Daily Herald opinion: Jeff Award nominations remind us of the bounty, and resiliency, of suburban theater

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble has seen its share of drama over nearly four decades — on stage and off.

Ten years ago, its future looked dim. Citing financial reasons, the College of DuPage severed ties with the McAninch Arts Center’s resident theater company.

BTE, long a home for professional, provocative dramas and comedies, went dark for two years.

Fans, however, rallied around it, and the company resumed performances in 2016 — only to shutter again four years later during the pandemic that brought down theater curtains for more than a year.

But live theater is nothing if not resilient, and BTE’s story got a nice boost this week when the company earned five equity Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, the most in its almost 40-year history.

It’s an impressive feat for a company that too often falls under the radar in the suburbs, home to beloved and better-known musical theaters Marriott in Lincolnshire, Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace and Paramount in Aurora.

All three of those theaters are true suburban treasures, putting on majestic musicals that rival the splashy Broadway shows that tour through Chicago — minus the nasty commute and outrageous parking fees.

And those suburban stalwarts were well-rewarded when Jeff nominations were announced on Tuesday. Marriott Theatre led all suburban ensembles with 17 nominations. Drury Lane received 14, while Paramount got nine.

But it’s nice to see smaller theaters get some love from the Jeffs as well, and we are impressed by the work Buffalo Theatre Ensemble has staged over its years in Glen Ellyn.

Congrats then to Bryan Burke, who earned a Jeff nomination for his role in BTE’s “The Outgoing Tide,” and Christopher Kriz, who got nods for the production’s sound design and original music. Kudos as well to Jessica Kuehnau, who received a mid-size theater set design nomination for the Jane Austen-inspired holiday show “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley;” and to Aly Greaves Amidei, nominated for the production’s period costumes.

For the uninitiated, the Jeff Awards are Chicago’s version of the Tony, and the winners will be announced Sept. 30 at Drury Lane. The awards acknowledge work both on stage and behind the scenes, with theaters competing in categories according to their size.

We wish all the nominees, city and suburban, well next month. But in our mind, local theater lovers are already winners thanks to our proximity to Chicago stages and the high-quality productions staged here in the suburbs month after month, year after year.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble’s scrappy history is one of many suburban theater success stories worth celebrating as we look toward both the Jeff Awards honoring past work and a host of promising productions coming our way this fall and winter.

But, who doesn’t love a great comeback story?