Performer in a Principal Role – Play
Ryan Hake
Ryan Hake ’14, a graduate of the Theatre program’s BA Program in Acting, for his leading performance as Prior Walter in Invictus Theatre’s acclaimed production of Tony Kushner‘s landmark drama Angels in America.
Performer in a Supporting Role – Play
Anne Trodden
Dakota Hughes
Anne Trodden ’09, a graduate of the Theatre program’s BA Program in Acting, for her performance as Harper Pitt in Invictus Theatre’s Angels in America, and Dakota Hughes ’15, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance, for her portayal of Liza Minnelli in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ staging of Queen for a Day (written by Columbia College alum Tyler Anthony Smith ’17, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Acting).
Performer in a Supporting Role – Musical
Maya Tanaka Allwardt
Maya Tanaka Allwardt ’25, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BFA Program in Musical Theatre Performance, for her performance as Little Sally in Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s staging of the musical Urinetown (which was cowritten by former Columbia College Theatre Department staff accompanist Mark Hollmann).
Performer in a Principal Role – Short Run
Connar Brown Sprenger
Connar Brown Sprenger ’19, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Acting with a Minor in Voiceover and a Minor in Video Production, for her performance in Theatre Above the Law’s Matt & Ben.
Scenic Design
Kevin Rolfs
Kevin Rolfs ’17, a graduate of the Theatre Program’s BA Program in Theatre Design, for his design for Invictus Theatre Company’s The House That Will Not Stand.
Sound Design
Joe Griffin
Petter Wahlbäck
Joe Griffin, a former student in the Columbia College Music Program, nominated twice, for his sound design for City Lit Theatre’s Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter and Lifeline Theatre’s War of the Worlds; and 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 his sound design for Invictus Theatre’s Angels in America.
Projection Design
D.J. Douglass
Artistic Specialization
Chas Z. Mathieu
Chas Z. Mathieu ’17, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s Theatre Design BA program, for his properties design for The Pilon at Red Theatre, and 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 his original music for Invictus Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
In addition to these individual nominations, Columbia College alumni were featured in several shows nominated in the categories of Ensemble and Production, including Invictus Theatre’s production of the play Angels in America, Kokandy Productions’ stagings of the musicals Amélie and Jekyll & Hyde, and Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s staging of the musical Urinetown.
The 2025 Jeff Awards for Non-Equity Theatre will be held Monday, March 23, 2026, at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago. For more information, click here.
