Theatre News Wire

 The Jeff Awards, celebrating Equity theater excellence for the 54th time, announced 46 award recipients from among 201 nominees across 38 artistic and technical categories. Award-winning Chicago actor, singer, and entertainer E. Faye Butler hosted the first live in-person awards program and tribute to the theater community since 2019. The spectacular event featured work from many of the nominated productions and dozens of local theater artists as presenters.

The Goodman and Paramount Theatres were both big winners this season, each taking home six awards. "Kinky Boots" was the big winner for Paramount, sweeping all six categories it was nominated in, including Production - Musical (Large) and Musical Direction. Goodman Theater had a very successful night as well, with five awards for "Good Night, Oscar", including Production - Play (Large), Sean Hayes for Performer in a Principal Role and Doug Wright for New Work. "Gem of the Ocean" also took home one award for Goodman Theater.

A Red Orchid Theatre won five awards for "The Moors", including Production - Play (Midsize) and Director for Kirsten Fitzgerald. Porchlight Music Theatre won four awards for "Blues in the Night" with honors for Production - Revue, as well as for Direction by Kenny Ingram, Musical Direction by David Fiorello, and Felicia P. Fields as Performer in a Revue.

Three theaters each collected three awards. Drury Lane Productions received two honors for "Steel Magnolias" for Ensemble - Play (Large), Elizabeth Ledo as Performer in a Supporting Role, and for Richard Bermudez as Performer in a Principal Role - Musical in "Evita". Steppenwolf Theatre Company was recognized for "Choir Boy" with awards for Ensemble - Play (Large), Sheldon D. Brown as Performer in a Supporting Role, and Jason Lynch for Lighting Design. Teatro Vista's "Somewhere Over the Border" received awards for Production - Musical (Midsize), Ensemble and Director Denise Yvette Serna.

Additional performance awards were presented for Performer in a Principal Role - Play to Cassidy Slaughter-Mason in "The Luckiest" at Raven Theatre. Michael Wordly from "Kinky Boots" received the award for Performer in a Principal Role. Daniella Dalli, from "The Sound of Music" at Marriott Theatre, and Sara Reinecke, who appeared in "Kinky Boots", were both awarded Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical. And for her work in "Songs for Nobody" at Northlight Theatre, Bethany Thomas received the award for Solo Performance.

Directing awards also went to Ron OJ Parsons for "Relentless" at TimeLine Theatre Company. Within the category of musical direction, there was a tie and Kory Danielson of "Kinky Boots" and David Fiorello for "Blues in the Night" at Porchlight were recognized.

Among the technical awards, Alex Sanchez received the award for Choreography for work on "West Side Story" at Marriott Theatre. Christian Kelly-Sordelet and David Blixt were recognized for Fight Choreography in "Athena" at Writers Theatre, while Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi received the Artistic Specialization award for Circus and Movement Design based on "Lookingglass Alice", a production of Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors Gymnasium.

Other technical honors went to teams for "Good Night, Oscar", including Rachel Hauck (Lighting) and Andre Pluess (Sound), and "The Moors" featuring K Story (Lighting), Jeffrey Levin (Sound) and Myron Elliott-Cisneros (Costumes). Additional theater artists honored were lighting designer Joe Schermoly for "Hurricane Diane" at Theater Wit and costume designer Ryan Park for "Kinky Boots". The award for Projection Design was presented to Rasean Davonte Johnson and Michael Salvatore Commendatore for "It Came From Outer Space", a production of Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with Universal Theatrical Group.

This year, the Jeff Awards introduced a new category for Short Run Productions (defined by 9-17 performances), which opened up opportunities for a number of theaters who produce shorter production runs and those reentering after the pandemic. Awards honored "The Magnolia Ballet" by About Face Theatre for Production - Play and Terry Guest for Performer in a Principal Role. Congo Square Theater received the Ensemble award for "What to Send Up When It Goes Down" and Angela Weber Miller was recognized for Design in "Who's Holiday!" at Theater Wit.

The Jeff Awards New Work category this season recognized three authors and their productions including Tyla Abercrumbie for "Relentless" produced by TimeLine Theatre Company and Doug Wright for "Good Night, Oscar". Natalie Y. Moore was also recognized for her work,"The Billboard," presented at 16th Street Theater in a short run production. In addition, the award for Original Music in a Play was presented to Pornchanok Kanchanabanca for "Gem of the Ocean" at Goodman Theatre.

Chuck Smith received a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre. Smith is a Chicago native who has directed and produced productions across the country for over half a century. A nationally recognized director and five time Jeff Award nominee, Smith currently serves as resident director and member of the Board of Trustees of the Goodman Theatre. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, FL and an associate member of MPAACT and The American Blues Theater in Chicago.

In its 54th Anniversary season, July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, the Jeff Awards membership judged the opening nights of 94 Equity productions from 49 producing organizations. Of these, 76 productions were "Jeff Recommended", which made them eligible for award nominations.

2022 EQUITY JEFF AWARD RECIPIENTS

Production - Play (Large) - The Dr. Harlan Haimes Awards
"Good Night, Oscar" - Goodman Theatre

Production - Play (Midsize)
"The Moors" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Production - Musical (Large)
"Kinky Boots" - Paramount Theatre

Production - Musical (Midsize)
"Somewhere Over the Border" - Teatro Vista

Production - Revue (Large)
"Blues in the Night" - Porchlight Music Theatre

Director - Play (Large)
Ron OJ Parson - "Relentless" - TimeLine Theatre Company

Director - Play (Midsize)
Kirsten Fitzgerald - "The Moors" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Director - Musical (Large)
Trent Stork - "Kinky Boots" - Paramount Theatre

Director - Musical (Midsize)
Denise Yvette Serna - "Somewhere Over the Border" - Teatro Vista

Director - Revue (Large)
Kenny Ingram - "Blues in the Night" - Porchlight Music Theatre

Ensemble - Play
"Choir Boy" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
"Steel Magnolias" - Drury Lane Productions

Ensemble - Musical
"Somewhere Over the Border" - Teatro Vista

Performer in a Principal Role - Play
Sean Hayes (Oscar Levant) - "Good Night, Oscar" - Goodman Theatre
Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Lissette) - "The Luckiest" - Raven Theatre

Performer in a Principal Role - Musical
Richard Bermudez (Che) -"Evita" - Drury Lane Productions
Michael Wordly (Lola) - "Kinky Boots" -Paramount Theatre

Performer in a Revue
Felicia P. Fields (Performer) - "Blues in the Night" - Porchlight Music Theatre

Solo Performance
Bethany Thomas (Performer) - "Songs for Nobodies" - Northlight Theatre

Performer in a Supporting Role - Play
Sheldon D. Brown (AJ) - "Choir Boy" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Elizabeth Ledo (Truvy) - "Steel Magnolias" - Drury Lane Productions

Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical
Daniella Dalli (Mother Abbess) - "The Sound of Music" - Marriott Theatre
Sara Reiniecke (Lauren) - "Kinky Boots" - Paramount Theatre

New Work (The Libby Adler Mages Award)
Tyla Abercrumbie - "Relentless" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Doug Wright - "Good Night, Oscar" - Goodman Theatre

Scenic Design (Large)
Rachel Hauck - "Good Night, Oscar" - Goodman Theatre

Scenic Design (Midsize)
Joe Schermoly - "Hurricane Diane" - Theater Wit

Costume Design (Large)
Ryan Park - "Kinky Boots" - Paramount Theatre

Costume Design (Midsize)
Myron Elliott-Cisneros - "The Moors" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Sound Design (Large)
Andre Pluess - "Good Night, Oscar" - Goodman Theatre

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

Lighting Design (Large)
Jason Lynch - "Choir Boy" - Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Lighting Design (Midsize)
K Story - "The Moors" - A Red Orchid Theatre

Choreography
Alex Sanchez - "West Side Story" - Marriott Theatre

Music Direction
Kory Danielson - "Kinky Boots" - Paramount Theatre
David Fiorello - "Blues in the Night" - Porchlight Music Theatre

Original Music in a Play
Pornchanok Kanchanabanca - "Gem of the Ocean" - Goodman Theatre

Fight Choreography
Christian Kelly-Sordelet and David Blixt - "Athena" - Writers Theatre

Projection Design
Rasean Davonte Johnson and Michael Salvatore Commendatore - "It Came From Outer Space" - Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with Universal Theatrical Group

Artistic Specialization
Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi - Circus and Movement Design - "Lookingglass Alice" - Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors Gymnasium

SHORT RUN - Production
"The Magnolia Ballet" - About Face Theatre

SHORT RUN - Ensemble
"What to Send Up When It Goes Down" - Congo Square Theatre Company

SHORT RUN - New Work
Natalie Y. Moore - "The Billboard" - 16th Street Theater

SHORT RUN - Performer
Terry Guest (Ezekiel "Z" Mitchell VI) - "The Magnolia Ballet" - About Face Theatre

SHORT RUN - Design
Angela Weber Miller - Scenic Design - "Who's Holiday!" - Theater Wit

SPECIAL AWARD - Lifetime Achievement in Theatre
Chuck Smith