Jeff Awards 2017 Non-Equity Nominations Announced

The Jeff Awards announced, via a special video presentation, a total of 127 nominations in 26 categories for the 44th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards for productions that opened between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. Hosting the video presentation were Alexis Roston and Lillian Castillo, who will be this year's Mistresses of Ceremonies at the Awards event on June 5 at The Athenaeum.

In the Production-Musical category, three of the nominated Productions each had eight nominations. These included "Urinetown" at BoHo Theatre, "The Wiz" at Kokandy Productions and "High Fidelity" at the newly eligible Refuge Theatre Project. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre scored a total of 11 nominations this year, including seven for "The Most Happy Fella."

In the Production-Play category, three of the nominated Productions each had four nominations: "Prowess" at Jackalope Theatre Company, "At The Table" at Broken Nose Theatre (another newly-eligible company) and "The North Pool" at Interrobang Theatre Project.

The coveted Ensemble nominations were spread among seven productions: "At The Table" at Broken Nose Theatre, "Bat Boy The Musical" at Griffin Theatre Company, "truth and reconciliation" at Sideshow Theatre Company, "good friday," produced by Kristiana Rae Colon and Tara Branham in association with Oracle Productions, "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" at Trap Door Theatre, "How We got On" at Haven Theatre Company and "High Fidelity" at Refuge Theatre Project.

The 2016-2017 season also rewarded the efforts of Non-Equity theaters producing New Plays and New Musicals in Chicago, citing nine nominations for world premieres. Seven playwrights were nominated in the New Play category, including Ike Holter for "Prowess" at Jackalope Theatre Company, Jerre Dye for "Distance" at Strawdog Theatre Company, Alex Lubischer for "Bobbie Clearly" at Steep Theatre Company, Zeljko Djukic for "Gentle" at TUTA Theatre Chicago, Philip Dawkins for "The Happiest Place on Earth" at Greenhouse Theater Center in association with Sideshow Theatre, Shepsu Aakhu for "Feral" at MPAACT, and the team of Heather McNama and Nancy Nyman for "Resolution" at Pride Films and Plays. New Musical nominations went to Robert Kauzlaric and George Howe for "Northanger Abbey" at Lifeline Theatre, as well as Alex Higgin-Houser & David Kornfeld for "Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook" at Underscore Theatre Company.

The Non-Equity Awards honor excellence in Chicago theatres not under a union contract. Jeff Judges attended opening nights of 147 productions offered by 66 Non-Equity producing organizations. The Jeff Awards recommended 68 of those productions (or 46%), making them eligible for Non-Equity Jeff Award nominations. Of the 68 Jeff Recommended productions, 53 (or 77%) received nominations, representing 34 theatre companies.

The 44th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, June 5, 2017, at The Athenaeum, located at 2936 N. Southport Ave in Chicago.
Doors open at 6 PM with several cash bars available. The awards ceremony will start at 7:30 p.m., followed by an After Party with a light buffet and all cash bars open. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door. A group rate of $40 is available for parties of 10 or more. Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. Tickets may be purchased online with a credit card at www.jeffawards.org or by mail with the downloadable mail-order form, also found at www.jeffawards.org. For more information, contact John D. Glover, Non-Equity Wing Chair, at nonequitywing@jeffawards.org. Follow live twitter feeds from the ceremony and behind the scenes at #JeffAwards2017.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With up to 55 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre (including producers, directors, actors, playwrights, designers, professors of theatre, entertainment lawyers and agents, and theatre lovers), the Jeff Awards are committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. Opening night judges include not only the members but also the team of Artistic & Technical theatre volunteers (the "AT Team") which include Artistic Directors, producers, directors from the major Chicago theatres, actors, designers, etc. 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. Each year, the Jeff Awards adjudicate over 250 theatrical productions and host two awards ceremonies. 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, November 5, 2017, at Drury Lane Oakbrook in Oakbrook Terrace.

2017 NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES

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