The Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre and American Blues Theater took home five Jeff Awards each at Monday night's celebration of the year in Equity theater productions. The 46th annual Equity Jeff Awards covered the season from August 1, 2013 through July 31 of this year, encompassing 134 productions.
The Goodman's revival of Brigadoon took top honors for musical production in the "large" tier, with American Blues' production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway taking the "midsize" musical award. Writers Theatre's relatively small staging of The Dance of Death was named best large production of a play. TimeLine Theatre Company's production of The Normal Heart earned the midsize play award.
Rebecca Gilman's Luna Gale, also at the Goodman, was named best new work. John Mossman's The Goddess, at the Artistic Home, earned the award for new adaptation.
Acting awards included well-deserved nods for Mike Nussbaum in last fall's Smokefall, a performance he's currently reprising at the Goodman, Larry Yando and Shannon Cochran in The Dance of Death, and John Hartman in The Second City's current revue, Depraved New World. The cast of Conor McPherson's The Seafarer, produced by Seanachaí Theatre Company (which recently rebranded as Irish Theatre of Chicago), took the award for best ensemble.
The ceremony was set to include a tribute to 24 theater professionals the Chicago community has lost in the past year, including actors Molly Glynn and Bernie Yvon, tragically killed in separate accidents on consecutive days last month. The sequence featured music performed by the cast of Theatre at the Center's current Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, for which Yvon had been in rehearsal.
The complete list of winners is below.
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Production—Play—LargeThe Dance of Death—Writers Theatre
Production—Play—Midsize
The Normal Heart—TimeLine Theatre Company
Production—Musical—Large
Brigadoon—Goodman Theatre
Production—Musical—Midsize
Hank Williams: Lost Highway—American Blues Theater
Production—Revue
Ain’t Misbehavin’—Porchlight Music Theatre
Director—Play
Nick Bowling—The Normal Heart—TimeLine Theatre Company
Director—Musical
William Osetek—Next to Normal—Drury Lane Productions
Director—Revue
Brenda Didier—Ain’t Misbehavin’—Porchlight Music Theatre
The Seafarer—Seanachaí Theatre Company
Actor in a Principal Role—Play
Larry Yando—The Dance of Death—Writers Theatre
Actor in a Principal Role—Musical
Matthew Brumlow—Hank Williams: Lost Highway—American Blues Theater
Actress in a Principal Role—Play
Shannon Cochran—The Dance of Death—Writers Theatre
Actress in a Principal Role—Musical
Susie McMonagle—Next to Normal—Drury Lane Productions
Actor in a Revue
John Hartman—Depraved New World—The Second City
Actress in a Revue
Renee Matthews—Old Jews Telling Jokes—Royal George Theatre
Solo Performance
Gwendolyn Whiteside—Grounded—American Blues Theater Actor in a Supporting Role—Play
Mike Nussbaum—Smokefall—Goodman Theatre
Actor in a Supporting Role—Musical
Mark David Kaplan—Les Misérables—Drury Lane Productions
Actress in a Supporting Role—Play
Sandra Marquez—A View From the Bridge—Teatro Vista
Actress in a Supporting Role—Musical
Jessica Rush—Gypsy—Chicago Shakespeare Theater New Work
Rebecca Gilman—Luna Gale—Goodman Theatre
New Adaptation
John Mossman—The Goddess—The Artistic Home
Choreography
Rachel Rockwell—Brigadoon—Goodman Theatre
Scenic Design—Large
Collette Pollard—In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story—Lookingglass Theatre Company
Scenic Design—Midsize
Katie-Bell Springmann—Cock—Profiles Theatre Original Music in a Play
PigPen Theatre Co.—The Old Man and the Old Moon—Writers Theatre
Music Direction
Malcolm Ruhl—Hank Williams: Lost Highway—American Blues Theater
Lighting Design—Large
William Kirkham—The Little Prince—Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with The Actors Gymnasium
Lighting Design—Midsize
Rebecca A. Barrett and Lee Keenan—Dorian—The House Theatre of Chicago
Costume Design—Large
Mara Blumenfeld—Brigadoon—Goodman Theatre
Costume Design—Midsize
Bill Morey—How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying—Porchlight Music Theatre
Sound Design—Large
Mikhail Fiksel—The Old Man and the Old Moon—Writers Theatre
Sound Design—Midsize
Lindsay Jones—Grounded—American Blues Theater
Projections/Video Design
Sage Marie Carter—Les Misérables—Drury Lane Productions
Artistic Specialization
Austin Cook—Piano/Conductor—Ain’t Misbehavin’—Porchlight Music Theatre
Jeff Klapperich—Portrait Artist—Dorian—The House Theatre of Chicago