Congratulations to the alumni and faculty of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, the Columbia College Chicago Music Department, and the Columbia College Chicago Cinema and Television Arts Department who have been nominated for 2020 Joseph Jefferson Awards, Chicago’s top theatre award. The Non-Equity “Jeff Awards” honor excellence in Chicago’s non-Equity theatre during the 2019-2020 theatre season. The list of this year’s Non-Equity “Jeff Award” nominees, announced April 28, included nominations for alumni, former students, and faculty from Columbia College Chicago in the areas of performance and design — including:

Performer in a Principal Role–Musical:

Kyle Ryan, a former student in the Theatre Department’s Acting program, nominated for his performance in Underscore Theatre Company’s The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe.

Performer in a Supporting Role — Play:

Cinema and Television Arts Department faculty member John Mossman, for his performance in The Artistic Home’s Ada and the Engine.

Original Music in a Play:

Columbia College alum Jeffrey Levin ’10, a graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Music Department‘s BA Program in Music with a Composition Concentration — nominated twice, for Raven Theatre’s Hoodoo Love and Haven Theatre’s Kiss.

Projection Design:

Columbia College alum Paul Deziel ’14, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Technical Theatre program — nominated twice, for Jackalope Theatre’s P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle and Lifeline Theatre’s Middle Passage.

Ensemble:

The cast of Underscore Theatre Company’s The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe, including Columbia College alum Katy Campbell ’19, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance with a Minor in Public Relations, and former Theatre Department student Kyle Ryan. Columbia College alum Annabelle Revak ’19, who graduated with a double BA in Musical Theatre from the Theatre Department and Music Composition from the Music Department, was the show’s assistant music director. And Columbia College alum Christine Lauer ’19, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Stage Management program, was the show’s assistant stage manager. The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe was also nominated in the category of Production – Musical.

Also nominated in the Production — Musical category were BoHo Theatre’s Big Fish and Kokandy Productions’ Head Over Heels. The casts of both those shows included Caitlin Dobbins, a senior in the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Musical Theatre. Columbia College alum Daniel Hosfield ’18, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Theatre Design, was the sound designer for Big Fish, and Columbia College alum Christine Lauer ’19, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Stage Management program, was the stage manager.

Nominated in the category of Production — Play was Raven Theatre’s The Undeniable Sound of Right Now. The show’s lighting designer was Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Heather Gilbert. Columbia College alum Claire Chrzan ’11, a graduate of Columbia’s Theatre Design program, was the show’s master electrician. And Raven’s artistic director is Columbia College alum Cody Estle ’11, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Directing program.

The 47th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards and Community Unity Celebration will be held virtually Monday, June 8. Details on accessing the free program will be made available in early June.