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Silver Palm Awards

October 25, 2013 by

The South Florida Silver Palm Theatre Awards committee, founded six years ago to honor theatrical excellence in South Florida, has announced that this year it will present the coveted award to 20 individuals on the 20th Anniversary of the founding of the South Florida Theatre League. This year the awards presentation will be held during the annual Theatre League Holiday Party at STACHE, a 1920s drinking den located at 109 SW Second Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Monday, December 2nd, 2013, 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. Call League Executive Director Andie Arthur for reservations, and further information, at 954-557-0778.

Silver Palm Awards have been presented to over 70 individuals and/or groups during the previous five theatre seasons, and the “2012-2013 Season” consisted of shows that opened between September 1st, 2012 and August 31st, 2013.  “The Silver Palm Awards are presented annually to those who’ve made an outstanding or unique contribution to the 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.”

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 South Florida International Press Club President and Florida Media News/ENV Magazine 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), Bill Hirschman (FloridaTheaterOnStage.com, and FloridaWeekly.com), John Thomason (New Times, and Boca Raton Magazine), Skip Sheffield (Boca Raton Tribune, Atlantic Avenue Magazine, and L.A.’s Realize Magazine), John Lariviere (TalkinBroadway.com), J.W. Arnold (South Florida Gay News), Roger Martin (MiamiArtzine.com), Richard Cameron (Theatre Chat at examiner.com, and BroadwayGlobal.org), Mary Damiano (BroadwayWorld.Com, FloridaTheaterOnStage.com, and South Florida Gay News), and Michelle F. Solomon.(MiamiArtzine.com, and FloridaTheaterOnStage.com).

The 2012-2013 Silver Palm Award recipients:

1. ANTONIO AMADEO: for his outstanding work as producer, writer, director, designer and actor in A MAN PUTS ON A PLAY at The Naked Stage.

2. STEPHANIE ANSIN: for her outstanding creative staging and production of THREE SISTERS at the Miami Theatre Center.

3. ANN KELLY ANTHONY: for her outstanding hard work and commitment as Executive Director & Board Chairperson at the Mad Cat Theatre Company.

4. ANDIE ARTHUR: for six years of outstanding and dedicated work as the Executive Director of the South Florida Theatre League.

5. MATT COREY: for his outstanding Sound Design for THE BIRDS at Mosaic Theatre.

6. JAMES DANFORD: for his outstanding Stage Management, working at various theatres (many of them in South Florida) for over thirty years.

7. CHRISTINE DOLEN: for thirty-four years of outstanding and distinguished theatrical criticism at the Miami Herald, and for her relentless commitment to the South Florida theatre community.

8. LELA ELAM:  for her outstanding performance in RUINED at GableStage.

9. PATRICK FITZWATER: for his outstanding direction and choreography of SIDE SHOW at Slow Burn Theatre.

10. ETHAN HENRY: for his outstanding performances in A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Palm Beach Dramaworks, and in KING HEDLEY II at  M Ensemble.

11. ANDREW KATO: for his outstanding work as Producing Artistic Director of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.

12. JAN McART:  for her outstanding effort to develop new plays by Florida Playwrights through staged workshops at her Lynn University New Play Reading Series.

13. HARRIET OSER: for her outstanding performance in DRIVING MISS DAISY at The Plaza Theatre.

14. SKYE WHITCOMB & OUTRE THEATRE: for emerging as the outstanding new professional company in South Florida this season.

15. NICHOLAS RICHBERG: for his outstanding performance in COCK at GableStage.

16. ERIN JOY SCHMIDT: for her outstanding performances in BLOW ME at Mad Cat Theatre, and in OTHER DESERT CITIES at Actors’ Playhouse.

17. NICOLE STODARD: for producing consistent and outstanding presentations of daring and challenging works at Thinking Cap Theatre, and for her outstanding adaptation and production of THE ROVER.

18. SHORTS GONE WILD: awarded to JOHN MANZELLI of CITY THEATRE and ANDY ROGOW of ISLAND CITY STAGE, for their co-production of the outstanding LGBT theatre piece of the South Florida theatre season.

19. TOM WAHL: for his outstanding performance in I AM MY OWN WIFE at Zoetic Stage.

20. MIKE WESTRICH: for his outstanding performance in TICK, TICK BOOM at Outre Theatre.

For more information on South Florida’s Silver Palm Theatre Awards, go to: http://www.silverpalmawards.com.