August: Osage County Big Winner at Chicago's Jeff Awards

Tracy Letts' family saga August: Osage County, which begins previews on October 30 at Broadway's Imperial Theatre, won six 2006-2007 Joseph Jefferson Awards on October 29. The Jeff Awards honor excellence in Chicago theater. August, which was produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, won awards for production, new work, director Anna Shapiro, ensemble, lead actress Deanna Dunagan and set Todd Rosenthal.

Porchlight Music Theater won five awards in musical categories. Its production of Ragtime took home prizes for production, director L. Walter Stearns, music direction Eugene Dizon and supporting actor Aaron Graham.

Marriott Theatre's The All Night Strut won three awards, for revue, director of a revue Marc Robin and choreography Robin, Beverly Durand, Mark Stuart Eckstein, Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and Sasha Vargas. Mary Zimmerman's Mirror of the Invisible World at the Goodman Theatre also won three awards, for costume design Mara Blumenfeld, lighting John Culbert and original incidental music Michael Bodeen. Zimmerman's Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, produced by Lookingglass Theatre Company, won for new adaptation.

Other winners included The Adding Machine best new musical, Ben Carlson best actor in a play for Hamlet, Ernestine Jackson best actress in a musical for Raisin, David Hess best actor in a musical for Shenandoah and Matt Sax and Lance Stuart Baker tie for solo performance for Clay and Thom Paine, based on nothing, respectively. In addition to Graham, supporting actor awards went to Penny Slusher Another Part of the Forest, Maury Cooper The Price and Sara R. Sevigny Assassins. Acting awards for a revue went to Molly Andrews and "Mississippi" Charles Bevel both for Fire on the Mountain.