36th Annual Carbonell Awards Set for 4/2

The South Florida community is invited to celebrate the achievements of the talented theater professionals in the region at the 36th Annual Carbonell Awards on Monday, April 2, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets in advance are $25 with $20 tickets available for groups of 10 or more, $35 at the door. Tickets are available at the Broward Center's box office or by emailing carbexec@aol.com or visiting www.browardcenter.org. This award ceremony will feature performances from each of the productions nominated for Best Musical in 2011.

South Florida's answer to the Tony Awards and a highlight of each arts season, the Carbonell Awards pay tribute to the very best theatrical productions and performances on local stages in the tri-county area and feature the area's top entertainers and theater insiders as they step out from behind their roles in a behind-the-scenes celebration.

The following sponsors have contributed to this year's event: Tony Finstrom, Scott $ Kerry Shiller, Rita & Jerry Cohen, Michael Peyton, Ann Kelly, Mike Eidson, the Adrienne Arsht Center, The Broward Center and its' Foundation, South Dade Cultural Arts Center, Artserve, Palm Beach Cultural Council. Opportunities to sponsor an award category and appear on stage to announce the winner are still available beginning at $1,000. Email londontime@aol.com for more information.

The annual Carbonell Awards ceremony is designed to raise funds to offer scholarships to students in the tri-county area for study at accredited colleges and universities in the fields of visual and performing arts and in journalism. The 2012 scholarship winners, outstanding high school students committed to continuing their studies in the theater arts, will be announced at the April 2 award ceremony.

Established in 2000, the Howard Kleinberg award is named after Howard Kleinberg, long-time Editor of The Miami News, historian, and author of numerous articles and books on the social and cultural history of Miami and South Florida. This is given as special recognition for contributions to the health and development of the arts in South Florida. This year this award will be presented to Mary Becht of the Broward County Cultural Affairs Division.

Internationally-renowned sculptor Manuel Carbonell was the creator, namesake and Grand Benefactor of South Florida's Carbonell Awards. Mr. Carbonell designed the original solid bronze-and-marble award in 1976. Born in 1918 in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba and educated throughout Europe, he fled Cuba's totalitarian regime in 1959. His art works now adorn museums, galleries, private collections and public projects throughout the free world. Along with New York's Drama Desk and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation's senior regional arts awards and predate others including Washington, D.C.'s Helen Hayes and Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards.

For additional information including a complete listing of this year's nominations, visit the Carbonell Awards website at www.carbonellawards.org.

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