Busy morning – the Jeff Awards for excellence in Chicago Theatre were announced this morning – lots of messaging, texts and emails flying through the ether – Paramount’s Broadway Series Season 9 received 13 nominations – a baker’s dozen! Here’s a very informal listing –
Director Amber Mak’s vision for Beauty and the Beast garnered 6 nominations!
Best Production
Beth Stafford Laird as “Belle”
Jackson Evans as “Lumiere”
Scenic Design – Jeff Kmiec
Costume Design – Theresa Ham
Lighting Design – Jesse Klug
In Amber’s gracious words –
“Beauty and the Beast was a labor of love and unbelievable collaboration amongst not just brilliant designers and company members but builders, crew, musicians and staff that truly made it an incredibly memorable experience for our Paramount audience and for me, personally. It is always an honor to be able to not just create a magical show but to re-imagine a beloved story that we tell with heart first and that hopefully leaves a mark on an audience for many years.”
The Secret of My Success totaled 4 noms!
Best New Work – Gordon Greenberg & Steve Rosen, Michael Mahler & Alan Schmuckler
Billy Tighe – “Brantley Foster”
Heidi Kettenring – “Vera Prescott”
Projection Design – “Mike Tutaj”
And our season opener Newsies copped 3 nods!
Alex Prakken – “Jack Kelly”
Scenic Design – William Boles
Choreography – Joshua Blake Carter
Thank you Jeff Committee! Glad you enjoyed our shows!
Dear reader, you can check out the complete list of this year’s nominations here.
Hey! It’s National Arts in Education Week – celebrate and support the transformative power of arts education! Shannon Cameron, Director of Paramount School of the Arts, speaks to it here.
Love & thanks,
Jim
he/him