Jeff loves trouble. Most recently, he stirred some up by changing his name.
Last January the Jeff committee announced that the Jeff Citation, the award given to non-Equity (a.k.a. non-union) productions was changing its name to the more prestigious-sounding Non-Equity Jeff Award. This news at first seemed exciting, at least to us. We mentioned on the Time Out Chicago blog that the difference between the words "award" and "citation" sounded like the difference between a trophy and a traffic violation, and we were all about the change.
And then some of our readers told us differently. Scores of them, in fact.
Members of the Chicago acting community came out in droves to weigh in on the issue. Many voiced concern that the change implied non-Equity producers, some of whom have been in business for years and have yet made no inroads toward paying for their actors’ health insurance, let alone paying them a living wage, are now afforded the same prestige as the ones who do. (The prize for Chicago’s Equity plays is also called the Jeff Award, meaning there’s now less distinction between the two.) If the non-Equity theaters aren’t willing to come up with the money to play at our level, the pro-union crowd argued, why should they get the same kind of notoriety?
In planning last week’s Actors issue, we realized we needed to learn more about both sides of the argument. After conversations with multiple actors and theater personnel, both Equity and non- (and with union reps), and arming ourselves with close readings of Equity’s contracts and theaters’ financial reports, we weighed in with this web-exclusive essay on the union question, concluding that the issue is more complex than we’d realized, but bottom line, companies should at least be trying to compensate their labor.
Today’s announcement of the nominees for this season’s Non-Equity Jeff Award seem to confirm that those on the "keep-it-Citation" side of the disagreement had a point. The three companies with the most nominations this year—Bailiwick Repertory, Circle Theatre and Lifeline Theatre—are all institutions that have been in operation for over two decades, yet operate outside the rules and salary agreements of Equity.
Bumping these companies’ Jeff status up to the shinier-sounding Award certainly gives them no incentive to pay the labor more any time soon. To be fair, just about every non-union show in town is also non-profit, meaning money is tighter and harder to come by. But, disturbingly, this growing trend of looking the other way where labor is concerned is now bleeding into the world of commercial producers. This week Broadway in Chicago opens Shout! the Mod Musical, its second show in less than a year to charge a top ticket price of over $50 without employing union actors.
It will certainly feel strange if, this time next year, we have to include actors from a Broadway in Chicago venture alongside our shout-outs to overlooked Jeff contenders from the storefront scene.
Speaking of: Our sympathies are extended to director Jonathan Berry, who took the budding Steep Theatre to a thrilling new level of danger and professionalism this year with his production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (at left), Bertolt Brecht’s scary Hitler allegory set in gangland Chicago. Justifiably the talk of the town last summer, Steep’s staging somehow only earned one nomination, for best production. This means Berry, his tough-talking ensemble, the terrific 1940s costumes by Alison Siple (an otherwise much-nominated designer who probably reached a career high with the show) and—most embarrassingly—brilliant Yosh Hayashi in the title role were all overlooked. (Hayashi’s omission is made all the more awkward by the fact that, in addition to giving the best non-Equity leading performance last season, he was also the best part of Lifeline’s The Island of Dr. Moreau in a raving supporting turn. Moreau was the show that snagged the most nominations this year—nine—with most of the creative contributors earning nominations. Everybody but, um, Yosh Hayashi.)
It’s still a mystery to us how BackStage Theatre’s How I Learned to Drive wasn’t even Jeff recommended, making it ineligible for nominations. But it’s a shame, since the company made this play that seemed to be in no particular need of revival suddenly seem in vital need of it, thanks to the tough, sophisticated leading performance of Brenda Barrie (as an incest survivor) and the static-and-oldies sound design of Nick Keenan (the year’s most prolific sound designer, who somehow wasn’t nominated for a thing). Meanwhile, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble’s Songs for a New World, the only non-Equity musical that could possibly rival Bailiwick’s justly showered Jerry Springer—The Opera, was also not recommended, and hence ineligible.
Lastly, the Hypocrites dashing, punk reimagining of Miss Julie proved too daring for the Jeff committee. This means no love for director Sean Graney, the breathtaking lights of Jared Moore, fierce antihero Greg Hardigan or leading lady Stacy Stoltz, the actor who proves once again she’s made out of Jeff Teflon.
Christopher Piatt and Kris Vire both contributed to this report. Below, the full list of Non-Equity Jeff Award nominees; the awards will be handed out June 9.
PRODUCTION - PLAY
“columbinus” - Raven Theatre
“Dolly West’s Kitchen” - TimeLine Theatre Company
“An Ideal Husband” - Circle Theatre
“The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
“Jitney” - Pegasus Players
“The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” - Steep Theatre Company
PRODUCTION - MUSICAL
“Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
“Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
“The Life” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
“A Man of No Importance” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” - Circle Theatre
“1776” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
DIRECTOR – PLAY
Paul S. Holmquist – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Jessica Hutchinson – “The Dining Room” - New Leaf Theatre
Greg Kolack – “columbinus” - Raven Theatre
Coya Paz – “Machos” - Teatro Luna
Jim Schneider – “An Ideal Husband” - Circle Theatre
Jonathan Wilson – “Jitney” - Pegasus Players
DIRECTOR - MUSICAL
Fred Anzevino – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Scott Ferguson – “A Man of No Importance” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Ronan Marra – “1776” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
David Zak – “Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
ENSEMBLE
“columbinus” - Raven Theatre
“Jitney” - Pegasus Players
“Machos” - Teatro Luna
”The Dining Room” - New Leaf Theatre
“Waiting for Lefty” - BackStage Theatre Company
ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY
Matt Kelly – “The Collector” - LiveWire Chicago Theatre
Vincent L. Lonergan – “Old Wicked Songs” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Brian Parry – “Three Hotels” - redtwist theatre f/k/a Actors Workshop Theatre
Shawn Pfautsch – “Old Wicked Songs” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Alfred H. Wilson – “Jitney” - Pegasus Players
Sam Wootten – “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
ACTOR IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
Don Denton – “bare” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Kevin D. Mayes – “A Man of No Importance” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jeremy Rill – “Can – Can” - Circle Theatre
Jeremy Trager – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Philip Winston – “1776” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY
Caren Blackmore – “MiLK” - MPAACT
Tien Doman – “Tesla’s Letters” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Vanessa Greenway – “The Constant Wife” - Griffin Theatre Company
Sabrina Kramnich – “Gidget” - City Lit Theater Company
Kelly O’Sullivan – “Mr. Marmalade” - Dog & Pony Theatre Company
ACTRESS IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE - MUSICAL
Elizabeth Lanza – “Can – Can” - Circle Theatre
Tawny Newsome – “The Life” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Rachel Quinn – “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” - Circle Theatre
Dana Tretta – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
Hans Fleischmann – “In a Dark Dark House” - Profiles Theatre
Terry Hamilton – “Widowers’ Houses” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Joel Stanley Huff – “Tesla’s Letters” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Bradford R. Lund – “An Ideal Husband” - Circle Theatre
John Henry Roberts – “Aristocrats” - Strawdog Theatre Company
Ron Wells – “A Prayer for My Daughter” - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL
Vincent L. Lonergan – “1776” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Rus Rainear – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Jeremy Rill – “Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - PLAY
Janet Ulrich Brooks – “A Lie of the Mind” - Strawdog Theatre Company
Kate Harris – “The Constant Wife” - Griffin Theatre Company
Saren Nofs-Snyder – “An Ideal Husband ‘ - Circle Theatre
Kathleen Ruhl – “Dolly West’s Kitchen” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Nicolle Van Dyke – “A View from the Bridge” - The GreyZelda Theatre Group
Rebekah Ward-Hays – “Waiting for Lefty” - BackStage Theatre Company
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - MUSICAL OR REVUE
Danielle Brothers – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Nancy Kolton – “A Man of No Importance” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Bethany Thomas – “The Life” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
NEW WORK
Mia McCullough – “Spare Change” - Stage Left Theatre
Mary Scruggs – “Missing Man” - Live Bait Theatre
Teatro Luna & Coya Paz – “Machos” - Teatro Luna
Teatro Luna & Tanya Saracho – “lunatic(a)s” - Teatro Luna
NEW ADAPTATION
Robert Kauzlaric – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Frederick Kohner – “Gidget” - City Lit Theatre Company
Terry McCabe – “The Hound of the Baskervilles” - City Lit Theatre Company
Jake Minton & Phillip C. Klapperich – “The Nutcracker” - The House Theatre of Chicago
CHOREOGRAPHY
Kevin Bellie –“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” - Circle Theatre
Brenda Didier – “The Life” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Lisa Johnson-Willingham – “Trouble the Water” - MPAACT
Maggie Portman – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Victoria DeIorio – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Gregor Mortis & Mikhail Fiksel – “A Lie of the Mind” - Strawdog Theatre Company
Kevin O’Donnell – “The Nutcracker” - The House Theatre of Chicago
Kevin O’Donnell – “Desire Under the Elms” - The Hypocrites
MUSIC DIRECTION
Joshua Stephen Kartes – “Cabaret” - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
James Morehead – “bare” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Robert Ollis – “A Man of No Importance” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Gary Powell – “Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jon Steinhagen – “The Life” - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
SCENIC DESIGN
Brian Sidney Bembridge – “Dolly West’s Kitchen” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Tom Burch – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Bob Knuth – “An Ideal Husband” - Circle Theatre
Timothy Mann – “Jitney” - Pegasus Players
Michael Menendian & Leif Olsen – “The Night of the Iguana” - Raven Theatre
Tracy Otwell – “Desire Under the Elms” - The Hypocrites
Grant Sabin – “Mr. Marmalade” - Dog & Pony Theatre Company
LIGHTING DESIGN
Charles Cooper – “Sueño” - Greasy Joan & Co.
Kevin D. Gawley – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Lee Keenan – “Hope Springs Infernal” - The House Theatre of Chicago
Jared Moore – “Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jared Moore – “Desire Under the Elms” - The Hypocrites
COSTUME DESIGN
Laura M. Dana – “1776” - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Rachel Anne Healy – “Widowers’ Houses” - TimeLine Theatre Company
Jeff Jones – “Jerry Springer - The Opera” - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Kimberly G. Morris – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Jesus Perez – “Can – Can” - Circle Theatre
Elizabeth Shaffer – “An Ideal Husband” - Circle Theatre
SOUND DESIGN
Victoria DeIorio – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Michael Griggs – “Hope Springs Infernal” - The House Theatre of Chicago
Stephen Ptacek – “Faster” - the side project
Peter J. Storms - “The Night of the Iguana” - Raven Theatre
Mike Tutaj – “columbinus” - Raven Theatre
OTHER
Puppet Design – Allison Daniel – “The Nutcracker” - The House Theatre of Chicago
Mask Design - Kimberly G. Morris – “The Island of Dr. Moreau” - Lifeline Theatre
Projections Design – Mike Tutaj – “columbinus” - Raven Theatre
Projections Design – Mike Tutaj – “Tesla’s Letters” - TimeLine Theatre Company
“Shout!’ won’t be eligible next year, because of the five-shows-within-two years rule that commercial production entities formed for one production will never be able to follow, even with a presumably-eligible co-producer like BIC (which the folks at Black Sheep Productions found out last year when they brought in the soon-to-go-defunct Reverie to co-produce “Another Day in the Empire,” which was declared ineligible).
Also, two of those companies you mentioned have flirted with Equity–Bailiwick has actually gone Equity twice before and will go Equity for a third time with “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and in both previous cases were above CAT Tier N, but either voluntarily or involuntarily dropped out (considering their checkered financial history). Lifeline also went Equity when Tier N first came in and a couple of their company members went Equity, but when Equity demanded that they go up to Tier 1, they bailed out.
There have a number of other instances, even before Tier N, where companies that switched to Equity went back to non-Equity–Next dropped their Equity affiliation for a few years before Steve Pickering came aboard as artistic director, the Organic went non-union during the Tom Riccio era of the 80s (and their current incarnation’s non-union), Stage Left made their Equity company members (including Marguerite Hammersley) emeritus a few years ago and went back to non-Equity, Greasy Joan was founded Equity but went non-union when all of the company’s union founders dropped out. There are other instances, but they don’t come to mind right now.
I think this article, along with TimeOut’s typical stance, is an incredibly and naively labor-centric view of the acting marketplace.
The theatre world is a marketplace, like any other. Actors by the hundreds are willing to work for free or almost free. There is no shortage of actors willing and exciting to do free labor. Designers aren’t really willing to do this? So what happens: designers get paid. Additionally, no one is forcing someone to be an actor. No one forces an actor to audition for a non-paying gig. You can’t reasonably expect that the world works in such a way that you just decide to take whatever occupation you want and then name a salary you deem appropriate. That’s not how the world works.
This isn’t equivalent to minimum wage situations in factories, restaurants or the like. Actors aren’t forced in to art the same many of those employees are.
Ah, but Mark, re:”Shout,” there’s this sneaky little loophole in the Jeff Committee’s eligibiltiy requirements. Specifically, this wording in rule IIA:
“Under special circumstances, departure from the requirements will be considered by the Criteria Committee.”
We’ll see what happens. I hope the Committee doesn’t consider a commercial producer doing a non-union show they really wanna see for free to be “special circumstances.” I often disagree with their decisions- the whole Recommendation process is kind of wonky in my opinion, in that right now too much depends on the mood and tastes of the small group of judges who see opening night, no matter how much everyone else raves about it or how many times it extends (i.e. the “Songs for a New World” example you cite in your post) Also, the eligibility rules for recommendation are less strenuous for shows with smaller casts- so in the case of two shows of the same artistic quality, the one that happens to have fewer actors in it might need a smaller number of votes from the opening night judges.
That said, even if I think the process needs tweaking, I hope the committee has enough grit to pass on “Shout.” Otherwise, it sends an odd message to non-union producers in town- “spend enough money, rent a big enough venue, and you can cut to the head of the line!”
If the producers of the show wanted to be instantly Jeff Eligible, they should have bargained with the union.
You people seem totally obsessed with SHOUT. Their PR person should thank you for keeping the show on everyone’s minds. I couldn’t have cared less about it, but now all the obsessive talk about it has almost convinced me I have to see it. I also love when people discuss the rights and wrongs of the committee’s decisions. They’re totally subjective, obviously. They’re awards for God’s sake. Its not like there’s some way of judging them without any emotion or opinion, its art. Get a grip!
Well, I’m not going to totally go by one post on Jones’ blog (especially when there’s nothing on BW’s Chicago board to back it up–I thought these Internet boards were invented to say how much previews of a show were sucking!), but it sounds like “Shout!” is having problems–lots of them. Even if it becomes eligible, we can only hope that it won’t get Jeff recommended.
Meanwhile, on a positive note, even if BackStage got screwed on “How I Learned to Drive,” they did get nominated for “Lefty” (and it could be that big cast thing that Ed referred to). It would’ve been nicer if Brenda Barrie got nominated for that one (since she wouldn’t be nominated for “Drive”).
And for all of you who hate The House, you have to be happy that they didn’t get much–but I have to admit that this was not a great eligibility year for them artistically.
Aww, Terry, don’t hate. It’s something to talk about. Speculating on a show’s chances and whether it should get/deserves awards is the theatre geek’s version of talking sports. And re: the Jeffs- of course they’re subjective. That doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to voice our opinions about them. I don’t think the stakes are that high either way, but kicking an argument back and forth can be interesting for its own sake-as long as it doesn’t completely overstay its welcome, like for instance the whole equity/nonequity debate. That’s one that I indulged in that I have to admit is really losing its luster for yours truly- it’s clear no one is going to change anyone else’s mind, so why keep carping? But Shout is still relatively shiny and new- if my or anyone else’s comments about it lead to someone deciding to go see it, good for them. If someone reads what’s been posted so far and decides to avoid it, good for them too! Like I said, It’s the conversation (and sometimes argument) that I value. I might point out, though, that if you don’t like to see people commenting on whether or not certain Jeff decisions are fair, probably you ought not to be reading the comments section of a blog post titled “They Wuz Robbed, Our Affectionate Rebuttal to the Jeff Nominations.” Just sayin’. Is there something else you’d rather talk about?
And I personally don’t think the producers of “Shout!’ are going after theater geeks as their target audience, either–they’re going after the over-45 female audience that makes most commercial theater ticket-buying decisions and are hoping for great word-of-mouth and radio DJ endorsements to carry the show, not the critics (although Jones will probably give the show one of his Variety-style-without-the-Variety-ese reviews that’ll say that it’s commercial and will contain something they can pull for the ads).
I’m curious what studies Tom has done to so confidently assert that actors are excited to work for free or nearly free.
I bet those excitement measuring probes might explode if the excitement was registered after getting a respectable paycheck for the same work.
Why divert the issue to the actor rather than the producer?
Just because actors make the choice to act for no or little pay, it shouldn’t let theatres off the hook with some don’t-pay-the-happy-savages-because-they’ll-do-it-for-free way of thinking. It’s still not OK.