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The 2005 Joseph Jefferson Awards, which celebrate excellence in the Chicago area’s Equity theatre community, were presented on November 7 at the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place. A total of 29 theatre companies received nominations at the 37th annual event.
A total of 120 Equity productions by 51 Chicago producing companies were judged during the 2004-2005 season, running Aug 1, 2004 through July 31, 2005.
Chicago area productions of Beauty and the Beast and Seven Guitars received top honors in the production categories of “musical” and “play” at the ceremony.
The categories of Best New Work and Best Adaptation had two recipients each: Jeffs went to Bruce Norris for The Pain and the Itch and Adam Rapp for Red Light Winter (New Work) and Rebecca Gilman for Dollhouse and Andrew White for 1984 (Adaptation).
The most awards won by a production was four, for Porchlight Music Theatre's Sweeney Todd. The company that earned the most awards was Marriott Theatre with six.
Jefferson Mays, already a Tony Award winner for his turn in Doug Wright's solo play I Am My Own Wife on Broadway, also won a Jeff for Actor in a Principal Role-Play (Goodman Theatre staged the work). Marc Robin was a double director recipient for Swing! (Revue) and Beauty and the Beast (Musical). Both musicals were staged by Marriott. Actress Rebecca Finnegan also snagged two Jeffs — for Actress in a Principal Role-Musical (Sweeney Todd) and Actress in a Revue (Closer Than Ever). Both works were produced by Porchlight.
Here is a list of all the winners:
Production—Play
Seven Guitars, Congo Square Theatre Company
Production—Musical
Beauty and the Beast, Marriott Theatre
Ensemble
Seven Guitars, Congo Square Theatre Company
New Work
Bruce Norris, The Pain and the Itch, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Adam Rapp, Red Light Winter, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
New Adaptation
Rebecca Gilman, Dollhouse, Goodman Theatre
Andrew White, 1984, Lookingglass Theatre Company
Director—Play
Derrick Sanders, Seven Guitars, Congo Square Theatre Company
Director—Musical
Marc Robin, Beauty and the Beast, Marriott Theatre
Director—Revue
Marc Robin, Swing!, Marriott Theatre
Actor in a Principal Role—Play
Jefferson Mays, I Am My Own Wife, Goodman Theatre
Actor in a Principal Role—Musical
Michael Aaron Lindner, Sweeney Todd, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Actress in a Principal Role—Play
Barbara E. Robertson, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Court Theatre
Actress in a Principal Role—Musical
Rebecca Finnegan, Sweeney Todd, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Actor in a Supporting Role--Play
Tom Aulino, Take Me Out, About Face Theatre
Actress in a Supporting Role—Play
Jayne Houdyshell, The Pain and the Itch, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Actor in a Supporting Role—Musical
Peter Pohlhammer, Sweeney Todd, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Actress in a Supporting Role—Musical
Renee Matthews, The Full Monty, Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place
Actor in a Revue
"Mississippi" Charles Bevel, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, Northlight Theatre
Actress in a Revue
Rebecca Finnegan, Closer Than Ever, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Choreography
Mark Stuart Eckstein, Beverly Durand and Marc Robin, Swing!, Marriott Theatre
Scenic Design
Scott Bradley, Silk, Goodman Theatre
Costume Design
Nancy Missimi, Beauty and the Beast, Marriott Theatre
Sound Design
Lindsay Jones, Kid-Simple, American Theater Company
Lighting Design
Michael Rourke, Kabuki Lady Macbeth, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Musical Direction
Eugene Dizon, Sweeney Todd, Porchlight Music Theatre Chicago
Original Incidental Music
Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman, Red Herring, Northlight Theatre
Special Achievement
John Boesche, Sunset Boulevard, Marriott Theatre: Special Achievement in Projection Design
Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, Lookingglass Alice, Lookingglass Theatre Company and Actors Gymnasium: Special Achievement in Circus Choreography