The Joseph Jefferson (Jeff) Awards honor outstanding theatre shows and their artists annually since 1968. This week, they have announced their nominees for the 56th Equity Awards. The Award ceremony will be Sept. 30, 2024, at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.
The nominees total 193 in 34 categories in shows that ran July 1, 2023 to June 30, 1924. As an example of the nominees note that Goodman Theatre received 20 nominations from nine productions of which two were co-produced with other companies. Next most was Mercury Theater Chicago with 18 nominations and Marriott Theatre with 17 nominations.
Here are some of the categories and their nominees. For the full list visit Joseph Jefferson Awards.
2024 EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES
Production – Play (Large)
“Birthday Candles” – Northlight Theatre
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” – Goodman Theatre
“The Lehman Trilogy” – Broadway in Chicago and TimeLine Theatre Company
“Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
“The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre
“Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
“A Streetcar Named Desire” – Paramount Theatre
“Twelfth Night” – Chicago Shakespeare TheaterProduction – Play (Midsize)
“Blues for an Alabama Sky” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
“Gods and Monsters” – Frame of Reference Productions
“Silent Sky” – Citadel Theatre
“Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre
“A View from the Bridge” – Shattered Globe Theatre
Production – Musical (Large)
“Anything Goes” – Porchlight Music Theatre
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” – Marriott Theatre
“Guys and Dolls” – Drury Lane Productions
“The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre
“Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre
“Next to Normal” – Paramount Theatre
Production – Musical (Midsize)
“Jersey Boys” – Mercury Theater Chicago
“Rock of Ages” – Mercury Theater Chicago
“She Loves Me” – Citadel Theatre
“Young Frankenstein” – Mercury Theater Chicago
Production – Revue
“Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions
“A Taste of Soul” – Black Ensemble Theater
“The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble Theater
Ensemble – Play
“English” – Goodman Theatre and the Guthrie Theatre
“The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre
“The Penelopiad” – Goodman Theatre
“POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive”
– Steppenwolf Theatre Company
“Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Ensemble – Musical or Revue
“Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions
“Illinoise” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann
“Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre
“A Taste of Soul” – Black Ensemble Theater
“The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble TheaterNew Work
Levi Holloway – “Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre
Samuel D. Hunter – “Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Nambi E. Kelley – “Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution” – Court Theatre
Brett Neveu – “Revolution” – A Red Orchid Theatre
Sufjan Stevens, Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury – “Illinoise” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann
Mary Zimmerman – “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre
Director – Play (Large)
Susan V. Booth – “The Penelopiad” – Goodman Theatre
Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling – “The Lehman Trilogy” – Broadway in Chicago and TimeLine Theatre Company
Lili-Anne Brown – “The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at the Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years” – Goodman Theatre
Joe Mantello – “Little Bear Ridge Road” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Tyrone Phillips – “Twelfth Night” – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Phylicia Rashad – “Purpose” – Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Director – Play (Midsize)
Mikael Burke – “Blues for an Alabama Sky” – Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Louis Contey – “A View from the Bridge” – Shattered Globe Theatre
Levi Holloway – “Turret” – A Red Orchid Theatre
Chuck Smith – “The Reclamation of Madison Hemings” – American Blues Theater
Paul Oakley Stovall – “Gods and Monsters” – Frame of Reference Productions
Beth Wolf – “Silent Sky” – Citadel TheatreDirector – Musical (Large)
Jim Corti – “Next to Normal” – Paramount Theatre
Jessica Fisch – “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” – Marriott Theatre
Katie Spelman – “Meredith Willson’s The Music Man” – Marriott Theatre
Michael Weber – “Anything Goes” – Porchlight Music Theatre
Mary Zimmerman – “The Matchbox Magic Flute” – Goodman Theatre
Director – Musical (Midsize)
Matthew Silar – “She Loves Me” – Citadel Theatre
L. Walter Stearns – “Young Frankenstein” – Mercury Theater Chicago
L. Walter Stearns and Brenda Didier – “Jersey Boys” – Mercury Theater Chicago
Director – Revue
Daryl D. Brooks – “The Time Machine: A Tribute to the 80s” – Black Ensemble Theater
E. Faye Butler – “Ain’t Misbehavin'” – Drury Lane Productions
Deidre Goodwin – “Beehive: The 60’s Musical” – Marriott Theatre
