Two theater companies in their first year of eligibility for the Equity Wing of the Joseph Jefferson Awards made big splashes in this year's nominations, which were announced today.
The Paramount Theatre in far west suburban Aurora, which became eligible after the Jeff committee voted to expand its geographical boundaries from a 30-mile radius from downtown Chicago to 45 miles, pulled in 16 nominations for its productions of Les Misérables, The Who's Tommy and Mary Poppins. That's more total nods than any other company this year.
After mistakenly submitting for the Non-Equity Wing earlier this year, the newly-union Hypocrites made a handsome showing in the Equity nominations, with the marathon adaptation All Our Tragic earning eight nods, the most of any single production.
The big suburban musical houses dominated the nominations overall, with Paramount's 16 followed by Drury Lane with 13 and 12 for the Marriott Theatre. Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which managed just a single nomination for sound design last year, apparently bounced back in the Jeff committee's estimation: Its 12 nominations are the most this year of any theater in Chicago city limits.
The committee has its individual favorites, as well, with multiple instances of a nominee competing against him or herself. The principal actor in a play category contains a double-double, with both Francis Guinan and Jerod Haynes nominated for two productions at different theaters. Video and projection designer Mike Tutaj netted three of the six nominations in his category. And for direction of a musical in the large-budget category, remarkably, there are six nominations but just three nominees—Nick Bowling, Jim Corti and Rachel Rockwell each took two.
All told, the list comprises 187 nominations in 36 categories, representing 34 theaters that opened productions between August 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015. The 47th annual Equity Jeff Awards will be presented Monday, October 5 at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace.
« Airline Highway — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• The Diary of Anne Frank — Writers Theatre
• The Little Foxes — Goodman Theatre
• Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
• Native Son — Court Theatre and American Blues Theater
« All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• The Downpour — Route 66 Theatre Company
• The Royale — American Theater Company
• Travesties — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
• The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
• Billy Elliot, the Musical — Drury Lane Productions
• City of Angels – The Marriott Theatre
« The King and I – The Marriott Theatre
• Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
• Mary Poppins — Paramount Theatre
• The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
• The Addams Family — Mercury Theater Chicago
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Porchlight Music Theatre
« Sweeney Todd — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Men of Soul with a Tribute to Bill Withers — Black Ensemble Theater
« Panic on Cloud 9 — The Second City
• Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
• Sondheim on Sondheim — Porchlight Music Theatre
« Jaime Castañeda — The Royale — American Theater Company
• David Catlin — Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
• Sean Graney — All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• Nick Sandys — Travesties — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
• Erica Weiss — The Downpour — Route 66 Theatre Company
• Henry Wishcamper — The Little Foxes — Goodman Theatre
• Nick Bowling — City of Angels – The Marriott Theatre
• Nick Bowling — The King and I – The Marriott Theatre
• Jim Corti — Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
« Jim Corti — The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
• Rachel Rockwell — Billy Elliot, the Musical — Drury Lane Productions
• Rachel Rockwell — Mary Poppins — Paramount Theatre
« Nick Bowling — Sondheim on Sondheim — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Daryl Brooks — Men of Soul with a Tribute to Bill Withers — Black Ensemble Theater
• Brian Russell — Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
• Airline Highway — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• The Apple Family Plays — TimeLine Theatre Company
• The Humans — American Theater Company
« The Project(s) — American Theater Company
• A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Season on the Line — The House Theatre of Chicago
• The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
• Allen Gilmore (Vladimir) — Waiting for Godot — Court Theatre
• Francis Guinan (Tommy) — The Night Alive — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Francis Guinan (Ray) — White Guy on the Bus — Northlight Theatre
« Jerod Haynes (Bigger) — Native Son — Court Theatre and American Blues Theater
• Jerod Haynes (Jay) — The Royale — American Theater Company
• Mark L. Montgomery (Anthony Reilly) — Outside Mullingar — Northlight Theatre
• Larry Yando (King Lear) — King Lear — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Anthony Crivello (Louis Prima) — Louis & Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara — HackFeld LLC
• Nicholas Dantes (Billy) — Billy Elliot, the Musical — Drury Lane Productions
• Devin DeSantis (Tommy) — The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
•Karl Hamilton (Gomez Addams) — The Addams Family — Mercury Theater Chicago
« Bill Larkin (Prologus/Pseudolus) — A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Porchlight Music Theatre
« Brenda Barrie (Robin) — The Downpour — Route 66 Theatre Company
• Janet Ulrich Brooks (Sonia) — Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — Goodman Theatre
• Hillary Clemens (Crystal) — Bethany — The Gift Theatre
• Kate Fry (Rosemary Muldoon) — Outside Mullingar — Northlight Theatre
• Mariann Mayberry (Shelley) — Grand Concourse — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Lia D. Mortensen (Julianna) — The Other Place — Profiles Theatre
« Caroline Neff (Hazel) — The Downpour — Route 66 Theatre Company
• Eileen Niccolai (Serafina Delle Rose) — The Rose Tattoo — Shattered Globe Theatre
• Shoshana Bean (Cee Cee Bloom) — Beaches, A New Musical — Drury Lane Productions in association with Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso
• Rebecca Finnegan (Nellie Lovett) — Sweeney Todd — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Heidi Kettenring (Anna Leonowens) — The King and I — Marriott Theatre
« Megan McGinnis (Marianne Dashwood) — Sense and Sensibility — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Susie McMonagle (Mrs. Wilkinson) — Billy Elliot, the Musical — Drury Lane Productions
• Michael Monroe Goodman (Young Johnny) — Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
• Cory Goodrich (June Carter Cash) — Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
« John Hartman (Ensemble) — Panic on Cloud 9 — The Second City
• James Earl Jones II (Ensemble) — Sondheim on Sondheim — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Kent M. Lewis (Johnny) — Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
• Ronald Keaton (Winston Churchill) — Churchill — SoloChicago Theatre and Greenhouse Theater Center
• Linda Reiter (Mary) — The Testament of Mary — Victory Gardens Theater
• Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Donny) — Twisted Melodies — Congo Square Theatre Company
« Steven Strafford (Himself) — Methtacular! — About Face Theatre in association with Justin Brill
• Greg Matthew Anderson (Tristan Tzara) — Travesties — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
« Behzad Dabu (Amit) — Samsara — Victory Gardens Theater
• Anthony Fleming III (Queequeg/Ensemble) — Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
• K. Todd Freeman (Sissy Na Na) — Airline Highway — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Nic Grelli (Alvaro Mangiacavallo) — The Rose Tattoo — Shattered Globe Theatre
• Larry Yando (Benjamin Hubbard) — The Little Foxes — Goodman Theatre
• Matthew Crowle (Hysterium) — A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Devin DeSantis (Marius) — Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
• Sean Allan Krill (Colonel Brandon) — Sense and Sensibility — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Ross Lehman (Moonface Martin) — Anything Goes — Marriott Theatre
« Travis Taylor (Lancelot) — Camelot — Drury Lane Productions
• Annabel Armour (Virginia) — The Clean House — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
• Dana Black (Actor 6) — Abraham Lincoln Was a F*gg*t — About Face Theatre
• Kate Buddeke (Tanya) — Airline Highway — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
« Kate Buddeke (Terry) — Side Man — American Blues Theater
• Patrese D. McClain (Shatique) — White Guy on the Bus — Northlight Theatre
• Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Avery Willard) — Rapture, Blister, Burn — Goodman Theatre
• Bruce Graham — White Guy on the Bus — Northlight Theatre
« Laura Jacqmin — Look, we are breathing — Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
• Rohina Malik — The Mecca Tales — Chicago Dramatists
• PJ Paparelli and Joshua Jaeger — The Project(s) — American Theater Company
• Caitlin Parrish — The Downpour — Route 66 Theatre Company
• Mat Smart — The Royal Society of Antarctica — The Gift Theatre
• Paul Gordon — Sense and Sensibility — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• GQ, JQ, Jackson Doran, Postell Pringle — A Q Brothers’ Christmas Carol — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
« Jessica Thebus, Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert — Shining Lives: A Musical — Northlight Theatre
• David Catlin — Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
« Sean Graney — All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• Nambi E. Kelley — Native Son — Court Theatre and American Blues Theater
• Brock Clawson — The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
« Rhett Guter — West Side Story — Drury Lane Productions
• Danny Herman — All Shook Up — Theatre at the Center
• Rachel Rockwell — Billy Elliot, the Musical — Drury Lane Productions
• Alex Sanchez — On the Town — Marriott Theatre
« Victoria Deiorio — The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
• Andrew Hansen — My Name is Asher Lev — TimeLine Theatre Company
• Henry Marsh — Pericles — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Richard Woodbury — The Little Foxes — Goodman Theatre
• Austin Cook — Sondheim on Sondheim — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Paul Litteral — Louis & Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara — HackFeld LLC
« Doug Peck — The Secret Garden — Court Theatre
• Malcolm Ruhl — Ring of Fire, The Music of Johnny Cash — Mercury Theater Chicago and Theatre at the Center
• Tom Vendafreddo — Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
• Ira Amyx and Merje Veski — The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
« John Holt — Accidentally, Like a Martyr — A Red Orchid Theatre
• Jeffrey D. Kmiec — Watch on the Rhine — The Artistic Home
• Angela Weber Miller — The Gravedigger — First Folio Theatre
• Sarah Ross — The Rose Tattoo — Shattered Globe Theatre
• Grant Sabin — Yankee Tavern — American Blues Theater
« Linda Buchanan — Two Trains Running — Goodman Theatre
• Kevin Depinet — The Game’s Afoot — Drury Lane Productions
• Kevin Depinet and Jeffrey D. Kmiec — Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
• Jack Magaw — The Diary of Anne Frank — Writers Theatre
• Scott Pask — Airline Highway — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Todd Rosenthal — The Little Foxes — Goodman Theatre
• Joey Wade — Grand Concourse — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Brian Sidney Bembridge — The Royale — American Theater Company
« Maggie Fullilove-Nugent — Endgame — The Hypocrites
• Lee Keenan — The Hammer Trinity, Part 3: The Excelsior King — The House Theatre of Chicago
• Jared Moore — All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• Julian Pike — The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
« Lee Fiskness — Camelot — Drury Lane Productions
• Greg Hofmann — The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
• Jesse Klug — Les Misérables — Paramount Theatre
• Jesse Klug — Pericles — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Marc Stubblefield — Native Son — Court Theatre and American Blues Theater
« Mara Blumenfeld and Mieka Van Der Ploeg — Mr. Burns: a post-electric play — Theater Wit
• Rachel Lambert — Travesties — Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
• Frances Maggio — The Addams Family — Mercury Theater Chicago
• Bill Morey — Sweeney Todd — Porchlight Music Theatre
• Alison Siple — All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
« Dede M. Ayite — Marie Antoinette — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Theresa Ham — Mary Poppins — Paramount Theatre
• Susan E. Mickey — Sense and Sensibility — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Nancy Missimi — The King and I — Marriott Theatre
• Nancy Missimi — La Cage aux Folles — Marriott Theatre
• John Corkill and Alex Monroe — Macbeth — The Artistic Home
« Victoria Deiorio — The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
• Joshua Horvath — The Hammer Trinity, Part 3: The Excelsior King — The House Theatre of Chicago
• Kevin O'Donnell — All Our Tragic —The Hypocrites
• Rick Sims — Side Man — American Blues Theater
• Rick Sims — Twisted Melodies — Congo Square Theatre Company
• Joshua Horvath — Native Son — Court Theatre and American Blues Theater
• Lindsay Jones — King Lear — Chicago Shakespeare Theater • Lindsay Jones — Marie Antoinette — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Andre Pluess — Iphigenia in Aulis — Court Theatre
• Josh Schmidt — The Diary of Anne Frank — Writers Theatre
« Rick Sims — Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
• Smooch Medina — The White Road — Irish Theatre of Chicago
• Aaron Rhyne — Pericles — Chicago Shakespeare Theater
• Jeff Sugg — Marie Antoinette — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
• Mike Tutaj — Mary Poppins — Paramount Theatre
• Mike Tutaj — Sondheim on Sondheim — Porchlight Music Theatre
« Mike Tutaj — The Who’s Tommy — Paramount Theatre
• David Blixt — Macbeth — The Artistic Home
« Ryan Bourque — All Our Tragic — The Hypocrites
• Matt Hawkins — West Side Story — Drury Lane Productions
• John Tovar — Camelot — Drury Lane Productions
• Dave Bova — Hair and Makeup Design — Marie Antoinette — Steppenwolf Theatre Company
« Jesse Mooney-Bullock — Puppet Design — The Hammer Trinity, Part 3: The Excelsior King — The House Theatre of Chicago
• Marco Ramirez and Stephanie Paul — Rhythm and Percussion — The Royale — American Theater Company
• Isaac Schoepp — Rigging Design — Moby Dick — Lookingglass Theatre Company n association with The Actors’ Gymnasium
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