The Department of Drama congratulates Katie-Bell Springmann, MFA Scenic Design 2013, who was awarded the Jeff Award for Scenic Design at the Equity Jeff Awards gala October 13, 2014 in Chicago.  Her winning design was for the Profiles Theatre production of Cock by Michael Bartlett.

Writing for Centerstage, Colin Douglas said, “The audience’s first impression is how extraordinarily Katie-Bell Springmann has gone beyond mere scenic design for this award-winning play – she’s created a completely immersive environment for both actor and patron.”  Chris Jones, of the Chicago Tribune, wrote in his review, “In essence, Springmann did not so much design a set as build a whole new theater inside a theater.”  Read Chris Jones’ full review of Springmann’s design and see a photo here.

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With 55 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre, the Jeff Awards Committee is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. Each year The Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre.