Press Release

Goodman's Falls and Schulfer to receive Special Jeff Award at Jeff Awards Ceremony

October 27, 2006 - Chicago, IL. Robert Falls and Roche Schulfer of Goodman Theatre will receive a Special Award at this year's Jeff Awards Ceremony on November 6, 2006. The Falls/Schulfer team has been one of the finest creative teams in Chicagoland theatre, working collaboratively for the past 20 years as Artistic Director (Falls) and as Executive Director/Producer (Schulfer). Together, they have brought the Goodman into the national spotlight, and made it one of the finest theatrical venues, one of the most extraordinary producing entities, and one of the most respected and highly regarded theatres in the country: attendance has averaged 90% capacity; subscribership has reached over 23,000; sales revenue has grown from $2.5 million to $8.5 million; and public support has grown from $1.5 million to $5.6 million. During their leadership they built the $46 million Goodman complex (opened in the Fall of 2000), which positioned the Goodman as a catalyst in the revitalization of Chicago's downtown theater district.

The Jeff Awards Ceremony will also showcase the finest in Chicago theatre talent. "A blockbuster evening," says ceremony director Michael Weber, "with performances from all of the nominated productions for Play, Musical, and Revue, introduced by Masters of Ceremony Ora Jones and Ed Kross." Present plans include scenes or numbers from Bus Stop (Writers’ Theatre), The Clean House (Goodman Theatre), Dealer's Choice (Shattered Globe Theatre), Fences (Court Theatre), A Flea in Her Ear (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Pride and Prejudice (Northlight Theatre), Grand Hotel, The Musical and Plaid Tidings (Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place), Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein (About Face Theatre and the Museum of Contemporary Art), Man of La Mancha (Court Theatre), Oliver! (Marriott Theatre), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Spelling Bee Chicago), Urinetown (Blue Dog Entertainment LLC), Iraqtile Dysfunction and War! Now In Its 4th Smash Year! (The Second City), and A Marvelous Party: The Noel Coward Celebration (Northlight Theatre and Geva Theatre Center).

The Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held at the DePaul Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 Balbo Drive. Pre-show light buffet and cash bar across the street at Hilton Chicago’s Normandie Lounge, 720 S. Michigan Ave. runs from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm and the awards ceremony begins at 8:00 pm. Doors open at 7:30 pm for the ceremony. The evening is black tie optional and the public is invited to attend. Discount parking is available at most street-level parking lots starting at 4:00pm. Go to www.jeffawards.org for ticket information.

Tickets for both ceremony and pre-show buffet are $65 ($50 for members of Actors’ Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and the Dramatists Guild of America). Ceremony-only tickets are $35. Tickets may be purchased at the door for an additional $10 per ticket ($75, $60 and $45 respectively). For more information visit the website, or, contact Bruce K. Siewerth, Equity Wing Chair, email: equity@jeffawards.org.

The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee earlier announced 155 nominations in 28 categories for Chicago's Equity theatrical productions which opened between August 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006. The Jeff Committee sent judges to the opening nights of 123 Equity productions offered by 51 producing organizations, and recommended 92 of these productions for further judging by the entire Committee, which made them eligible for Jeff Awards. The complete list of nominees is available at www.jeffawards.org.

Founded in 1968, the mission of The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee is to honor excellence in theatrical productions in the Chicago theatre community. The committee, comprised of theatre professionals and experienced theatergoers, evaluates approximately 200 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize Equity productions, the Citations (non-equity) wing was founded in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in nonunion Chicago theatre, and that ceremony is held annually in June.

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Contact: Jeffrey Marks-Media Chair at 312.606.0400 or media@jeffawards.org or Bruce K. Siewerth, Equity Chair at equity@jeffawards.org