CARBONELL AWARDS to Honor NEW CITY PLAYERS as Winner of 1st Jan McArt Award

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - July 29, 2025 - PRLog -- (South Florida – July 29, 2025) Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida's Theater & Arts Honors, today announced the recipient of the first of seven additional Special Awards that will be presented at the 48^th annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 17, at 7:30 pm at FAU's University Theatre in Boca Raton 33431.

"While we will be honoring in 20 competitive categories specific theatre performances, production elements, and shows presented between September 2024 and August 2025, the Carbonell board of directors has unanimously voted to also bestow the following Special Award," said Schweikhart.

The Jan McArt Award

Named after the "First Lady of South Florida Theater" who helmed several local theaters including the popular Royal Palm Dinner Theatre in Mizner Park, this new Special Award recognizes significant achievement by a small theatre.

New City Players

A professional, ensemble-based nonprofit theatre company since 2014, the mission of Broward-based New City Players is "to stage transformative, classic, contemporary, and original works of live theatre that explore the complexity and diversity of the human experience, create space for authentic dialogue, and connect South Florida audiences and artists." During the 2024-2025 season, Producing Artistic Director Tim Davis presented rave-worthy productions of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, the Florida premiere of Dominique Morisseau's Confederates, and the world premiere of The Last Christmas by Tyler Johnson Grimes.

In his nomination of NCP, award-winning producer-director-playwright Stuart Meltzer declared, "New City Players is the 'little theatre that could.' It blindly tackles a large scope of theatrical titles that on the surface seem so daunting and unrealistic, but they somehow come out on the other end with their own stamp of creative chutzpah and diligence on the piece. The focus of New City Players is community, inclusion, equality and telling very good stories but also being an impactful creative entity of humility and gumption."

Previously Announced Carbonell Special Awards 2025

+ The George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts

William Hayes & Sue Ellen Beryl, co-founders of Palm Beach Dramaworks

Still to be Announced

+ The Vinnette Carroll Award – August 5

+ The Charlie Cinnamon Award – August 12

+ The Ruth Foreman Award – August 19

+ The Bill Hindman Award – August 26

+ The Howard Kleinberg Award – September 2

+ The Bill von Maurer Award – September 9

+ 120 Carbonell Award Finalists in 20 Categories – September 16

Attached Image:

New City Players

(Photo Credit: Ryan Arnst)

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart, President

The Carbonell Board of Directors

561.756.4298 / gary@pr-bs.net