Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alumni and faculty figure prominently in the nominations for the 2015 Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Awards for Equity theatre in the Chicago area, which were announced August 21. Among them were:

• Caroline Neff, nominated for Actress in a Principal Role in a Play, for her performance in Route 66 Theatre Company’s The Downpour, which was also nominated for Production of a Play (Midsize Theatre). Neff is a graduate of the Columbia College Theatre Department’s Acting Program.
• Behzad Dabu, also an Acting Program graduate, nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play, for his performance in Victory Gardens Theater’s Samsara.
• Grant Sabin, nominated for Scenic Design (Midsize Theatre) for American Blues Theater’s Yankee Tavern. Sabin graduated from Columbia College’s BFA Program in Theatre Design.
• Jesse Klug, also a Theatre Design BFA graduate, nominated twice for Lighting Design (Large Theatre) — for Les Miserables at Paramount Theatre and Pericles at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
• Frances Maggio, nominated for Costume Design (Midsize Theatre) for The Addams Family: The Musical at the Mercury Theatre. The show was also nominated for Production of a Musical (Midsize Theatre). Maggio is an Associate Professor at the Columbia College Theatre Department.
• Theresa Ham, nominated for Costume Design (Large Theatre) for the Paramount Theatre’s Mary Poppins. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Columbia College Theatre Department.
• Smooch Medina, nominated for Projections/Video Design for Irish Theatre of Chicago’s The White Road. Medina graduated from Columbia’s BA Program in Theatre Design.
• Ryan Bourque, nominated for Fight Choreography for All Our Tragic, the Hypocrites’ epic adaptation of all 32 surviving Greek tragedies. Bourque, a Hypocrites ensemble member, is a graduate of Columbia College’s acting program.

All Our Tragic was also nominated for Production of a Play (Midsize) and for Ensemble. The ensemble for All Our Tragic included Columbia College alumni Ryan Bourque, Ann Delaney, Lindsey Gavel, and Maximillian Lapine as well as current student Lauren Vogel.

Also nominated for Ensemble was Steppenwolf Theatre’s Airline Highway. That cast included alumna Caroline Neff, who also appeared in the production’s Broadway transfer.

The 47th Annual Equity Jeff Awards ceremony honoring excellence in professional theatre produced within the immediate Chicago area during the 2014-2015 season will be held on Monday, October 5, at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. For a complete list of nominees and for information on attending the awards event, click here.