2014-15 Silver Palm Award Winners Announced; Ceremony Held This December

The South Florida Silver Palm Theatre Awards committee, founded eight years ago to honor theatrical excellence in South Florida, has announced that this year it will present the coveted award to 27 individuals and organizations.

"The Silver Palm Awards are presented annually to those who've made an outstanding or unique contribution to South Florida Theatre," explained Silver Palm Awards Executive Committee Chairman Tony Finstrom. "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."

"Every year it seems to get harder to determine who should be honored," says Finstrom. "The talent pool in South Florida is strong and has grown so much over the past eight years. We gave out only 13 awards our first season of existence. Last December we gave out 26 of them. This December we'll give out 27."

The awards are determined by a vote of the South Florida Theatre Press Corp, who Finstrom drafts each year into submitting recommendations for outstanding contributions to South Florida Theatre.

Finstrom (a playwright), Becon TV talk show host Iris Acker, and Florida Media News critic Ron Levitt compose the Silver Palm Executive Committee, who receive the recommendations from South Florida journalists and theatre critics, then tally the votes and draw up the final list of recipients.

This year's Silver Palm Advisory Council consisted of Christine Dolen (The Miami Herald), Hap Erstein (Palm Beach Post, and Palm Beach ArtsPaper.com), 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), John Lariviere (TalkinBroadway.com), Jeffrey Bruce (TalkinBroadway.com), Richard Cameron (Theatre Chat at examiner.com, and www.BroadwayGlobal.org), and Mary Damiano (BroadwayWorld.Com, FloridaTheaterOnStage.com, and South Florida Gay News.)

Silver Palm Awards have been presented to 125 individuals and/or groups during the previous seven theatre seasons, and the "2014-2015 Season" consisted of shows that opened between September 1st, 2014 and August 31st, 2015.

This year the awards presentation will again be held during the annual South Florida Theatre League's Holiday Party at STACHE, 109 SW Second Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Monday, December 7th, 2015, from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM. The party is open to the public, but there is a $25 admission charge. Theatre League members attend free of charge. For further information and/or reservations, call League Executive Director Andie Arthur at 954-557-0778, or e-mail her at: andie@southfloridatheatre.com.

For more information about South Florida's Silver Palm Theatre Awards, go to www.silverpalmawards.com.

---

The 2014-2015 Silver Palm Award recipients, in alphabetical order, are:

JOSEPH ADLER, for his outstanding direction of 'MOTHERS & SONS,' 'BAD JEWS,' and 'CHOIR BOY' at GableStage.

ANTONIO AMADEO, for his outstanding performances in 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' and 'SHORTS GONE WILD 3' at Island City Stage.

DAVID ARISCO, for his outstanding direction of 'RAGTIME,' 'MURDER BALLAD,' and 'FIRST DATE' at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre.

KRISTIAN BIKIC, an outstanding new talent, for his performances in 'OCTOPUS' and 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' at Island City Stage.

LANCE BLANK, for his outstanding lighting designs for 'CARRIE,' 'BONNIE & CLYDE,' 'RENT,' and 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' at Slow Burn Theatre.

DERELLE BUNN, Producer, for 20 years of outstanding work at the STAGE DOOR THEATRE.

NATALIA COEGO, an outstanding new talent, for her performance in 'BAD JEWS' at GableStage.

MARY DAMIANO, for her outstanding work in the South Florida Theatre Community, and with the CARBONELL AWARDS.

BRUNO FARIA, an outstanding new talent, for his performances in 'BONNIE & CLYDE' and 'RENT' at Slow Burn Theatre.

NIKI FRIDH, for her outstanding performances in VITA & VIRGINIA at Thinking Cap Theatre and "SHORTS GONE WILD 3" at Island City Stage.

JOSIEU JEAN, for his outstanding projections designed for 'PETER PAN' and 'DAMES AT SEA' at The Wick Theatre.

ROBERT JOHNSTON, an outstanding new talent, for his performance in 'VINCENT RIVER' at Ground Up and Rising.

SHELLEY KEELOR, for her outstanding performances in 'CARRIE' at Slow Burn Theatre and 'SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM' at MNM Productions.

MIA MATTHEWS, for her outstanding performance in 'THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED' at Island City Stage.

JOHN MANZELLI, for his outstanding performances in 'THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JERRY' at New Theatre and 'FULLY COMMITTED' at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, and for his fight choreography in 'OCTOPUS' at Island City Stage.

MICHAEL MCCLAIN, for his outstanding set designs for 'OCTOPUS' and 'THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED' at Island City Stage, and for 'BELL, BOOK & CANDLE' at Stage Door Theatre.

MICHAEL MCKEEVER, for his outstanding new play 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' at Island City Stage, his outstanding performance in 'MOTHERS & SONS' at GableStage, and his outstanding set design for 'DETROIT' at Zoetic Stage.

MAKEBA PACE, for her outstanding performance in 'SUNSET BABY' at Primal Forces.

ANGIE RADOSH, for her outstanding performance in 'MOTHERS & SONS' at GableStage.

NICHOLAS RICHBERG, for his outstanding performances in 'PETER & THE STARCATCHER' at The Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and 'BETRAYAL' at Zoetic Stage.

ANDY ROGOW, for his outstanding direction of 'OCTOPUS' and 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' at Island City Stage.

BARBARA SLOAN, for her outstanding performances in 'VITA & VIRGINIA' at Thinking Cap Theatre and 'THE BOOK CLUB PLAY' at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre.

SHANE TANNER, for his outstanding performances in 'OKLAHOMA!' at The Wick Theatre, 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' at Slow Burn Theatre, and '110 IN THE SHADE' IN CONCERT at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

THE VANGUARD THEATRE and NICOLE STODARD, Producing Artistic Director, for this outstanding new theatre venue and sanctuary for the arts in South Florida.

LAURA TURNBULL, for her outstanding performances in 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' at Island City Stage, 'I'LL EAT YOU LAST' at GableStage, and 'REDWOOD CURTAIN' at Primal Forces.

MIKE WESTRICH, for his outstanding performances in 'STARS OF DAVID' at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts / Daryl Roth Productions, and 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' at Slow Burn Theatre.

STEPHANIE WHITE, an outstanding new talent, for her performance in 'RAGTIME' at Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theater.

To post a comment, you must register and login.