(South Florida – May 28, 2025) Gary Schweikhart, president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors, today announced the recipients of this year’s prestigious George Abbott Award. It will be presented at the 48^th annual Carbonell Awards Ceremony on Monday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. at FAU’s University Theatre in Boca Raton.

The George Abbott Award

for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts

Honoring an individual (or team) who has contributed significantly to the artistic and cultural development of the region. The award may be given for accomplishments within the year, or for a lifetime.

William Hayes & Sue Ellen Beryl

Co-Founders, Palm Beach Dramaworks

In December 2000, at a rundown, soon-to-be-demolished theatre at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a new, nonprofit theatre company produced its first-ever show, the aptly named Greetings! Starting out with a shoestring budget of $10,000, which included the cost of renting the theatre, the company would produce three plays in its first season. The response from patrons and critics was encouraging. As one critic said following the premiere of Greetings!, “Time [and] the group’s resolve… will tell whether Palm Beach Dramaworks has staying power.”

Indeed, it has. PBD has long been acknowledged as one of South Florida’s most invaluable arts organizations, thanks in large measure to the visionary leadership and tenacious fiscal management of two of its founders, Producing Artistic Director William Hayes and Sue Ellen Beryl, who is stepping down as managing director on September 1.

The award-winning company, which recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary, produces Theatre to Think About: classic and contemporary plays, overlooked works of significance, and world premieres that inspire, engage, challenge, and entertain audiences while illuminating our shared humanity. PBD is also recognized for its stimulating educational programs, robust community engagement, and as an important incubator for new works. Among its many honors are the 2016 Muse Award for Outstanding Major Arts & Cultural Organization from the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, and the 2024 Non-Profit of the Year from the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.

It’s been a remarkable journey from those earliest years, when Palm Beach Dramaworks had a “Mickey-and-Judy-putting-on-a-show-in-a-barn” kind of vibe, to its current state-of-the-art home on Clematis Street that was renovated to the specifications of the two co-founders. Although Sue Ellen Beryl is relinquishing her longtime position to spend more time with her children and grandchildren, she will remain part of the company and will be working on starting an endowment and sustaining and building relationships with patrons and donors. Bill Hayes will continue to galvanize and move audiences with Theatre to Think About. 

Quote from William Hayes & Sue Ellen Beryl

“We are so thrilled and honored to have been selected to receive the George Abbott Award because of what it represents. We can honestly say that founding and building Palm Beach Dramaworks together has been one of the great joys of our lives. And we truly believe that by recognizing us, you’re really recognizing the company. We couldn’t have succeeded if we did not surround ourselves with people that were equally passionate, who brought their own strengths to the table. So, we salute all the remarkable people we’ve worked with over the years, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the Carbonell Awards for adding our names to such a prestigious list of distinguished recipients.”

Previous Abbott Award Winners

Abbott Award winners since 2010 include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz (2024); longtime theatre critic and Carbonell Judge Christine Dolen (2023); internationally acclaimed composer and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, cofounder and Artistic Director Laureate of the Miami Beach-based New World Symphony (2022); Barbara & Lawrence E. Stein, the founders of Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre (2022); Kelley Shanley, President & CEO of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (2020); playwright, actor and scenic designer Michael McKeever, co-founder of Miami’s Zoetic Stage (2019); Gail Garrisan, founding artistic director of City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival (2018); Kravis Center CEO Judith Mitchell (2016); Shirley Richardson & Patricia E. Williams, the co-founders of M Ensemble, Florida’s leading African-American theater company (2015); Scott Shiller, executive vice president of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (2014); Patrick Dupré Quigley, founder, conductor and producing artistic director of Seraphic Fire (2013); Mario Ernesto Sanchez, founder and producing artistic director of Teatro Avante and the International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami (2012); Jay H. Harris, a member of The League of American Theatres and Producers (2011); and Patrice Bailey, Dean of Theater at New World School of the Arts (2010).

Carbonell Special Awards & Ceremony 2025

The Carbonell Awards will soon solicit nominations from members of South Florida’s theatre community for up to seven additional Special Awards, including the new Jan McArt Award for significant achievement by a small theatre. The Carbonell Board of Directors will select and announce the recipients of these awards in August. In September, the Board will announce this year’s 120 Carbonell Award finalists in 20 competitive categories based on accumulated scores from the nonprofit organization’s pool of nearly 50 experienced and diverse volunteer judges—with seven judges assigned to each show.

This season’s Carbonell Awards will be presented at a glittery ceremony on November 17 that is South Florida’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards®. The event is being produced and directed by Andrew Kato, Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, with the award-winning Caryl Fantel serving as Music Director. Tickets for the ceremony and after party are only $45 and will go on public sale in mid-September.

About The Carbonell Awards:

The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the diversity of our theater artists, providing educational scholarships, and building audience appreciation and civic pride by highlighting achievements of our theater community. More than 20 professional theater companies in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties participate in the awards process every year. The Carbonell Awards also celebrate the accomplishments of local artistic leaders by presenting several Special Awards.

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 Awards. The Carbonell Awards are named after Manuel Carbonell, an internationally renowned sculptor, who designed the original solid bronze and marble award in 1976. The signature trophy is given annually to all Carbonell Award winners. Over the last 48 years, the Carbonell family has donated more than $250,000 in awards. For more information, please visit www.carbonellawards.org.

Attached Image:

William Hayes & Sue Ellen Beryl

(Photo Credit: Curtis Brown Photography)

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart

Carbonell Board President

561.756.4298

[email protected]