Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department alum Caroline Neff ’07, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Acting, is winning rave reviews for her lead performance in Lettie, a new drama running through May 6 at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre.

In this world premiere by Boo Killebrew, Neff portrays a woman desperate to regain custody of her teenage children following her release from prison. The Chicago Tribune‘s review by critic Chris Jones said that “Caroline Neff gives one of the most moving performances of what already has been a formidable career on Chicago stages,” and Windy City Times‘ reviewer, Columbia College alum Kerry Reid ’87, wrote: “In the title role, playing a woman released from prison after seven years on drug trafficking charges, Neff’s signature blend of deadpan wit and raw vulnerability reveals layer after layer of Lettie’s damaged-yet-defiant psyche as she attempts to go straight and win back the love of her teenage children.”

As reported previously in this blog, Neff — who came to Chicago from her native Texas in 2004 to study acting at Columbia College Chicago — is a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member and a Steep Theatre company member. She won a 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award (Actress in a Principal Role/Play) for her performance in Steep’s A Brief History of Helen of Troy.

The show’s cast also includes Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Kirsten Fitzgerald.

Victory Gardens Theatre is located at 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago. For tickets, call 773-871-3000 or click here.