, also in Coral Gables, according to the Sept. 18 nominee announcement. Ruthless played the Hollywood Playhouse. A total of 32 separate plays and musicals from 12 regional companies from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches received nominations. In all, more than two dozen professional troupes mounted over 100 eligible shows from Miami through Fort Lauderdale to the Palm Beaches for the season that officially ended on Labor Day 2002, according to the announcement.
Nominated in the category of Best New Work were Lee Blessing's Black Sheep, along with Nilo Cruz's Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, Smithereens by Mario Diament, Portrait by Ivonne Azurdia and Teo Castellanos' monodrama NE 2nd Avenue.
The Carbonell Awards were founded in 1976 by the South Florida Critics Circle, which relinquished administrative control of the program earlier this year. Transition to a new community-based board of trustees, and an awards council comprised of theatre and arts executives is currently under way. Some critics continue to form a minority of the regional voting panel, and continue as the sole voters for non-resident touring shows, selected separately in a single ballot to produce winners.
27th Annual Carbonell Award Nominations:
PLAYS OR MUSICALS
Best New Work (play or musical)
Nilo Cruz, Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, New Theatre
Teo Castellanos, NE Second Avenue, Miami Light Project & Coconut Grove Playhouse
Lee Blessing, Black Sheep, Florida Stage
Mario Diament, Smithereens, New Theatre
Ivonne Azurdia, Portrait, Mad Cat Theatre Company Best Ensemble Production (play or musical)
Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Pump Boys and Dinettes, Hollywood Playhouse
James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
4 Guys Named Jose & Una Mujer Named Maria, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Cobb, Mosaic Theatre PLAYS
Best Production of a Play
A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage
Hamlet, New Theatre
Orphans, Caldwell Theatre Company
Proof, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Caught in the Net, Coconut Grove Playhouse Best Director/Play
Joseph Adler, Boy Gets Girl, GableStage
Rafael de Acha, Hamlet, New Theatre
Joseph Adler, A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage
Ray Cooney, Caught in the Net, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Bruce Lecure, Orphans, Caldwell Theatre Company Best Actor/Play
John Archie, A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage
Paxton Whitehead, Caught In the Net, Coconut Grove Playhouse
David Mann, Hamlet, New Theatre
Peter Haig, Nixon's Nixon, GableStage
Sheaun McKinney, A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage Best Actress/Play
April Henry, Jazz Like A Drug, Juggerknot Theatre Company
Pamela Roza, Boy Gets Girl, GableStage
Anney Giobbe, Proof, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Cynthia Caquelin, The Play About the Baby, GableStage
Sally Levin, The Waverly Gallery, New Theatre Best Supporting Actor/Play
Robert Strain, Tom Walker, New Theatre
Ken Clement, Tom Walker, New Theatre
Paul Tei, Black Sheep, Florida Stage
David Kwiat, Smithereens, New Theatre
Michael Vines, A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage Best Supporting Actress/Play
Dorothy Morrison, Proposals, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Harriet Oser, Concertina's Rainbow, Caldwell Theatre Company
Marta Velasco, Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, New Theatre
Autumn Horne, Boy Gets Girl, GableStage
Lisa Morgan, Tom Walker, New Theatre MUSICALS
Best Production of a Musical
Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
4 Guys Named Jose & Una Mujer Named Maria, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
The Soul of Gershwin, Coconut Grove Playhouse Best Director/Musical
David Arisco, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Joseph Adler, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
Michael Larsen, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Peter Moore, The Soul of Gershwin, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Bill Castellino, The Spitfire Grill, Florida Stage Best Actor/Musical
Lego Louis, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Stephen G. Anthony, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
Wayne LeGette, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Walter Charles, The Immigrant, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Jerry Gulledge, My Favorite Year, Broward Stage Door Theatre Best Actress/Musical
Kathryn Blake, The Spitfire Grill, Florida Stage
Lissette Gonzalez, 4 Guys Named Jose & Una Mujer Named Maria, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Connie SaLoutos, Sweet Charity, Broward Stage Door Theatre
Stacey Schwartz, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Kay Brady, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage Best Supporting Actor/Musical
Heath Kelts, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
Christopher Kent, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Reggie Whitehead, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Wayne Steadman, Man of La Mancha, Hollywood Playhouse
Fausto Pineda, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Best Supporting Actress/Musical
Susan Brownfield, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Maribeth Graham, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Lissa Grossman, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Laura Anne Hodos, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
Wen Zhang, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Musical Direction/Musical
David Nagy, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
David Nagy, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Jeffrey Hodgson, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
Eric Alsford, Man of La Mancha, Hollywood Playhouse
Joseph Vass, The Soul of Gershwin, Coconut Grove Playhouse Choreography/Musical
Barbara Flaten, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Barbara Flaten, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Andrew Fiacco, Man of La Mancha, Hollywood Playhouse
Maria Torres, 4 Guys Named Jose & Una Mujer Named Maria, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Robert Craig Dawson, Sweet Charity, Broward Stage Door Theatre DESIGN AWARDS
Best Scenic Design
M.P. Amico, Proposals, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Rich Simone, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
M.P. Amico, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Tim Bennett, Out of Season, Caldwell Theatre Company
Steve Lambert, Proof, Coconut Grove Playhouse Best Lighting Design
Stuart Reiter, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Travis Neff, Portrait, Mad Cat Theatre Company
Eric Nelson, The Soul of Gershwin, Coconut Grove Playhouse Jim Fulton, The Spitfire Grill, Florida Stage Thomas Salzman, Orphans, Caldwell Theatre Company Best Costume Design
Anne Toewe, James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
Mary Lynn Izzo, The King and I, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Lynda Peto, Black Sheep, Florida Stage
Estela Vrancovich, Man of La Mancha, Hollywood Playhouse
Estela Vrancovich, Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse Best Sound Design
Steve Shapiro, Proof, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Steve Shapiro, Caught in the Net, Coconut Grove Playhouse
Steve Shapiro, NE Second Avenue, Coconut Grove Playhouse
M. Anthony Reimer, Hamlet, New Theatre
Nate Rausch, Smokey Joe's Café, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre Nomination breakdown:
23 Actors' Playhouse, Coral Gables (greater Miami)
19 GableStage, Coral Gables (greater Miami)
15 Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami (greater Miami)
13 Hollywood Playhouse, Hollywood (greater Ft. Lauderdale)
12 New Theatre, Coral Gables (greater Miami)
6 Florida Stage, Manalapan (Palm Beaches)
5 Caldwell Theatre, Boca Raton (Palm Beaches)
3 Broward Stage Door Theatre, Coral Springs (greater Ft. Lauderdale)
2 Mad Cat Theatre Company, Miami
2 Miami Light Project, Miami (shares nominations with Coconut Grove Playhouse)
1 Juggerknot Theatre Company, Miami
1 Mosaic Theatre, Plantation (greater Ft. Lauderdale) 32 different productions nominated:
9 James Joyce's The Dead, GableStage
9 The King and I, The Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
8 Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
8 Ruthless, Hollywood Playhouse
5 A Lesson Before Dying, GableStage
4 Caught in the Net, Coconut Grove Playhouse
4 4 Guys Named Jose & Una Mujer Named Maria, The Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
4 Hamlet, New Theatre
4 Man of La Mancha, Hollywood Playhouse
4 Proof, Coconut Grove Playhouse
4 The Soul of Gershwin, Coconut Grove Playhouse
3 Black Sheep, Florida Stage
3 Boy Gets Girl, GableStage
3 Orphans, Caldwell Theatre Company
3 Spitfire Grill, Florida Stage
3 Tom Walker, New Theatre
2 Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, New Theatre
2 NE Second Avenue, Miami Light Project & Coconut Grove Playhouse
2 Portrait, Mad Cat Theatre Company
2 Proposals, Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
2 Smithereens, New Theatre
2 Sweet Charity, Broward Stage Door Theatre 1 Cobb, Mosaic Theatre
1 Concertina's Rainbow, Caldwell Theatre Company
1 Jazz Like a Drug, Juggerknot Theatre Company
1 The Immigrant (the musical), Coconut Grove Playhouse
1 My Favorite Year, Broward Stage Door Theatre
1 Nixon's Nixon, GableStage
1 Out of Season, Caldwell Theatre Company
1 The Play About the Baby, GableStage
1 Pump Boys & Dinettes, Hollywood Playhouse
1 The Waverly Gallery, New Theatre — By Kenneth Jones
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