Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Carbonell Award nominees are announced.
Zoetic Stage’s “Sunday in the Park With George,” Slow Burn Theatre Company’s “The Secret Garden” and Palm Beach Dramaworks’ “Sweeney Todd” lead the pack for the 42nd annual Carbonell Awards, better known as South Florida “theater prom.”
The Carbonells, which toast the best theatrical works produced in 2017 in South Florida, will take place 7:30 p.m. April 2 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $25, and will go on sale March 9 at CarbonellAwards.org.
Zoetic’s staging of “Sunday in the Park With George,” Stephen Sondheim’s masterwork about Georges Seurat’s iconic painting, tied for six nominations with “The Secret Garden” and “Sweeney Todd.” Overall, Miami-Dade theaters picked up 42 nominations, compared to Palm Beach County’s 38 nods and Broward County’s 20.
Here is the full list of 2018 Carbonell Award nominees.
Best New Work (play or
musical): “Broken Snow” by Ben Andron, JCAT – the J’s Cultural Arts Theatre; “The Camp” by Michael McKeever, West Boca Theatre Company; “Finding Mona Lisa” by Michael McKeever, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre; “¡FUÁCATA!” by Elena Maria Garcia and Stuart Meltzer, Zoetic Stage; “The Goldberg Variations” by Stuart Meltzer, Island City Stage Best Production of a Play: “Arcadia,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage, “The Humans,” GableStage; “Kings of Harlem,” M Ensemble; “Topdog/Underdog,” Zoetic Stage
Best Director/Play: Joseph Adler, “The Humans,” GableStage; “Layon Gray, Kings of Harlem, M Ensemble; J. Barry Lewis, “Arcadia,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Stuart Meltzer, “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage; John Rodaz, “An Octaroon,” Area Stage Company
Best Actor/Play: Clay Cartland, “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” GableStage; Marckenson Charles, “Topdog/Underdog,” Zoetic Stage; David Kwiat, “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage; Nicholas Richberg, “Billy and Me,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Gregg Weiner, “The Good Thief,” Ground Up & Rising Best Actress/Play: AnneMarie Cusson, “Collected Stories,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Niki Fridh, “Grounded,” Thinking Cap Theatre; Elena Maria Garcia, “¡FUÁCATA!” Zoetic Stage; Rita Joe, “Brothers of the Dust,” M Ensemble; Karen Stephens, “Motherland,” Theatre Lab
Best Supporting Actor/
Play: Sean Patrick Doyle, “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” GableStage; Andre L. Gainey, “Kings of Harlem,” M Ensemble; John Manzelli, “The Goldberg Variations,” Island City Stage; Kevin Reilley, “Twelfth Night,” New City Players; Tom Wahl, “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” GableStage Best Supporting Actress/ Play: Meredith Bartmon, “The Humans,” GableStage; Elizabeth Dimon, “The Humans,” GableStage; Niki Fridh, “Most Wanted,” Theatre Lab; Jeni Hacker, “The Camp,” West Boca Theatre Company; Carolyn Johnson, “Flyin’ West,” M Ensemble
Best Production of a Musical: “The Drowsy Chaperone,” The Wick Theatre; “Gypsy,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; “Newsies,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks
Best Director/Musical: Clive Cholerton, “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Patrick Fitzwater, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Stuart Meltzer, “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; Dom Ruggiero, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” The Wick Theatre; Marcos Santana, “Newsies,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Best Actor/Musical: Cooper Grodin, “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; Bruce Linser, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” The Wick Theatre; Shane Tanner, “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Michael Ursua, “La Cage Aux Folles,” MNM Productions; Michael Ursua, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company
Best Actress/Musical: Sarah Gracel, “Dreamgirls,” Broward Stage Door Theatre; Julie Kleiner, “She Loves Me,” The Wick Theatre; Vicki Lewis, “Gypsy,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; Mallory Newbrough, “Beauty and the Beast,” The Wick Theatre; Cindy Pearce, “It Shoulda Been You,” Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre
Best Supporting Actor/
Musical: Jim Ballard, “Little Shop of Horrors,” MNM Productions; Jim Ballard, “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Andrew Shultz, “Spamalot,” MNM Productions; Conor Walton, “It Shoulda Been You,” Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre; Elijah Word, “Dreamgirls,” Broward Stage Door Theatre Best Supporting Actress/ Musical: Amy Miller Brennan, “Aida,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Anne Chamberlain, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Kat Gold, “Nine,” Broward Stage Door Theatre; Laura Hodos, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” The Wick Theatre; Mallory Newbrough, “Beehive,” The Wick Theatre Musical Direction/Musical: Eric Alsford, “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; Caryl Fantel, “Beehive,” The Wick Theatre; Emmanuel Schvartzmann, “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Brad Simmons, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Andrew David Sotomayor, “Newsies,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Choreography/Musical: Al Blackstone, “Newsies,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; Ron Hutchins, “Evita,” Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre; Marcia Milgrom Dodge, “Gypsy,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; Lindsey Bell, “The Drowsy Chaperone,’ The Wick Theatre; Shea Sullivan, “The Producers,’ Maltz Jupiter Theatre Best Scenic Design/play or musical: Kent Barrett, “Motherland,” Theatre Lab; Mitchelll Ost, “Kings of Harlem,” M Ensemble; J.C. Rodriguez, “An Octaroon,” Area Stage Company; Anne Mundell, “Born Yesterday,” Maltz Jupiter Theatre; Michael McClain, “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage
Best Lighting Design/play or musical: Rebecca Montero, “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage; Rebecca Montero, “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; Thomas Shorrock, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Thomas Shorrock, “Titanic,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Donald Edmund Thomas, “Arcadia,” Palm Beach Dramaworks Best Costume Design/play
or musical: Angela Esposito, “Sunday in the Park With George,” Zoetic Stage; Brian O’Keefe, “Sweeney Todd,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Rick Pena, “The Secret Garden,” Slow Burn Theatre Company; Nicole Stodard, “Lizzie: The Musical,” Thinking Cap Theatre; Ellis Tillman, “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” GableStage
Best Sound Design/play or musical: Anton Church, “¡FUÁCATA!” Zoetic Stage; Matt Corey, “Collected Stories,” Palm Beach Dramaworks; Matt Corey, “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” GableStage; Stuart Meltzer, “The Caretaker,” Zoetic Stage; Nicole Stodard, “Grounded,” Thinking Cap Theatre Best Ensemble (play or
musical): “Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties,” Thinking Cap Theatre; “Finding Mona Lisa,” Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre; “Kings of Harlem,” M Ensemble; “Lizzie: The Musical,” Thinking Cap Theatre; “Straight White Men,” Thinking Cap Theatre