(South Florida – August 19, 2025) Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theater & Arts Honors, today announced the recipient of the fourth of seven prestigious Special Awards that will be presented at the 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 Ruth Foreman Award

Recognizes contributions to South Florida theater development by an individual or group, for singular achievement and/or career contributions.

Alexa Kuve

Alexa Kuve is an award-winning actress, producer, and artistic director, recognized for her significant contributions to theater and the arts. She is the Founder, Executive Producer and Artistic Director of Arca Images, a nonprofit artistic production organization based in Miami since 2001. Under her visionary leadership, Arca Images has produced more than 100 theatrical works, including world premieres by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz and other internationally acclaimed artists. The company’s productions have been staged in Spain, France, and Mexico, showcasing its global reach and cultural impact. As an actress, her television career includes performances in well-known productions for networks such as Telemundo, where her work has reached audiences across the globe. On stage, she has delivered powerful performances in celebrated plays by authors such as Ionesco, Lorca, Cruz, González Melo, and Lagarce. In addition to her artistic achievements, Kuve holds a Master’s in Spanish, is a Doctoral Candidate in Philology, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University, inspiring future generations of artists and scholars.

Kuve received multiple nominations for this award. Marialaura Leslie, Director, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, hailed her as “an extraordinarily talented and visionary theatre artist…(who) has established a creative and inclusive platform that bridges communities through powerful storytelling, artistic innovation and unwavering cultural integrity.” Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Rosenberg praised Kuve for significantly enriching our “cultural landscape, particularly by supporting and celebrating Latinx culture. Alexa's work demonstrates the power of theater to bridge cultural divides and create a more inclusive and vibrant community.”

The Ruth Foreman Award is named after the pioneer theatre director and producer.

Previous Winners of the Ruth Foreman Award:

Marilynn Wick, Founder and CEO of The Wick Theatre & Museum Club and Costume World, Inc. (2024); the Maltz Jupiter Theatre (2023); actor, producer, director, poet, and educator Teresa María Rojas (2022); The Amparo Experience (2020); Juggerknot Theatre Company for Miami Motel Stories (2019); Nicole Stodard for the GAP Play Reading Series at Thinking Cap Theatre (2018); and Florida Children’s Theatre (2016).

Already 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

+ The Jan McArt Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Small Theatre

New City Players

+ The Vinnette Carroll Award for Advancing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in South Florida Theatre

Michel Hausmann, Co-founder of Miami New Drama

+ The Charlie Cinnamon Award for Supporting the Arts in South Florida and the Carbonell Awards

Mary Damiano

Schedule to Announce Additional Carbonell Special Awards

+ 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

All the 2025 Special Award recipients were nominated by members from South Florida’s theatre community with the Carbonell Board of Directors making the final selection. The 120 Carbonell Award Finalists will be based on accumulated scores from the nonprofit organization’s pool of nearly 50 experienced and diverse volunteer judges—with seven judges from various counties assigned to each show. During the 2024-2025 season, Carbonell judges adjudicated over 100 professional productions at more than 30 theatres across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.

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®. Hundreds of actors, musicians, performers, writers, directors, back-stage technicians, producers, reviewers, designers, specialty artists, and diehard theater fans are expected to attend the event that 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-October.

Sponsors of the 48^th Annual Carbonell Awards ceremony and after party include the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Aventura Arts & Cultural Center; BroadwayWorld; Broward Center for the Performing Arts; Broward Cultural Division; Carbonell Sculptures Ltd.; Cultural Council for Palm Beach County; Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival presented by MorseLife Health System; FPL; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC; Miami-Dade County Auditorium, The Dennis C. Moss Center (formerly The South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center), OutClique Magazine, South Florida Cultural Consortium; South Florida Theatre League, Mark Traverso & Conor Walton, Donald R. Walters, P.A., and The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum.

About The Carbonell Awards

The Carbonell Awards fosters the artistic growth of professional theater in South Florida by celebrating the excellence and diversity of our theater artists, providing 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 various Special Awards.

Along with New York’s Drama Desk and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards, the Carbonell Awards are among the nation’s oldest regional arts awards and predate others, including Washington, D.C.’s Helen Hayes Awards. The Carbonell Awards are named after the internationally renowned sculptor Manuel Carbonell, who designed the signature solid bronze and marble award given annually to Carbonell Award winners. Over nearly half a century, the Carbonell family has donated more than $250,000 in awards. For more information, please visit www.carbonellawards.org.

Attached Image:

Alexa Kuve

(Photo Credit: Omar Amador)

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart, President

The Carbonell Board of Directors

561.756.4298 / [email protected]