BOCA RATON, Fla. - s4story -- (South Florida – August 26, 2025) Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida's Theater & Arts Honors, today announced the recipient of the fifth 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.

Beverly Blanchette

Beverly Blanchette is a nationally recognized theatre artist and educator who has helped shape the cultural fabric of south Florida for over four decades. As a performer, director, and passionate advocate for arts education, she has championed the transformative power of theatre in both professional and academic settings.  During her long career as a theatre educator—most notably as Dean of Theatre at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach—she mentored hundreds of young artists, many of whom now work across the globe in the arts and education.

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A member of the Educational Theatre Association's Hall of Fame, she trained and inspired generations of students whose own careers span Broadway, television, film, world stages, and classrooms of their own. Her passionate mentorship and professional excellence ripples across the country and back home where her students guide the next wave of actors, directors, producers, designers, and writers. Her legacy lives in the voices she nurtured, the programs she built, and the community she continues to uplift with artistry, wisdom, and generosity.  She remains active on stage and off, still driven by the same joy and rigor she discovered in a Miami drama classroom.

Blanchette received multiple nominations for this award. MNM Producer Marcie Gorman praises Blanchette for being "a vital part of South Florida's theatre community for 40 years. (Just) add up her teaching credits, workshop creations, acting skills, directing credits, and the sheer number of young people she has helped find their life journey." Actor Janet Weakley calls Blanchette "the rare artist whose reach is measured not only by her work but by the countless others she inspired to find their voice." Such as former student and SAG/AFTRA actor Sarah Siegel who says, "Thanks to (Beverly's) wisdom, encouragement, and unforgettable pep talks (often sprinkled with Broadway-level dramatics), I'm now pursuing my career in Hollywood with heartfelt confidence."

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Attached Image:

Beverly Blanchette

(Photo Credit: Sarah Spiegel)

Media Contact:

Gary Schweikhart, President

The Carbonell Board of Directors

561.756.4298 / gary@pr-bs.net