They wuz robbed

With the recently announced Jeff nominations for non-Equity work, we weren’t exactly shocked that many of our favorites were left out. But what struck us this time around was why: In several cases, they just didn’t meet Jeff’s eligibility requirements. Sure, every organization has got to have some do’s and don’ts to avoid chaos. But when the rules mean that fiercely talented and accomplished artists get systematically overlooked, maybe a few of the bylaws could bear some reconsideration. In the eternal words of Katherine Hepburn: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”

Rule: No plays with curtain times after 9:30pm are eligible.
Consequence: The Side Project’s excellent new play New Orleans, Mark A. Young’s dryly cutting and intelligently produced look at the hipster art world, couldn’t be considered because it started at 10:30pm.

Rule: A play in which “artistic components” change from night to night isn’t considered eligible.
Consequence: Tanya Saracho’s bracingly honest monologue play about three Latinas, Quita Mitos, which was performed by different actors from Teatro Luna on alternating nights, couldn’t be nominated for best new work.

Rule: Shows that are not deemed “Jeff Recommended” after opening night won’t be nominated for anything.
Consequence: The teams from Bailiwick’s thrilling, kinky dance play Dorian (a feast of sophisticated design), Uma Productions’ excruciatingly intimate take on The Violet Hour(we couldn’t take our eyes off of this dynamic storefront cast, including Audrey Francis, Cliff Chamberlain and Dennis Grimes), and Hell in a Handbag’s premiere of Caged Dames (the tasty noir musical satire with stand-out parody performances) have nothing to dress up for come Jeff night.

Rule: Shows mounted by one-off production companies or companies that aren’t at least two years old can’t be nominated.
Consequence: Plays like Black Sheep’s Another Day in the Empire (Steve Spencer’s hysterically bleak real-estate satire surely would have garnered nominations for new work and smashingly harried leading man Kevin Stark), InFusion Theatre’s The Last Supper (we scarcely saw a tougher ensemble this year than this glam clan of conservative-slaying liberals), Theatre Seven’s Diversey Harbor (Marisa Wegrzyn’s premiere about North Side knockabouts generated buzz for a reason) and the Building Stage’s Moby-Dick (a new page-to-stage adaptation that featured outstanding ensemble work and simple, evocative design) aren’t in the running.

 There’s plenty of new work happening at the storefront level this year (of the plays mentioned above, only The Violet Hour wasn’t a premiere). Yet if Jeff only sees companies that have been around the block, he tends to see theater that survives by sticking to proven formulas. (Last year’s big winner, Infamous Commonwealth’s The Kentucky Cycle, reminded us a lot of 1997’s big winner, Pegasus Players’ The Kentucky Cycle.) Of the 23 shows this year that received multiple nods, only six were new works.
Obviously, we’re sympathetic to the 45 members of the Jeff Awards committee. These uncompensated volunteers judged—dear lord—127 plays this year. That means they’re already giving up one third of their evenings just to non-Equity theater (most of them also keep up with the Equity scene). So dipping into the unvetted territory of brand-new companies could prove too much for the infrastructure. Yet it also would give Chicago theater a much clearer view of its gifted young artists.

And it still wouldn’t explain how some of the year’s best actors got cold-shouldered in plays that were otherwise nominated. Were the beautiful, mysterious leading ladies of The Children’s Hour, Mechelle Moe and Halena Kays, so good that they canceled each other out? And in what world can Kat McDonnell, the anchor of Marathon ’33’s massive, gonzo cast and the most heartfelt member of The Sparrow’s ensemble in her supporting turn as a grief-stricken mom, not be singled out when both shows were nominated for best ensemble?

Think of it like driving—you can get so busy reading the road signs that you miss what’s right in front of you. For a complete list of Jeff nominees (and those fun-lovin’ rules), see jeffawards.org.—Christopher Piatt and Novid Parsi