Theatre News Wire

In its 49th anniversary celebration of Non-Equity theater excellence, the Jeff Awards recognized 35 award recipients selected from among 167 theater artist nominees across 28 artistic and technical categories. Awards were presented at Park West in the first live in-person Non-Equity awards program and tribute to the theater community since 2019. The evening was co-hosted by beloved Chicago entertainers Honey West and Mitchell J. Fain, under the direction of Adrian Abel Azevedo with music direction by Dr. Michael McBride and featured the work of many of the nominated productions and dozens of local theater artists as presenters.

Kokandy Productions received the most awards, with six this season for its production of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," including honors for Production - Musical or Revue, Music Direction, both Principal Performer - Musical or Revue awards and Supporting Performer - Musical or Revue. Invictus Theatre Company took home five awards for two productions, including "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which received Production-Play, Director, Supporting Performer, and Scenic Design awards, as well as Principal Performer - Play honors for "Ruined."

With four total awards, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre achieved a rare feat by capturing the Ensemble award for both a play and a musical or revue with its productions of "Refuge" and "8-Track: The Sounds of the '70s". "Refuge" also received additional honors for Original Music in a Play and Artistic Specialization - Puppet Design.

Two theaters tied with three awards, garnered in the new Short Run Productions category that recognizes companies that produce shorter runs (defined by 9-17 performances). The Story Theatre's production of "Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" received awards for Ensemble - Short Run and New Work - Short Run and Director - Short Run. Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art, was honored for "Tebas Land," including the awards for Production - Short Run, Performer in a Principal Role - Short Run, and Artistic Specialization - Short Run - Lighting Design.

Direction honors were awarded to Charles Askenaizer for Director - Play for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" with Invictus Theatre Company. Derek Van Barham received the Director - Musical or Revue award for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at Kokandy Productions. In the new Short Run Production category Terry Guest was recognized for direction of "Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" at The Story Theatre.

The Jeff Awards New Work category recognized three authors, including Siah Berlatsky for "Malapert Love" at The Artistic Home and Tina Fakhrid-Deen's work "Pulled Punches" for MPAACT (Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre). Terry Guest also was recognized for his play "Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" at The Story Theatre.

Performance awards were presented for Performer in a Principal Role - Play to Ana Santos-Sanchez in "La gran tirana (descarga dramatica)" at Aguijón Theater Company and Tekeisha Yelton-Hunter in "Ruined" at Invictus Theatre Company. In the Short Run category, Tommy Rivera-Vega was selected for his role in "Tebas Land" with Chicago Latino Theater Alliance. From Kokandy Production's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Caitlin Jackson and Kevin Webb shared honors as Performers in a Principal Role - Musical or Revue and Patrick O'Keefe in a Supporting Role. LJ Bullen also received an award for Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical or Revue for "The Wild Party" at Blank Theatre Company. For Performers in a Supporting Role - Play, Rachel Livingston in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at Invictus Theatre Company and Todd Wojcik from The Artistic Home's production of "The Pavilion" received awards. Additionally, in the Short Run category, Dakota Hughes was recognized for Performer in a Supporting Role - Short Run for "Frankenstreisand" at Hell in a Handbag Productions and Flaco Navaja for Solo Performance - Short Run in "Evolution of a Sonero" at UrbanTheater Company.

Among the technical awards, Kevin Rolfs received the award for Scenic Design for work on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Costume Design was awarded to Beth Laske-Miller and Bill Morey for "A Fine Feathered Murder" at Hell in a Handbag Productions. Eric Backus received the Sound Design award for "Solaris" at Griffin Theatre Company. The spotlight focused on Benjamin Carne for Lighting Design for "Botticelli in the Fire" at First Floor Theater and the work of Erin Pleake for Projection Design in "Chagall in School" with Grippo Stage Company.

Additional technical awards were presented for Choreography to Lauryn Schmelzer for "The Wild Party" at Blank Theatre Company, Nick Sula for Music Direction of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," and Satya Jnani Chavez for Original Music in a Play in "Refuge" at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre. Artistic Specialization awards for Puppet Design were shared by Jabberwocky Marionettes for "After the Blast" at Broken Nose Theatre and Adolfo Romero and Lonnae Hickman for "Refuge" at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre. Also highlighted were Augusto Yanacopulos for Properties Design in "La gran tirana (descarga dramatica)" at Aguijón Theater Company and Daphne Agosin (Lighting Design - Short Run) for "Tebas Land" at Chicago Latino Theater Alliance.

Honoring a lifetime of theater excellence, the late arts activist Myrna Salazar was recognized with a Special Non-Equity Award for her fierce advocacy for Latino artists. She served as Cofounder and Executive Director of CLATA (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance), and also cofounded Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Salazar was a Chicago legend and left a legacy as a Latina trailblazer who shattered glass ceilings throughout her career and advocated for equity and representation of Latino artists in mainstream media and Chicago's live theater stages.

For its 49th Anniversary Non-Equity season, extended due to the pandemic from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, the Jeff Awards membership attended 106 Non-Equity productions. From these, 49 productions became "Jeff Recommended" and, therefore, eligible for award nominations. There were 167 theater artists nominated across 28 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 30 companies.

NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD RECIPIENTS

PRODUCTION - PLAY
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre Company

PRODUCTION - MUSICAL OR REVUE
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

PRODUCTION - SHORT RUN
"Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

ENSEMBLE - PLAY
"Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

ENSEMBLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE
"8-Track: The Sounds of the '70s" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

ENSEMBLE - SHORT RUN
"Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

NEW WORK
Siah Berlatsky - "Malapert Love" - The Artistic Home
Tina Fakhrid-Deen - "Pulled Punches" - MPAACT - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre

NEW WORK - SHORT RUN
Terry Guest - "Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

DIRECTOR - PLAY
Charles Askenaizer - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre Company

DIRECTOR - MUSICAL OR REVUE
Derek Van Barham - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

DIRECTOR - SHORT RUN
Terry Guest - "Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes" - The Story Theatre

PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - PLAY
Ana Santos-Sanchez (Ana Morgana) - "La gran tirana (descarga dramatica)" - Aguijón Theater Company
Tekeisha Yelton-Hunter (Mama Nadi) - "Ruined" - Invictus Theatre Company

PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE
Caitlin Jackson (Mrs. Lovett) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions
Kevin Webb (Sweeney Todd) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - SHORT RUN
Tommy Rivera-Vega (Martín) - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
Rachel Livingston (Honey) - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre Company
Todd Wojcik (Narrator) - "The Pavilion" - The Artistic Home

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE
LJ Bullen (Kate) - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company
Patrick O'Keefe (Tobias Ragg) - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - SHORT RUN
Dakota Hughes (Hunchback) - "Frankenstreisand" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

SOLO PERFORMANCE - SHORT RUN
Flaco Navaja (Flaco Navaja) - "Evolution of a Sonero" - UrbanTheater Company

SCENIC DESIGN
Kevin Rolfs - "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - Invictus Theatre Company

COSTUME DESIGN
Beth Laske-Miller & Bill Morey - "A Fine Feathered Murder" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

SOUND DESIGN
Eric Backus - "Solaris" - Griffin Theatre Company

LIGHTING DESIGN
Benjamin Carne - "Botticelli in the Fire" - First Floor Theater

CHOREOGRAPHY
Lauryn Schmelzer - "The Wild Party" - Blank Theatre Company

ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A PLAY
Satya Jnani Chavez - "Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

MUSIC DIRECTION
Nick Sula - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - Kokandy Productions

PROJECTION DESIGN
Erin Pleake - "Chagall in School" - Grippo Stage Company

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION
Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Design) - "After the Blast" - Broken Nose Theatre
Adolfo Romero & Lonnae Hickman (Puppet Design) - "Refuge" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Augusto Yanacopulos (Properties Design) - "La gran tirana (descarga dramatica)" - Aguijón Theater Company

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION - SHORT RUN
Daphne Agosin (Lighting Design) - "Tebas Land" - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance in partnership with the National Museum of Mexican Art

SPECIAL NON-EQUITY AWARD
Myrna Salazar