The members of The Jeff Awards have elected three new chairs and would like to introduce them to the community with a few words below.
Chair: John Glover
John recently celebrated ten years on the Jeff Committee and has held the positions of Non-Equity Statistician, Non-Equity Chair, and Equity Chair. He has also served as a member of the Events and Criteria Committees. As Chair, John will provide oversight of each operating committee and facilitate strategic planning related to long- and short-range visioning of the Jeff Awards. John has been an active member of the theatre community for many years, both as an actor and director. His credits including serving as the director of Purdue University's Theatre Company, directing the theatrical grand opening of Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana and being a co-founder and director of Kokandy Productions. John is looking forward to assisting with a proposed restructure of the Jeff Awards and will be spearheading efforts to explore more ways to give back to the Chicago theatre community through fundraising and education. He is constantly in awe of the dedication and talents of all those who help make Chicago theatre the quality experience that it is, including designers, performers, directors, stage managers, stage crews, etc. John hopes to create positive change within the Jeff Awards while honoring the fundamental values that have been instilled over the past 52 years.
Equity Wing Chair: Deric Gochenauer
Deric joined the Jeff Awards Committee in September of 2014 and has served on the events committee, acting as our house manager and running ticketing. He has a vast theatre background, including a national tour and off-Broadway performances of “Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding”. During his time in Chicago, Deric has worked almost every facet of theatre including directing, projections, producing, and marketing. He is looking forward to getting the ball rolling on changes to the Jeff committee that will put us more in touch with the community we are serving. As the Equity Chair he will serve as the go between for the committee and the theatres, will correspond with company managers to put together our list of openings to assign committee members, and will attend to any special requests or questions from the committee to theatres or vice versa. He cannot wait to give back to the wonderful community that is Chicago theatre.
Non-Equity Wing Chair: Nick Obis
Nick joined the Jeff Awards Committee in April of 2016 and held the role of Non-Equity statistician for two of those years. He has also been a part of a few sub committees and helps with opening night assignments as well. As the Non-Equity Chair, Nick will be communicating with non-equity theatres about
productions, eligibility, requirements, and monthly opening requests. He is looking forward to serving as our non-equity liaison and is excited to take part in recognizing new and growing talent in the non-equity space.