Three crucial figures in developing the next generation of theater artists have been announced as recipients of the Carbonells’ Howard Kleinberg Award “For Outstanding Contribution to the Health and Development of the Arts in South Florida.”
Receiving the award at the Nov. 16 Carbonell gala will be Gary Cadwallader of Palm Beach Dramaworks, Jairo Ontiveros of the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Lori Slade Sessions of the South Florida Cappies.
Cadwallader is Director of Education and Community Engagement at Palm Beach Dramaworks, where he uses drama as a spark for meaningful conversations about complex social issues. His One Humanity Tour brings three powerful plays about teen human trafficking, opioid abuse, and conflicts between law enforcement and communities directly to schools, reaching more than 40,000 students so far.
Additional programs include the PBD Young Playwrights 10-Minute and 1-minute Play Contest; The ‘Lit’ Theatre Project ethics program; Dramawise education for adults; TheAcademy@pbd, which builds skills in a safe, encouraging, professionally aligned, rigorous environment; The Legacy Project, an intergenerational LGBTQ+ digital storytelling program; and skills-building workshops for educators.
Ontiveros is Executive Producer and Dorothea Green Chair of Education & Community Engagement for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, where he oversees a multifaceted portfolio of programs that engage more than 100,000 K-12 students and adult learners a year in meaningful arts learning experiences.
His work focuses on outreach to populations traditionally underserved by the arts, and his programs include Learning Through the Arts, an arts integration initiative that reaches Miami-Dade County Public Schools students with live theater; Jazz Roots: Sound Check, which provides high school music students behind-the-scenes interaction with the world’s finest jazz musicians; Accessing the Arts, a residency program that sends teaching artists into public schools to promote music, movement and theater learning among students with disabilities; and AileyCamp Miami, a summer camp for at-risk middle school students held in cooperation with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation.
Sessions is Chairperson of the South Florida Cappies, which she launched 25 years ago and serves private and public schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties. The program celebrates excellence in high school theatre and has trained thousands of students to observe, analyze, discuss, and write thoughtful reviews of theatrical productions. By encouraging young performers and technicians, she is cultivating the next generation of informed theatre audiences and arts supporters. In addition to serving as the Theatre Director at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs for over 30 years, Lori also serves as Assistant State Director for Florida Thespians and Chairperson for District 7 Thespians.
Previous winners of this award include Harvey Burstein / Miamiartzine (2025); Kermit Christman, Founder & Artistic Producing Director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival (2024); actor, director, playwright, and producer Ronnie Larsen (2023); Andie Arthur, playwright, dramaturg, co-founding Artistic Director of Lost Girls Theatre, and Executive Director of the South Florida Theatre League (2022); Deborah Margol with the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs (2018); longtime critic and Carbonell judge Christine Dolen (2015); and Iris Acker, actor, director, author, talk show host, and Carbonell judge (2014).
Howard Kleinberg, who died in 2023, was an author, columnist, editor and historian who worked decades for The Miami News.
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 Bill von Maurer Award will be announced September 8 and the 120 Carbonell Award finalists in 20 Categories will be announced September 15.
The event is being produced and directed by Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, with the Caryl Fantel serving as Music Director and Eloisa M. Ferrer as Coordinating Producer. Tickets for the ceremony and after party are $45 and will go on public sale in mid-October.
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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