Saturday, August 26, 2017

Equity Jeff Award Nominations Announced


The committee for Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Awards has announced their nominees -- 158 of 'em -- honoring Equity productions that opened between August 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017. There are 33 different categories for Jeff Awards, ranging from large-scale musicals and plays to actors, designers, directors and solo performers. In an interesting twist, all four Solo Performance nominees come from Greenhouse Theater Center.

Nominees with local connections include ISU alums Joe Court (nominee for Best Sound Design for 10 Out of 12 at Theater Wit), Gary Griffin (two Best Director nominations, for Hand to God at Victory Gardens and Parade at Writers Theater), Theresa Ham (nominated for Best Costume Design for both Disney's The Little Mermaid at Paramount Theatre and Mamma Mia! at Marriott Theatre), Jeffrey Kmiec (Best Scenic Design nominee for The Little Mermaid), Angela Weber Miller (Best Scenic Design nominee for Captain Blood at First Folio), William Osetek (Best Director nominee for Chicago at Drury Lane), Linda Reiter (nominated for Best Solo Performance for Rose at Greenhouse), and Gene Weygandt (another Solo Performance nominee from The Greenhouse, for Uncle Phillip's Coat), along with Eureka College's Cat Davis (nominated for her Lighting Design of The River Bride at Halcyon) U of I's Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (nominated as Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for both Little Mermaid and Parade) and Bri Sudia (also with two nominations, as Best Actress in a Musical for Wonderful Town at the Goodman and Paramount Theatre's Sweeney Todd). IWU alum Evan Dolan was part of the ensemble in that Sweeney Todd, which picked up a nomination as Best Musical.

Here are some of the major nominees:

PRODUCTION (Play-Large)
Blues for an Alabama Sky, Court Theatre
East Texas Hot Links, Writers Theatre
Hand to God, Victory Gardens Theater
Man in the Ring, Court Theatre
Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre

PRODUCTION (Play-Midsize)
Born Yesterday, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
The Columnist, American Blues Theater
End of the Rainbow, Porchlight Music Theatre
It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, American Blues Theater
Silent Sky, First Folio Theatre

PRODUCTION (Musical-Large)
Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions
Crazy for You, Drury Lane Productions
Disney's The Little Mermaid, Paramount Theatre
Parade, Writers Theatre
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount Theatre

PRODUCTION (Musical-Midsize)
Disney's Mary Poppins, Mercury Theater Chicago
In the Heights, Porchlight Music Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys, Porchlight Music Theatre

PRODUCTION (Revue)
Marry Me a Little, Porchlight Music Theatre
Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Spamilton, The Royal George Theatre

ENSEMBLE
Blizzard '67, 16th Street Theater
East Texas Hot Links, Writers Theatre
It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, American Blues Theater
The Scottsboro Boys, Porchlight Music Theatre
Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Spamilton, The Royal George Thea tre

NEW PLAY
Michael Cristofer, Man in the Ring, Court Theatre
Selina Fillinger, Faceless, Northlight Theatre
Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Northlight Theatre
Ike Holter, The Wolf at the End of the Block, Teatro Vista
Antoinette Nwandu, Pass Over, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Madhuri Shekar, Queen, Victory Gardens Theater
Charles Smith, Objects in the Mirror, Goodman Theatre

DIRECTOR OF A PLAY
David Darlow, Born Yesterday. Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Gary Griffin, Hand to God, Victory Gardens Theater
Charles Newell, Man in the Ring, Court Theatre
Ron OJ Parson, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Court Theatre
Ron OJ Parson, East Texas Hot Links, Writers Theatre
Chuck Smith, Objects in the Mirror, Goodman Theatre

DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL OR REVUE
Jim Corti, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount Theatre
Matthew Crowle, Crazy for You, Drury Lane Productions
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Gary Griffin, Parade, Writers Theatre
William Osetek, Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions

PRINCIPAL ACTOR IN A PLAY 
Allen Gilmore, Man in the Ring, Court Theatre
Allen Gilmore, Objects in the Mirror, Goodman Theatre
Erik Hellman, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Northlight Theatre
Daniel Kyri, Objects in the Mirror, Goodman Theatre 
Mike Nussbaum, Relativity, Northlight Theatre
Alex Weisman, Hand to God, Victory Gardens Theater

PRINCIPAL ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Clyde Alves, Crazy for You, Drury Lane Productions
Patrick Andrews, Parade, Writers Theatre
Alex Goodrich, She Loves Me, Marriott Theatre
Paul-Jordan Jansen, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount Theatre
Nathaniel Stampley, The Bridges of Madison County, Marriott Theatre

PRINCIPAL ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Cassandra Bissell, Silent Sky, First Folio Theatre
Chaon Cross, The Hard Problem, Court Theatre
Angela Ingersoll, End of the Rainbow, Porchlight Music Theatre
Elizabeth Ledo, Bright Half Life, About Face Theatre
Eliza Stoughton, Born Yesterday, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Lisa Tejero, W;t, The Hypocrites

PRINCIPAL ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Kelly Felthous, Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions
Bri Sudia, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount Theatre
Bri Sudia, Wonderful Town, Goodman Theatre
Kathy Voytko, The Bridges of Madison County, Marriott Theatre
Aerial "Mon'Aerie" Williams, Black Pearl: A Tribute to Josephine Baker, Black Ensemble Theater

SOLO PERFORMANCE
Will Allan, Circumference of a Squirrel, Greenhouse Theater Center
Linda Reiter, Rose, The Greenhouse Theater Center
Simon Slater, Bloodshot, The Greenhouse Theater Cen ter
Gene Weygandt, Uncle Phillip's Coat, The Greenhouse Theater Center

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY 
Marton Csokas, Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre
Keith Kupferer, The Mystery of Love & Sex, Writers Theatre
Adam Poss, Queen, Victory Gardens Theater
Tommy Rivera-Vega, Parachute Men, Teatro Vista

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL 
Larry Adams, Crazy for You, Drury Lane Productions
Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Paramount Theatre
Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, Parade, Writers Theatre
Alex Goodrich, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Marriott Theatre
James Earl Jones II, She Loves Me, Marriott Theatre

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Kristen Bush, Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre
Kymberly Mellen, The Columnist, American Blues Theater
Lia Mortensen, The Mystery of Love & Sex, Writers Theatre
Caroline Neff, Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Felicia Boswell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Paramount Theatre
E. Faye Butler, Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions
Angela Ingersoll, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Marriott Theatre
Iris Lieberman, Cabaret, Theatre at the Center
Meghan Murphy, Mamma Mia!, Marriott Theatre

ACTOR IN A REVUE
Austin Cook, Marry Me a Little, Porchlight Music Theatre
Justin Keyes, Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Yando Lopez, Spamilton, The Royal George Theatre
Evan Tyrone Martin, I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett, Mercury Theater Chicago

ACTRESS IN A REVUE 
Michelle Lauto, Spamilton, The Royal George Theatre
Donica Lynn, Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Meghan Murphy, Smokey Joe's Café, Drury Lane Productions
Bethany Thomas, Marry Me a Little, Porchlight Music Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN (Large)
William Boles, Native Gardens, Victory Gardens Theater
Linda Buchanan, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Court Theatre
Jeffrey D. Kmiec, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Paramount Theatre
Jack Magaw, East Texas Hot Links, Writers Theatre
Courtney O'Neill, Harvey, Court Theatre
Todd Rosenthal, Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre

SCENIC DESIGN (Midsize)
Angela Weber Miller, Captain Blood, First Folio Theatre
Greg Pinsoneault, In the Heights, Porchlight Music Theatre
Christopher Rhoton, End of the Rainbow, Porchlight Music Theatre
Grant Sabin, Born Yesterday, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Joe Schermoly, Naperville, Theater Wit

COSTUME DESIGN (Large)
Theresa Ham, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Paramount Theatre
Theresa Ham, Mamma Mia!, Marriott Theatre
Rachel Healy, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Court Theatre
Susan E. Mickey, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Sully Ratke, Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions

COSTUME DESIGN (Midsize)
Kristy Leigh Hall, Pygmalion, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Izumi Inaba, A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch, The House Theatre of Chicago
Kate Setzer Kamphausen, In the Heights, Porchlight Music Theatre
Bill Morey, End of the Rainbow, Porchlight Music Theatre
Mieka van der Ploeg, The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, The House Theatre of Chicago

SOUND DESIGN (Large)
Mikhail Fiksel, The Hunter and the Bear, Writers Theatre
Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, Julius Caesar, Writers Theatre
Andre Pluess, Man in the Ring, Court Theatre
Richard Woodbury, Uncle Vanya, Goodman Theatre

SOUND DESIGN (Midsize)
Joe Court, 10 Out of 12, Theater Wit
Heath Hays, The Room, A Red Orchid Theatre
Grover Holloway, The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, The House Theatre of Chicago
Jeffrey Levin, The River Bride, Halcyon Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN (Large)
Nick Belley and Jesse Klug, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount Theatre
Bart Cortright, The Hunter and the Bear, Writers Theatre
Lee Fiskness, Chicago the Musical, Drury Lane Productions
Greg Hofmann, Jesus Christ Superstar, Paramount Theatre
Jesse Klug, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Paramount Theatre

LIGHTING DESIGN (Midsize)
Erik Barry, Circumference of a Squirrel, Greenhouse Theater Center
Christine Binder, Bright Half Life, About Face Theatre
Cat Davis, The River Bride, Halcyon Theatre
John Kelly, I Am My Own Wife, About Face Theatre
Michael Stanfill, W;t, The Hypocrites

The Jeff Awards will be handed out November 6 in a ceremony hosted by Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook.  Tickets are available for that ceremony. For more information on what's included or how to purchase tickets, check the main Jeff Awards page.

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