Chicago's Circle Theatre must be spinning. The company has just been nominated for 12 Joseph Jefferson "Jeff" Award Citations -- five more nods than any other theatre.
During the 1997-98 Citations season (Apr. 1, 1997-Mar. 31, 1998) the Jeff Committee judged 100 productions from 24 producing organizations. Thirty-four shows were recommended, whittled down to 30 for the final list, leading to 76 nominations in 16 categories. Awards will be presented June 8 at Park West, 322 West Armitage Ave. For tickets ($20 advance, $25 at the door) and information call (773) 525-8580.
Jeff Citations are "non-competitive," and a category can have multiple winners. Here's the 25th anniversary, 1998 Jeff Citation Nominations line-up:
PRODUCTION
All My Sons (Shattered Globe Theatre)
The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny (Redmoon Theatre)
Company (Pegasus Players)
Sawdust & Spangles (Powertap Productions & The Prop Theatre Group)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Circle Theatre)
ENSEMBLE
Company (Pegasus Players)
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) (Gentleman Rogue Productions)
Sawdust & Spangles (Powertap Productions & The Prop Theatre Group)
Triple Espresso (Triple Espresso, LLC)
You Can't Take It With You (Raven Theatre Company) DIRECTOR
Kevin Bellie, Grand Hotel, Circle Theatre
Louis Contey, All My Sons, Shattered Globe Theatre
Lisa Devine, Eye of God, Profiles Theatre
Gary Griffin, Company, Pegasus Players
Michael Menendian, You Can't Take It With You, Raven Theatre Company
Alena Murguia, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Circle Theatre
Jim Slonina, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Defiant Theatre
ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Kerry Cox, Eye of God, Profiles Theatre
Marguerite Hammersley, Out of Spite, Stage Left Theatre
Rebecca Jordan, Anna Karenina, Shattered Globe Theatre
Catherine O'Connor, Black Angel, LeTraunik Productions
Patti Paul, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Circle Theatre
Michelle Primeaux, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Defiant Theatre
Linda Reiter, All My Sons, Shattered Globe Theatre
Barb Wruck Thometz, The Skriker, Defiant Theatre
ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE
Wellesley Chapman, Equus, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Darrell W. Cox, Eye of God, Profiles Theatre
Steve Key, All My Sons, Shattered Globe Theatre
Greg Kolack, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Circle Theatre
Doug MacKechnie, Principia Scriptoriae, Circle Theatre
Yasen Peyankov, Hunting Cockroaches, Footsteps Theatre Co.
Stephan Turner, The Dodo Bird, Stage Actors Ensemble
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Bethanny Alexander, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Circle Theatre
Jackie Arthur, Four Queens & No Trump, Onyx Theatre Ensemble
Maggie Carney, Smash, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jann Iaco, The Shadow Box, Fourth Wall Productions
Cynthia Jackson, Four Queens & No Trump, Onyx Theatre Ensemble
Sara Rene Martin, Company, Pegasus Players
Carol Moraine, The Shadow Box, Fourth Wall Productions
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Rich Baker, All My Sons, Shattered Globe Theatre
Tim Curtis, Skeletons, Strawdog Theatre Company
Fernando Jones, Lifting, ETA Creative Arts Foundation
Nathan Rankin, In the Heart of America, About Face Theatre
John Simmons, Grand Hotel, Circle Theatre
Ian Vogt, Long Day's Journey Into Night, The Excaliber Shakespeare Company
SCENIC DESIGN
Louis Contey, All My Sons, Shattered Globe Theatre
Martin McClendon, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Defiant Theatre
Michael Menendian, You Can't Take It With You, , Raven Theatre Company
Karen Skinner, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Circle Theatre
Blair Thomas, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
COSTUME DESIGN
Kevin Bellie, Almir Hodzic, Qiana Markham & Keith Schneider, Grand Hotel, Circle Theatre
Carol Cox, Jen Keller, Sarah Laleman, Beth Nowak & Christine Pascual, The Skriker, Defiant Theatre
Zelda Lin, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
Christine Pascual, Four Queens & No Trump, Onyx Theatre Ensemble
LIGHTING DESIGN
David Gipson, Company, Pegasus Players
Joel Moritz, In the Heart of America, About Face Theatre
Christine A. Solger, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
SOUND DESIGN
Matt Kozlowski, Sawdust & Spangles, Powertap Productions & The Prop Theatre Group
Andre Pluess & Ben Sussman, In the Heart of America, About Face Theatre
CHOREOGRAPHY
Kevin Bellie, Grand Hotel, Circle Theatre
Marc Robin, Company, Pegasus Players
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Michael Zerang, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Whayne Braswell, Dark of the Moon, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Greg Jasperse, Lizard Music, Lifeline Theatre
Tom Murray, Company, Pegasus Players
Jon Steinhagen, Grand Hotel, Circle Theatre
NEW WORK/ADAPTATION
Migdalia Cruz, Che-Che-Che!, The Latino Chicago Theatre Company
Jim Lasko & Blair Thomas, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
G. Riley Mills & Ralph Covert, Sawdust & Spangles, Powertap Productions & The Prop Theatre Group
Jeremy Wechsler, Henry VI: Blood of a Nation, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
PUPPETRY AND MASKS
B. Emil Boulos, Joe Foust, Andrew Leman, Nick Offerman, Sean Sinitski, Chris Thometz, The Skriker, Defiant Theatre
Cathy McCullough & Stephanie Nelson, Sawdust & Spangles, Powertap Productions & The Prop Theatre Group
Stephanie Nelson, Joe Foust, Darrel Stokes, David New, Sean Sinitski, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Defiant Theatre
Douglas O'Connell, The Ballad of Frankie and Johnny, Redmoon Theatre
Lynda White, Lizard Music, Lifeline Theatre
Lynda White & Whayne Braswell, Dark of the Moon, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Here's the run-down of how the individual theatres fared:
Circle Theatre: 12 nominations
Defiant Theatre & Pegasus Players & Redmoon Theatre & Shattered Globe Theatre: 7 nominations each
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre & Powertap Productions / The Prop Theatre Group: 5
About Face Theatre & Onyx Theatre Ensemble & Profiles Theatre & Raven Theatre Company: 3
*
As explained by chairman of the Equity division of the Jeff Awards, Jerry Proffit, the difference between Jeff Awards and Jeff Citations is that Citations are given to non-Equity Chicago theatres and use a multiple nomination system. Because Citations are given to much smaller theatres, with less revenue and fewer resources, Citations are seen as more of a helping hand and a leg up. By contrast, regular Jeff Awards deal with professional Chicago theatres.
In September 1996, after viewing the selection of nominees for the 28th annual Joseph Jefferson "Jeff" Awards, honoring excellence in Chicago's Equity theatres, four major Chicago theatres -- The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens and Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre (known collectively as "The Big Four" -- pulled out of the nominating process for next season, due mainly to the Jeff Committee's policy of not allowing multiple winners in categories. After three months of policy negotiations, all four theatres returned, however, on Jan. 23, 1997.
--By David Lefkowitz
