Press Releases

THE JOSEPH JEFFERSON AWARDS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES 46 RECIPIENTS AT THE SOLD-OUT 30TH ANNUAL CITATIONS WING AWARDS PRESENTED ON JUNE 9, 2003, AT THE PARK WEST IN CHICAGO
Photographs by Johnny Knight

CHICAGO, IL, EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2003, 12:01 AM — For its 30th anniversary ceremony, the Citations Wing of the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee presented 46 recipients with awards on June 9th, a record for total amount given. The Hypocrites (see photo at right, Sean Graney, Director, “Machinal�), Lifeline Theatre and TimeLine Theatre were the evening’s top honorees, each group receiving six Citations for non-union productions. Bailiwick Artistic Director David G. Zak received a Special Jeff Citation as well – a complete list of recipients is below. The Jeff Citations Wing was created to recognize outstanding achievement in professional productions of Chicago area theatres not operating under union contracts. During the 2002-2003 Citations season (April 1, 2002 - March 31, 2003) the Jeff Committee judged 119 productions from 55 producing organizations. Recipients were presented with a plaque. Selected production, actor and ceremony photographs are available on request from Tree Falls Productions at 773.276.3434 or kmckie@msn.com (interviews and additional information also available – event photos by Johnny Knight). Ceremony video will be available on www.stagechannel.com thanks to Marty Higginbotham.

The Citations Awards presentations were hosted by Richard B. Turner (see photo at left, with Bruce Siewerth), who served on the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee for 18 years and was the founding chair of the Citations Wing of the Committee. He served as chair of the Jeff Committee 1981-83 and prior to that served as vice chair, assignment chair and chair of the Citations Wing. A graduate of Northwestern University and Arizona State University, he worked for the Theatre Guild-American Theatre Society in New York and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was the founding president of the Wisdom Bridge and Free Street Theater boards, served on the Free Street Theatre board, the Illinois Arts Council Theatre panel, and is a past vice president and board member of Steppenwolf Theatre. He is currently on the board of the Chicago Academy for the Arts and co-chairs the Chicago Children’s Choir major donor committee. With close to 20 years experience in organized philanthropy, Turner is currently the Manager of Corporate Contributions for Peoples Energy in Chicago, and is also on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois. In 1990 he was named Gay Chicago Magazine’s “Man of the Year.� In 1991 he was selected for the inaugural class of inductees into the City of Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. In 1998 he received the Chicago chapter NAMES Project “Individual of the Year Award.�

Paul Friedman, the ‘voice of Wrigley Field,’ was the event announcer, and Ronna Kaye directed the evening. In addition to Turner, other presenters during the evening included mostly past recipients (in alphabetical order): past Citations Wing Chair and critic Jonathan Abarbanel, actress Michelle Courvais, writer Ralph Covert, costume designer Patricia Hart, critic/director Justin Hayford, actress Jennifer Kern, actor/musician Reginald Lawrence, musical director Jeffrey Lewis, writer G. Riley Mills, Jeff Committee Chair Jerry Proffit, actor/director Stephen Rader, actress Linda Reiter, choreographer Marc Robin, actor Darryl Maximilian Robinson, designer Robert G. Smith, actor Jason Vizza, actor Joseph Wycoff. Scenes from Porchlight Theatre’s production of “Company� (see photo above right), TimeLine Theatre’s “Awake and Sing,� and Griffin’s “A Night in Mantua� were performed during the ceremony.

For his creative energy and leadership in bringing diverse communities into Chicago theatre for the pleasure and edification of its audiences, Bailiwick Artistic Director and co-founder David G. Zak received a Special Jeff Citation. Zak has been with Bailiwick since its founding in 1982, and significant programs during his tenure include Deaf Bailiwick Artists, the Directors Festival, Primary Series, Pride Series, BailiwicKids and the Lesbian Theatre Initiative. He has been involved in many new works seen there over the years, including Christopher Moore's “Pope Joan,� Joseph Sobol’s “In the Deep Hearts Core,� Christopher Cartmill’s “Light in Love,� and the deaf “Hamlet Dreams,� to name a few. He has received a Jeff Award, as well as several Jeff Citations and nominations for directing, and shared a Jeff Citation for Outstanding New Work with Nicholas A. Patricca, Anne V. McGravie, and Dwight Okita for “The Hiroshima Project.� He received MacMurray College's first Distinguished Career Alumni Award. Bailiwick Repertory has received 43 total Jeff Citations, the second most Citations given to one company in the Awards’ 30-year history.

Founded in 1968, the mission of the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee, a Chicago non-profit, is to honor excellence in theatrical productions in the Chicago theatre community. The Committee was originally chartered to recognize Equity productions; however, the non-Equity wing was inaugurated in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union Chicago theatre. Combined with the Equity Jeff Awards for it’s first two years, the Citations Wing held its own award ceremony beginning in 1976, when 17 Citations were awarded to seven companies. The 45-member Committee, composed of theatre professionals and enthusiasts, evaluates over 200 theatrical productions yearly and holds two awards ceremonies each year. The Citations Awards, honoring outstanding achievement in non-union productions, are presented in early June. The Jeff Awards for excellence in Equity theatre will be celebrated on November 3, 2003, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts.

The Joseph Jefferson Citations Wing 30th Anniversary Highlights (including this year’s recipients):

• The Citations were first given in 1974 for the 1973-1974 season
• 725 Citations have been awarded over the past 30 years
• 100 theatre companies have shared in those awards
• Two productions have tied for the most Citations: Pegasus Players’ “The Kentucky Cycleâ€� (1996-1997) and Prop Thtr’s “Never Come Morningâ€� (1995-1996), each with nine Citations
• Pegasus Players is the Chicago company with most total Citations received – 69; followed by Bailiwick Repertory (43) and Shattered Globe (40)
• The highest individual recipients includes Louis Contey with seven Citations – six for directing, and one shared with Joe Forbrich for scene design; and Robert G. Smith, also with seven total Citations - five awards for scenic design and two for lighting design. Linda Reiter has received the most individual acting Citations – six (four for principal actress, two for supporting actress).
• Jeffrey Lewis won the Musical Direction for Pegasus Players for four consecutive years (1985-1989)
• Joseph Jefferson III was a successful 19th century Chicago actor. During his career, Jefferson was to be cited as “the representative American comedian of our time.â€� His acting style was praised as naturalistic and true-to-life. The Chicago Times wrote, “Mr. Jefferson’s impersonation of the character of Rip Van Winkle is one of the most natural and perfect that has ever been witnessed on the stage in Chicago,â€� and the Tribune critic concurred with the statement that “Rant-tatters and steam pressure passion have had their day.â€� In addition to appearing on the stage, in later life Jefferson lectured, wrote an autobiography, and was considered a talented and prolific landscape painter.
• More Jefferson Award history and information is available at www.jeffawards.org