Twenty-six theater professionals, activists and organizations are being honored for “outstanding or unique contributions to South Florida theater” with the Silver Palm Theatre Awards.
The awards, founded seven years ago, are determined by a vote of members of the South Florida press corps who Finstrom asks for recommendations for outstanding contributions to South Florida theatre. The Silver Palm executive committee then tallies the votes and draws up the final list of recipients.
The restrictions on who receives the awards are much looser than the annual Carbonell Awards and often acknowledge excellent work done over the space of an entire year.
“There are no nominees, no winners or losers, and no limit to the number of citations given in any category, though there really are no official categories,” Silver Palm Awards Executive Committee Chairman Tony Finstrom wrote in a news release. “But yikes! We’ve never given out so many awards before!”
“It seems,” he added, “this year was truly a banner year for extraordinary talent displayed on the stages of South Florida theater. And I can easily think of a dozen others who could’ve/should’ve been included on this list.”
Silver Palm Awards have been presented to over 90 individuals and/or groups during the previous six theatre seasons. This season consisted of shows that opened between Sept. 1, 2013 and Aug. 31, 2014.
The awards will be presented from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Monday, December 1 during the annual Theatre League Holiday Party at STACHE, a 1920s-themed drinking den located at 109 SW Second Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The party is open to the public, but there is a $25 admission charge. Theatre League members attend free of charge. For reservations and more information, call League Executive Director Andie Arthur at (954) 557-0778.
The recipients, in alphabetical order, are:
—-Alliance Theatre Lab / Producer Adalberto J. Acevedo, for the outstanding ensemble in Savage In Limbo: Shira Abergel, Curtiz Belz, Valentina Izarra, Christian Vandepas, Breeza Marena Zeller (Award to the Producer)
—Amy Miller Brennan, for her outstanding performances as the housewife/diva in Actors Playhouses Ruthless, the caring nurse in GableStage’s The Whale, and and as the fulcrum of an international love triangle in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s Chess.
—-Clay Cartland, for his outstanding performances as a human turning into a slug in Arts Garage’s musical The Trouble With Doug, and Broward Stage Door’s Whats New Pussycat?, the doctor in Slow Burn’s next to normal, and the harried hotel manager in Zoetic Stage’s Clark Gable Slept Here.
—-Matthew William Chizever, for his outstanding performance as the lust-driven swain in Naked Stage’s Miss Julie
—Playwright Christopher Demos-Brown for his outstanding new work, Zoetic Stage’s Fear Up Harsh about returning war veterans.
—-Elizabeth Dimon for her outstanding performances in the Arts Garage musical The Longing And The Short Of It, Palm Beach Dramaworks’ Dividing The Estate and Summer Shorts
—-Vanessa Elise, outstanding new talent as the manic maid in Clark Gable Slept Here
—-Brit Michael Gordon, outstanding new talent as the blind hero in Broward Stage Door’s Butterflies Are Free
—-Patti Gardner for her outstanding performances in a double role in Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s Pippin, as the imprisoned revolutionary in Primal Stages’ The Anarchist and GableStage’s Sons Of The Prophet
—-Christina Groom for her outstanding performances as the troubled teacher in New Theatre’s Gidions Knot and as multiple call girls in Island City Stage’s Have I Got A Girl For You
—-William Hayes for his outstanding work as Producing Artistic Director of Palm Beach Dramaworks
—–Arielle Hoffman, outstanding new talent as the estranged daughter in GableStage’s The Whale
—-Ron Hutchins for his outstanding choreography in Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s Theyre Playing Our Song, Actors Playhouse’s Spamalot, The Wick Theatre’s Aint Misbehavin, BRTGs Pippin and the Wick’s 42nd Street
—-Julie Kleiner for her outstanding performances as the star-in-the-making in 42nd Street and one of the singing sisters in White Christmas
—-Matthew Korinko for his outstanding performance as the Russian grandmaster in Chess
—-Michael McKeever for his outstanding performances in Island City Stage’s The Pride, the watchmaker in Island City Stage’s The Timekeepers and the pragmatic agent in Clark Gable Slept Here; as well as outstanding new work as a playwright for Clark Gable Slept Here
—-Naked Stage / Producer Katherine Amadeo for producing eight thrilling years of the 24-Hour Theatre Project
—-Ann Marie Olson for her outstanding performances as the embattled wife in Slow Burn’s Parade and the singing acolyte in Thinking Cap’s Church.
—–Pigs Do Fly Productions / Producer Ellen Wacher for developing works for actors over the age of 50
—–Jessica Brooke Sanford, outstanding new talent as the veteran’s rebellious daughter in Fear Up Harsh and the meta-actress in [title of show]
—–Manny Schvartzmann for his outstanding musical direction of several shows at Slow Burn Theatre Company
—–Karen Stephens for her outstanding performances as the physically and emotionally wounded vet in Fear Up Harsh and the mysterious maid in GableStage’s The Mountaintop
—-Shane Tanner for his outstanding performances as the brother in The Trouble With Doug and the war hero with a past in Fear Up Harsh
—-Ellis Tillman for his outstanding costumes for The Whale, Ruthless and Spamalot
—-The Wick Theatre / Executive Producer Marilynn A. Wick, outstanding new theatre company
—-Gabriel Zenone for his outstanding performances as the talent agent in Ruthless and one of the killers in Zoetic Stage’s Assassins
The Silver Palm executive committee consists of Finstrom, a playwright; BECON TV talk show host Iris Acker, and South Florida International Press Club President and Florida Media News/ENV Magazine critic Ron Levitt.
This year’s Silver Palm Advisory Council consisted of Christine Dolen, The Miami Herald; Bill Hirschman, FloridaTheaterOnStage.com and FloridaWeekly.com; John Thomason, New Times, and Boca Raton Magazine; J.W. Arnold , South Florida Gay News; Roger Martin, MiamiArtzine.com; Michelle F. Solomon, MiamiArtzine.com and FloridaTheaterOnStage.com; Skip Sheffield, Boca Raton Tribune, Atlantic Avenue Magazine, and L.A.s Realize Magazine; Jeffrey Bruce, TalkinBroadway.com; Richard Cameron, Theatre Chat at examiner.com, and www.BroadwayGlobal.org, and Mary Damiano, BroadwayWorld.com and South Florida Gay News.
For more information, go to: www.silverpalmawards.com.
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