Sunday, December 17 at 2:30 PM
Friday, December 22 at 7:00 PM
The South Florida Theatre League has unveiled the list esteemed recipients for the prestigious 2023 Remy Awards. These awards, named after Remberto Cabrera, a former Senior Cultural Administrator and Chief of Cultural Development for Miami-Dade County, celebrate individuals who have made exceptional contributions behind the scenes of the South Florida Theatre League Community.
A notable change this year is the decision to present the awards at the theaters where the recipients have worked, allowing audiences to gain insight into the tireless efforts that occur behind the curtains. While most presentations are scheduled to take place in early 2024, two will be held in the final weeks of 2023.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Remy Awards directly to our theaters and present them during curtain speeches. This gives audiences the chance to directly appreciate the hard work of these individuals for our community,” stated Andie Arthur, Executive Director of the South Florida Theatre League. “We have an exceptional lineup of recipients from theaters across all three counties, and we’re also introducing a new award, the Young Arts Leader Award, to honor emerging arts leaders.”
The recipients for the 2023 Remy Awards include:
– The Service Award: Gaby Tortoledo
– The Pioneer Award: Margaret Ledford and Gladys Ramirez from City Theatre
– The Jay Harris Arts Leadership Award: Roz Stuzin from GableStage
– Outstanding Behind the Scenes Contribution: Joanna Orrego, Rose Figueroa, Cassie Kris, and Jill Carr from Theatre Lab
– Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Theatre: Rommel Arellan Marianas from Fantasy Theatre Factory and Vyana Preti from Miami New Drama
– Outstanding Board Member: Bob de la Fuente from Zoetic Stage
– Outstanding Contribution to Community Theatre: Carole Czvekus from ACT of Davie
– Young Arts Leader Award: Briana Earhart from BARCLAY Performing Arts
While the majority of awards presentations will take place in 2024, two presentations will occur in 2023. The Pioneer Award will be presented to Margaret Ledford and Gladys Ramirez during the sold-out closing performance of “La Gringa” at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Sunday, December 17 at 2:30 PM. Additionally, the Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Theatre Awards will be presented to Rommel Arellan Marianas on Friday, December 22 at 7:00 PM during the performance of “Scrooge! A Fractured Christmas Carol” at Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theatre.
The Remy Awards have been an integral part of the South Florida Theatre League since its inception in 1994. Originally consisting of the Service Award and Pioneer Award, the Board expanded the categories in 2014 to acknowledge a wider range of contributors within the community.
As the South Florida Theatre League prepares for these exciting ceremonies, the anticipation builds to honor these exceptional individuals and their invaluable contributions to the vibrant theater scene in South Florida.
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The 2023 Remy Award Recipients The “Service Award” is bestowed upon those distinguished individuals who have rendered truly noteworthy and extraordinary service in the past year, recognizing their invaluable and outstanding contributions made through their time, talent and expertise by taking the initiative and actively participating and contributing to the growth and development of the Theatre League. The 2023 service award goes to Gaby Tortoledo – who put together our very first season brochure for the entire region (and dealt with the many unexpected changes), who also led a popular workshop on social media for artists, and who is a tireless advocate for the League and improving our community. The Pioneer Award – Margaret Ledford and Gladys Ramirez, City Theatre The Pioneer Award is bestowed upon individuals who have, over the years, taken the lead and contributed substantially to the health, growth and development of the South Florida theatre community. The 2023 Pioneer Award goes to Margaret Ledford and Gladys Ramirez of City Theatre. In her nomination, Caryl Fantel said, “They are constantly pushing boundaries and exploring new ways to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in making and experiencing theatre.” One of those initiatives is Homegrown, which is a brand program that helps develop the careers of emerging playwrights of color from Miami. The League is excited to honor Margaret and Gladys and to see what they do in the future. The Jay Harris Arts Leadership Award – Roz Stuzin, GableStage Named in memory of one of South Florida’s most dedicated arts patrons, the Jay Harris Arts Leadership Award honors those who have made a substantial contribution to the theatrical community in the ways that Jay Harris did – through leadership, on-going volunteerism, and financial support. Roz has been a board member for 20 years at GableStage who helped lead that organization after the passing of its beloved artistic director Joseph Adler. In her nomination, current artistic director Bari Newport wrote, “Roz has been a tenacious fund raiser, an ambitious party planner and a powerful ally in strategic planning and management. Perhaps, most important of all, Roz is a theatre lover. Even after years of sitting through board meetings and years of sitting on finance committees, put Roz in a darkened room and she is still enchanted.” Outstanding Board Member — Bob de la Fuente, Zoetic Stage Bob has served on Zoetic’s board for almost ten years. In his nomination letter, artistic director Stuart Meltzer wrote, “As a proud Filipino-American, Bob brings an insight and sensitivity to the day-to-day building blocks of Zoetic Stage and asks tough questions about the cultural fingerprints as an arts company and the importance of varied storytelling.” Outstanding Contribution to Community Theatre — Carole Czvekus Carole has been working there for 17 years as a volunteer coordinator, board member, and costume designer. In his nomination, artistic director Christopher Harrington wrote, “She has volunteered countless hours to help make ACT a success.” Rommell Arellan Marianas of Fantasy Theater Factory, who has worked his way up the ladder there from being a volunteer to associate artistic director, which had included leading summer camps, workshops, and theatre for young audiences. Vyana Preti has tirelessly build the Miami New Drama education department to where it is today, by leading programs with intention and focus to build confidence and belonging in youth around Miami-Dade County, and thereby building the next generation of arts lovers, creators, and compassionate human beings in our community. Young Arts Leader Award — Briana Earhart, BARCLAY Performing Arts Briana is a problem solver who wears multiple hats at Barclay, from marketing to designing lights to checking everyone’s hair and makeup before they go on. She’s an administrative whiz and we can’t wait to see where she goes. |