Michelle Lauto To Host 52nd Annual Equity Jeff Awards

Award-winning actress and singer Michelle Lauto is host of this year's Jeff Awards celebrating Equity theater in a virtual program scheduled to stream Monday, November 9, 2020. With theater stages dark and the pandemic preventing live gatherings, the Jeff Awards follows its move online for the annual recognition program that began with the Non-Equity awards last June.

Lauto will lead the evening program honoring theater excellence among a talented group of nominees including 142 theater artists and their behind the scenes teams across 30 artistic and technical categories. This year, nominees are featured in 37 productions at the home of 28 Equity theater companies.

Seen in film and on many Chicago stages, including Porchlight Music Theatre, Marriott Theatre and the Royal George Theater, Lauto is known for her emotionally intense and comedic acting as well as sensational singing. Both a past Jeff Award winner and a nominee, she has been called "spectacular," "ebullient," and a "Broadway-quality performer" in major reviews.

The 52 nd Annual Jeff Awards program will stream at 7:00pm (CST) on Monday, November 9. The virtual awards ceremony recognizes theater excellence over the past Equity season and honors the dedicated artists, behind the scenes teams and theater companies so significantly impacted during these challenging times. Access is available for free on the Jeff Awards YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/JeffAwards. An alert of when the program starts is available by subscribing to the Jeff Awards channel.

To learn more about this program and the Jeff Awards, visit www.jeffawards.org. Information can also be found on social media including Facebook, Instagram (@thejeffawards) and Twitter (@josephjefferson).