Congratulations to the alumni and faculty of the Columbia College Chicago School of Theatre and Dance and Columbia College Chicago School of Audio and Music who have been nominated for Joseph Jefferson Awards, Chicago’s top theatre award. The Non-Equity “Jeff Awards” honor excellence in Chicago’s non-Equity theatre during the 2024 theatre season, which ran from January 1 to December 31, 2024. The list of this year’s Non-Equity Jeff Award nominees was announced on February 6, 2025, by the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. The list includes nominations for alumni, former students, and current and faculty from Columbia College Chicago in the areas of performance, direction, design, and musical composition — including:

Performer in a Principal Role – Musical:

Columbia College alum Tyler Anthony Smith ’17, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Acting, for their performance in Haven Chicago’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Den Theatre.

Performer in a Principal Role – Play:

Mikha’el Amin, a former student in the Columbia College Theatre Program’s Acting program, for his performance in Invictus Theatre Company’s Topdog/Underdog, and Tamarus Harvell, a former student in the Columbia College Theatre Program’s Acting Program, for his performance in Lifeline Theatre’s Native Son.

Performer in a Supporting Role – Musical:

Dakota Hughes ’15, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance, for their performance in The Secret Garden at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre.

Director – Play:

Columbia College alum and faculty member Aaron Reese Boseman ‘12, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s Theatre Directing program, for Invictus Theatre Company’s production of Topdog/Underdog, which was also nominated for Production of a Play.

Scenic Design:

Rose Johnson ’21, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Theatre Design and Technology, for Redtwist Theatre’s Bottle Fly, and Kevin Rolfs ’17, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Theatre Design, who was nominated twice, for Invictus Theatre Company’s Topdog/Underdog and Network.

Lighting Design: Hannah Wien ’21, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s Theatre BA Program, for Invictus Theatre Company’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Projection Design:

D.J. Douglass ’12, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Musical Theatre, for Invictus Theatre’s Network.

Sound Design:

Columbia College alum and faculty member Petter Wahlbäck ’00, MFA ’08, a graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Music Program’s BA Program in Music Composition and MFA Program in Music Composition for the Screen, for Invictus Theatre’s The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Artistic Specialization:

Columbia College Chicago School of Audio and Music faculty member Philip Seward, for his original music for Murder in the Cathedral at City Lit Theater.

Costume Design:

former Columbia College Theatre Program faculty member and costume shop manager Patti Roeder, for City Lit Theater’s Murder in the Cathedral.

The 51^st Anniversary Jeff Awards for Non-Equity Theatre will be held Monday, March 24, 2025, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago.