Margaret M. Ledford, who has directed at nearly every regional theater in South Florida and helped found several, has received the Carbonell’s Ruth Foreman Award, recognizing “outstanding contribution to development of South Florida theatre.”
Ledford is currently Artistic Director of City Theatre in Miami, an eight-time Carbonell Award nominee for Best Director and a multiple Silver Palm winner for Direction.
Among the venues she has directed plays, musicals, and readings include Promethean Theatre (resident director for eight years), Palm Beach Dramaworks, GableStage, Florida Reparatory Theatre, Barter Theatre (Virginia), Naked Stage, New Theatre, Delray Beach Arts Garage, Mosaic Theatre, Caldwell Theatre Company, Florida Stage, Island City Stage, Thinking Cap Theatre, United Solo Festival (NYC) and City Theatre.
Ledford served six years on the South Florida Theatre League Board of Directors, two years as President. She was a National Reviewer for the National YoungArts Foundation in theater and musical theater is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, and a co-founder and Creator at Mangrove Creative Collective.
She hails from Chattanooga where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Speech from the University of Tennessee.
In nominating Ledford, Music Director Caryl Fantel wrote, “Under Margaret’s artistic leadership, City Theatre, now in its 30th season presenting the Summer Shorts Summer Play Festival, has expanded its longstanding commitment to developing new voices by creating meaningful pathways for playwrights and theater makers from historically marginalized communities. Through initiatives such as HOMEGROWN, the company has actively identified, mentored, and elevated emerging Miami playwrights whose perspectives have too often been absent from American stages.”
“Her impact is measured not only by the productions she has directed or produced, but by the careers she has launched, the voices she has elevated, and the culture of belonging she has cultivated throughout our theatre community,” Fantel said.
Ruth Foreman was a pioneering force in South Florida theater. In the late 1940s, billionaire Howard Hughes helped her start the Lemonade Theatre on Miami Beach. She produced community theater before launching a professional troupe in 1982 at Florida International University. She also briefly ran a second professional operation at the Sunrise Musical Theatre in west Broward. She died in 1988.
Previous winners of this award include Alexa Kuve, founder, executive producer and artistic director of Arca Images (2025); Marilynn Wick, Founder and CEO of The Wick Theatre & Museum Club and Costume World, Inc. (2024); the Maltz Jupiter Theatre (2023); actor, producer, director, poet, and educator Teresa María Rojas (2022); The Amparo Experience (2020); Juggerknot Theatre Company for Miami Motel Stories (2019); Nicole Stoddard for the GAP Play Reading Series at Thinking Cap Theatre (2018); and Florida Children’s Theatre (2016).
The award is one of nine special awards to be presented at the 49th annual ceremony Nov. 16 at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton
The others are being announced here one a week.
All the 2026 Special Award recipients were nominated by members of South Florida’s theater community with the Carbonell Board of Directors making the final selection.
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