COD costume, makeup coordinator nominated for Jeff Award

College of DuPage Costume and Makeup Coordinator Allison Greaves Amidei is among the nominees for Artistic Specialization for the 2011 Joseph Jefferson Awards.

The Jeff Awards, established in 1968, celebrate excellence in acting, stage production and behind-the-scenes work in Chicago theater. Each year, a 50-member committee evaluates more than 250 productions, honoring winners at two award ceremonies, honoring both equity and non-equity productions.

Amidei's nomination results in her work on Strawdog Theatre Company's recent staging of Edward Kemp's adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's “The Master and Margarita.”

Set in Stalinist Russia, a playwright works his way through theater critics and cultural office leaders in his attempt to get his script about Jesus and Pontius Pilate published. He's so driven in his quest, he loses himself and not even his lover, Margarita, can reach him.

“This book is, for the Russians, the equivalent of ‘Catcher in the Rye' here in the U.S.,” Amidei said. “People know the story and it's important to get it right.”

With that in mind, Amidei and director Lou Contey conceptualized makeup that would appear mask-like. While each character's makeup base had the same pale sheen, colors and gray tones varied based on each character's personality and role within the play, she said.

“Because the play is set in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, they needed to look severe, washed-out and oppressed,” Amidei said. “The more fantastic characters are full of color so while they'll have that same pale look, they might have orange to accentuate cheekbones or fiery red hair.”

Amidei, who teaches makeup at the College, said the nomination is not only an honor for her, but an affirmation for her students.

“It's important to work in Chicago because it shows our students the type of work we do and the type of work they can do in theater,” she said. “Our actors are very well qualified when they leave here and this nomination is wonderful recognition of my work as a teacher and the quality of program.”

Amidei initially intended to study biology and art in college, but fell into theater after taking some art classes and getting a job in the costume shop her freshman year at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.

“I took all the nerdy AP classes in high school and when I got to college I'd already earned so many credits that I struggled to find freshman-level courses I could take,” she said. “I dabbled and took theater and art classes. I got a job working in the costume shop because I could sew and I just never left.”

Costuming and makeup require problem solving, catering to her draw toward science, Amidei said. After earning her bachelor's degree in Theater, she continued her studies, earning a master's degree in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh before returning to Chicago in 2000.

Since starting at College of DuPage that same year, Amidei has worked with a variety of theater companies and is member of Strawdog Theatre and Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. She is also artistic director of Wild Claw Theatre, a Chicago-based horror theater company.