The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

arts produced in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor

Joseph Jefferson Joseph Jefferson III (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), often known as Joe Jefferson, was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedians ...

, a 19th-century American theater star who, as a child, was a player in Chicago's first theater company. Two types of awards are given: "Equity" (annual judging season August 1 to July 31) for work done under an

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American trade union, labor union representing those who work in Theatre, live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions w ...

contract, and "Non-Equity" (annual judging season April 1 to March 31) for non-union work. Award recipients are determined by a

secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...

Award categories

In 2018, the committee merged the actor and actress performance categories, eliminating gender from consideration. Two awards are now awarded from each of the new performance categories, ensemble awards remain singular:

Equity Awards

Performance categories * Outstanding Performer in a Principal Role in a Play * Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role in a Play * Outstanding Performer in a Principal Role in a Musical * Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role in a Musical * Outstanding Ensemble in a Play * Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Solo Performance * Outstanding Performer in a Revue Show and technical categories * Outstanding Production of a Play * Outstanding Production of a Musical * Outstanding Production of a Revue * Outstanding Direction of a Play * Outstanding Direction of a Musical * Outstanding Direction of a Revue * Outstanding Music Direction * Outstanding Choreography * Outstanding Fight Choreography * Outstanding New Play * Outstanding New Musical * Outstanding Adaptation * Outstanding Original Music in a Play * Outstanding Scenic Design * Outstanding Costume Design * Outstanding Lighting Design * Outstanding Sound Design * Outstanding Projections/Video Design Special categories * Outstanding Artistic Specialization * Special Jeff Award (Equity) (includes Lifetime Achievement Award as well as Award for Outstanding

Stage Management Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including overseeing of the rehearsal proce ...

) Former *Touring Production Award - formerly awarded to equity shows performed in, but produced outside of Chicago. Under some circumstances where a Chicago theater subscription season includes such a show, that show may be eligible for the other awards.

Non-Equity Awards

Performance categories * Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Play * Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play * Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role in a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Ensemble in a Play * Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Solo Performance Show and technical categories * Outstanding Production of a Play * Outstanding Production of a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Direction of a Play * Outstanding Direction of a Musical or Revue * Outstanding Music Direction * Outstanding Choreography * Outstanding New Work * Outstanding Adaptation * Outstanding Original Music in a Play * Outstanding Scenic Design * Outstanding Costume Design * Outstanding Lighting Design * Outstanding Sound Design Special categories * Outstanding Artistic Specialization * Special Jeff Award (Non-Equity) (includes Lifetime Achievement Award as well as Award for Outstanding

)

History

Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to reward achievement in non-union theatre. The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee evolved in response to a search by Chicago actors for a way to honor local theatre talent. In 1968, the Midwest Advisory Committee of Actors' Equity appointed member Felix Shuman to find a means of gaining recognition for actors working in the city. Joined by actors Guy Barile, Aviva Crane and June Travis Friedlob, Shuman identified and recruited twenty-four individuals active in education, business and social affairs. These individuals originally met for a luncheon at the Ivanhoe Theatre and went on to become the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee under the first Chairmanship of Henry G. Plitt. Among the original members were three theatre supporters who would be active Jeff members two decades later—Morton Ries, Judith Sagan and Joseph Wolfson. The charter of the Jeff Committee today continues to honor excellence in the Chicago theatre community. The first annual Jeff Awards ceremony was held in the Guildhall of the Ambassador West Hotel on October 6, 1969. It was attended by 175 people. Six awards were bestowed on the productions of seven theatres. In 1973 the Awards night was first telecast by CBS. During that same year, the Jeff Committee extended its coverage and recognition to include the productions of non-Equity theatres through the creation of a Non-Equity Wing of the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. Only five non-Equity theatres had productions judged in that first season, and three awards were presented the following fall. Currently these awards are given at a separate Non-Equity Wing Awards Night each spring.

Selection committee

The current Joseph Jefferson Committee consists of up to 55 members who come to the committee with an academic background in theatre, significant professional experience, a history of theatre involvement, and/or years of consistent theatre attendance in Chicago and in other major theatre capitals of the world. A volunteer, non-profit organization, The Jeff Committee does not have specific terms for its members. However, members must meet specific judging standards and can vote on the final ballot each season only if they have met their responsibilities for that complete year. While many of the judges have retained long-standing membership histories, a few rotate off each year as new members are invited to join the committee.

Nomination

Each year at the request of the theaters, the members of Jeff Committee see the Jeff-eligible, locally produced shows. They nominate and eventually select recipients "for outstanding achievement" in the following categories: Production, Director, Actor and Actress in a Principal Role, Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, in the two categories of Plays and Musicals. Awards are also given for Production, Direction, Actor and Actress in a Revue, and Cameo Performance, as well as Ensemble, Choreography, Scenic Design, Lighting Design, Costume Design, Original Music, Musical Direction, Sound Design, New Work and Adaptation. Two general types of awards are given in each category: "Jeff Awards" are for work done under an

contract, while "Non-Equity Jeff Awards" are for non-union work. On occasion, special awards are given for achievements, accomplishments, or services in other areas of the theatre. Award recipients are determined by secret ballot. The Equity Awards are available to theater companies within 45 miles of the intersection of State and Madison streets. The Non-Equity Awards are available only to companies within the city limits of Chicago.

Criticism

The Jeff Awards and Committee have been criticized by Chicago theater professionals, specifically those in the non-Equity sector, for not recognizing critically acclaimed productions and seeming to not be willing to reward daring works in Chicago theater. In a more outspoken criticism of the awards, ''Time Out'' Chicago has published a "They Wuz Robbed" feature for both the non-Equity and Equity nominations.

Notable awardees

Source:Jeff Awards website
search page
), accessed August 6, 2015

Equity recipients

''Joseph Jefferson Award for an Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role in a Musical'' * 1974:

Robert LuPone Robert Francis LuPone (July 29, 1946 – August 27, 2022) was an American actor and artistic director. He worked on stage, in film, and in television. He was the brother of actress Patti LuPone. Early life and training LuPone was born in Brookl ...

in ''

The Tooth of Crime ''The Tooth of Crime'' is a musical play written by Sam Shepard which made its premiere in London's Open Space Theatre on July 17, 1972. It tells the story of aging rock singer Hoss, doing battle with rival Crow. Plot The play is set in a vagu ...

'' –

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

* 1979: John Reeger in '' Funeral March for a One-Man Band'' – St. Nicholas Theater Company * 1982:

David Rounds David Rounds (October 9, 1930, Bronxville, New York – December 9, 1983, Lomontville, Ulster County, New York) was an American actor of stage and screen. He received both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award in 1980 for his role in '' Morning ...

in '' Herringbone'' – St. Nicholas Theater Company * 1985:

Mark Jacoby Mark Jacoby (born May 21, 1947) is an American musical theatre performer who has had leading roles on Broadway in ''Show Boat'', ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Sweet Charity'' and ''Ragtime'', among others. He has also performed widely in nat ...

in ''

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'' –

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* 1996:

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in '' The House of Martin Guerre'' –

* 1998:

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in ''

Me and My Girl ''Me and My Girl'' is a musical with music by Noel Gay and its original book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose. The story, set in the late 1930s, tells of an unapologetically unrefined Cockney gentleman named Bill Snibson, wh ...

'' –

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* 2003:

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in '' Bounce'' –

* 2007:

David Hess David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous rapists, villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970 ...

in '' Shenandoah'' –

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* 2008:

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in ''

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'' -

* 2014:

Matthew Brumlow Matthew Brumlow is an American stage actor based in Chicago, Illinois. Brumlow has been a member of the American Blues Theater since 2001. He has starred in numerous productions and has received critical acclaim for many of his roles. He has twi ...

in '' Hank Williams: Lost Highway'' –

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* 2016:

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in ''Man of La Mancha -''-

''Joseph Jefferson Award for an Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role in a Play'' * 1971:

Lee Pelty Lee Pelty (4 May 1935 – 29 November 2009) was an American musical theatre actor, best known for his performances in numerous productions of ''Fiddler on the Roof'', ''Man of La Mancha'', ''1776'', and more. Because of audience demand, Pelty ...

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–

* 1974:

Mark Medoff Mark Medoff (March 18, 1940 – April 23, 2019) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film and theatre director, actor, and professor. His play '' Children of a Lesser God'' received both the Tony Award and the Olivier Award. He was nomina ...

in ''

When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? ''When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?'' is a play by Mark Medoff. The setting is Foster's Diner, a New Mexico rest stop that lost most of its clientele when a new highway bypass opened. Employees include restless cook Stephen (nicknamed "Red Ryder ...

'' – First Chicago Center * 2013:

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor. Shannon received two Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations, for '' Revolutionary Road'' (2008), and '' Nocturnal Animals'' (2016). He received Screen Actors Guil ...

in '' Simpatico'' –

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* 2016:

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in ''Charm'' –

Northlight Theatre Northlight Theatre is a professional, non-profit theater company located in Skokie, Illinois. Established in 1974, it has become a recognized regional theater in the Chicago area, presenting a variety of contemporary and classic works. The theater o ...

''Joseph Jefferson Award for an Outstanding Performer in a Principal Role in a Play'' * 2022:

Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained acclaim for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primet ...

in ''Good Night, Oscar'' --

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.jeffawards.org/ American theater awards Awards established in 1968 Theatre in Chicago 1968 establishments in Illinois Annual events in Illinois CBS television specials Cultural institutions and organizations in Chicago Arts organizations based in Illinois