Theatre News Wire

At the 56th anniversary celebration of Equity theater excellence, the Jeff Awards recognized 44 award recipients selected from among 193 nominees across 34 categories of excellence in theater production in shows from 36 producing entities. The awards show was co-hosted by award-winning Chicago entertainers Lillian Castillo and Kelvin Roston, Jr., with actor Janet Ulrich Brooks as announcer, in a program featuring performances from 10 nominated productions and dozens of local theater artists as presenters. Johanna McKenzie Miller directed the awards program with music direction by Carolyn Jean Brady.

The Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre tied for the most awards for a large theater (6) and midsize theater A Red Orchid Theatre was honored with four awards. Three productions at the Goodman received awards including "The Penelopiad" - Ensemble (Play) and Original Music in a Play (Samuel Davis); "The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years" - Perfomer in a Supporting Role (E. Faye Butler) and Scenic Design (Arnel Sancianco); and "The Matchbox Magic Flute" - Scenic Design (Todd Rosenthal) and Costume Design (Ana Kuzmanic). Steppenwolf Theatre was recognized with three awards for its productions of "Purpose" - Production (Play), Direction (Phylicia Rashad) and New Work (Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins) - and "Little Bear Ridge Road" - Direction (Joe Mantello), Performer in a Principal Role (Laurie Metcalf) and New Work (Samuel D. Hunter).

"Turret" at A Red Orchid Theatre garnered multiple honors for Midsize theater for scenic (Grant Sabin), lighting (Mike Durst) and sound (Jeffrey Levin) designs, as well as the award for Production - Play which it shared with Shattered Globe Theatre ("A View from the Bridge").

Productions at Drury Lane Productions and Marriott Theater tied for the most awards (four). The revue "Ain't Misbehavin" received honors for Production, Ensemble, Direction (E. Faye Butler) and Performer (Lorenzo Rush Jr.). For "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical", Marriott Theater took home awards for Production, Direction (Jessica Fisch), Performer in a Principal Role (Kaitlyn Davis) and Performer in a Supporting Role (Andrew Mueller).

Three awards for Midsize theater were presented to Mercury Theater and Shattered Globe Theatre. Honors for "Jersey Boys" at Mercury Theater included Production - Musical, Direction (L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier), and Performer in a Supporting Role (Adrian Aguilar). Shattered Globe Theatre's "A View from the Bridge" received recognition for Production, Direction (Louis Contey) and Scott Aiello was awarded Performer in a Principal Role.

Additional performance awards were given to Meghan Murphy for her role in "Anything Goes" at Porchlight Music Theatre, Mitchell J. Fain in "The Lehman Trilogy" at TimeLine Theatre Company, and Hershey Felder for his solo performance in "Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin" at Writers Theatre.

Among technical awards, "Illinoise" from Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann garnered three for Justin Peck (Choreography), Nathan Koci (Music Direction) and Timo Andres (Artistic Specialization - Music Arrangements and Orchestrations). Additional awards were presented for Lighting Design to Cat Wilson ("A Streetcar Named Desire" - Paramount Theatre), Sound Design to Andre Pluess ("The Lehman Trilogy" - TimeLine Theatre Company), Projection Design to Mike Tutaj ("Gods and Monsters" - Frame of Reference Productions), and Aly Greaves Amidei for Costume Design- Midsize ("Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" - Buffalo Theatre Ensemble).

In the Short Run Productions category (defined by 9-17 performances), awards were presented to Congo Square Theatre (Production) for "Welcome to Matteson!" and to Harry Lennix for Performer in "How I Learned What I Learned", a production of Congo Square Theatre in association with Goodman Theatre.

The Jeff Awards New Work category recognized authors of two new productions, both premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre. They included Samuel D. Hunter (Little Bear Ridge Road") and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins ("Purpose").

The 56th Equity Special Awards were presented to Charles Newell and Roche Schulfer, arts leaders whose influence has extended beyond Chicago to the national stage including regional theater Tony Awards for their respective theaters. Newell has been part of Court Theatre for more than three decades as a director, the Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director and now Senior Artistic Consultant. He has played a vital role in Court becoming a nationally recognized cultural institution and has an extensive list of local, regional and national directing credits, collaborations and industry honors for how he has helped transform the regional arts landscape. Schulfer has long been known for his leadership, artistic vitality, advocacy and generosity to the community. He spent over four decades at the Goodman Theatre overseeing more than 400 productions with nearly 200 premieres. During his tenure, the theater received numerous awards for excellence, recognition by Time magazine as the "Best Regional Theatre" in the U.S., the Pulitzer Prize for Lynn Nottage's Ruined and many Jeff Awards for outstanding achievement in Chicago area theater, as well as completing a decade long process to relocate the Goodman to the Theatre District in 2000 where his name is part of the theater's "Walk of Stars."

In its 56th Anniversary season, July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, the Jeff Awards membership judged the opening nights of 99 productions. From these, 82 productions became "Jeff Recommended" which made them eligible for award nominations.

2024 EQUITY JEFF AWARD RECIPIENTS

Production - Play (Large)
"Purpose" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Production - Play (Midsize)
"Turret" - A Red Orchid Theatre
"A View from the Bridge" - Shattered Globe Theatre

Production - Musical (Large)
"Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" - Marriott Theatre

Production - Musical (Midsize)
"Jersey Boys" - Mercury Theater Chicago

Production - Revue
"Ain't Misbehavin'" - Drury Lane Productions
Director - Play (Large)
Joe Mantello - "Little Bear Ridge Road" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Phylicia Rashad - "Purpose" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Director - Play (Midsize)
Louis Contey - "A View from the Bridge" - Shattered Globe Theatre

Director - Musical (Large)
Jessica Fisch - "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" - Marriott Theatre

Director - Musical (Midsize)
L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier - "Jersey Boys" - Mercury Theater Chicago

Director - Revue
E. Faye Butler - "Ain't Misbehavin'" - Drury Lane Productions

Ensemble - Play
"The Penelopiad" - Goodman Theatre

Ensemble - Musical or Revue
"Ain't Misbehavin'" - Drury Lane Productions

Performer in a Principal Role - Play
Scott Aiello (Eddie) - "A View from the Bridge" - Shattered Globe Theatre
Laurie Metcalf (Sarah) - "Little Bear Ridge Road" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Performer in a Principal Role - Musical
Kaitlyn Davis (Carole King) - "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" - Marriott Theatre
Meghan Murphy (Reno Sweeney) - "Anything Goes" - Porchlight Music Theatre

Solo Performance
Hershey Felder (Monsieur Chopin) - "Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin" - Writers Theatre

Performer in a Revue
Lorenzo Rush, Jr. (Performer) - "Ain't Misbehavin'" - Drury Lane Productions

Performer in a Supporting Role - Play
E. Faye Butler (Grace Dubose Dunbar) - "The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years" - Goodman Theatre
Mitchell J. Fain (Henry Lehman) - "The Lehman Trilogy" - TimeLine Theatre Company

Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical
Adrian Aguilar (Tommy DeVito) - "Jersey Boys" - Mercury Theater Chicago
Andrew Mueller (Gerry Goffin) - "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" - Marriott Theatre

New Work
Samuel D. Hunter - "Little Bear Ridge Road" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins - "Purpose" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Choreography
Justin Peck- "Illinoise" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann

Original Music in a Play
Samuel Davis - "The Penelopiad" - Goodman Theatre

Music Direction
Nathan Koci - "Illinoise" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann

Scenic Design (Large)
Todd Rosenthal - "The Matchbox Magic Flute" - Goodman Theatre
Arnel Sancianco - "The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years" - Goodman Theatre

Scenic Design (Midsize)
Grant Sabin - "Turret" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Lighting Design (Large)
Cat Wilson - "A Streetcar Named Desire" - Paramount Theatre

Lighting Design (Midsize)
Mike Durst - "Turret" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Costume Design (Large)
Ana Kuzmanic - "The Matchbox Magic Flute" - Goodman Theatre

Costume Design (Midsize)
Aly Greaves Amidei - "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" - Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

Sound Design (Large)
Andre Pluess - "The Lehman Trilogy" - TimeLine Theatre Company

Sound Design (Midsize)
Jeffrey Levin - "Turret" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Projection Design
Mike Tutaj - "Gods and Monsters" - Frame of Reference Productions

Artistic Specialization
Timo Andres - Music Arrangements and Orchestrations - "Illinoise" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann

Short Run - Production
"Welcome to Matteson!" - Congo Square Theatre Company

Short Run - Performer
Harry Lennix (August Wilson) - "How I Learned What I Learned" - Congo Square Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre