Carbonell Committee Leaves Animals and Plants to Molt

Animals & Plants, a Mad Cat Theatre Company production from last April that got rave reviews, has been passed over for Carbonell Award eligibility on what appears to be a technicality, according to an email exchange being circulated by Mad Cat artistic director Paul Tei.

In an email, Carbonell judge Savannah Whaley (who used to write for this paper) told Tei, “Unfortunately Animals and Plants did not recieve its official recommendation status until after it had closed making it inelgibile,” and called the situation “a leading factor in a reform of the system to ensure recommendation status is determined in a timely manner.” It remains unclear who made the late recommendation (Whaley hasn’t yet responded to an email inquiry), but Tei disavows responsibility:

my issue here is that if we were recommended, than i beliveve we should not be shut out because of someone's mistake. it wasn't our untimely manner that caused this. i firmly believe that "animals and plants" was not only one of mad cat's best productions, but also one of the best productions of last year.

We thought so too. Not only did we give it a rave, but the play was also included in our best theater moments of 2007 -- one of a mere handful -- for the walk-on part played by actor Scott Genn, whose “materialization is so thoroughly creepy that he may well be the Devil.”

The judges are meeting today to decide on the Carbonell nominees, and will announce them on Wednesday. The awards ceremony will take place April 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Amaturo Theatre at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. --Frank Houston