Light in the Piazza, Opus, Punk Rock, Passing Strange Among Nominees at Chicago's Non-Equity Jeff Awards June 4

By Kenneth Jones
June 4, 2012

The Jeff Non-Equity Awards, celebrating the best in the vibrant non-union theatre season in Chicago, will be presented June 4.

Theo Ubique, located in a tiny Glenwood Arts District storefront, earned 14 nominations, the most of any troupe. Its The Light in the Piazza received eight noms, and Pump Boys and Dinettes earned six.

The awards in 25 categories are for productions that opened between April 1, 2011, and March 31, 2012. Jeff Awards judges covered opening nights of 154 productions offered by 71 Non-Equity producing organizations. The judges recommended 64 of those shows, making them eligible for Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations. Thirty-two theatre companies received nominations.

The 39th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL.

Select production and writing nominees are listed below. For a complete list of nominees, visit jeffawards.org. 

2012 Non-Equity Jeff Awards Nominees (Select)

Production — Play
Opus — Redtwist Theatre
Punk Rock — Griffin Theatre Company
Red Light Winter — Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.
Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses — The Hypocrites
Superior Donuts — Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.
The Word Progress on My Mother's Lips Doesn't Ring True — Trap Door Theatre

Production — Musical
The Light in the Piazza — Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Passing Strange — Bailiwick Chicago
Pump Boys and Dinettes — Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Spring Awakening — Griffin Theatre Company
Violet — Bailiwick Chicago

New Work
Shepsu Aakhu — Speaking in Tongues: The Chronicles of Babel — MPAACT
Keith Josef Adkins — The Last Saint on Sugar Hill — MPAACT
Scott Barsotti, Molly Each, Laura Eason, Brian Golden, Kristin Idaszak, Kim Morris, Nick Ward and Doug Whippo — We Live Here — Theatre Seven of Chicago
Lucas Neff — The Last Duck — Jackalope Theatre Company
Deirdre O'Connor — Assisted Living — Profiles Theatre

New Adaptation
Sean Graney — Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses — The Hypocrites
Matt Hawkins — Cyrano — The House Theatre of Chicago
John Hildreth — Watership Down — Lifeline Theatre
Blake Montgomery — Moby-Dick — The Building Stage
Steve Moulds — Six Characters in Search of an Author — The Hypocrites

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The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With an active contingent of 50 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. The Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre.

The next Equity Awards Ceremony, honoring productions presented under union contracts, will be held on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, at the Drury Lane Oakbrook in Oakbrook Terrace.