LOCAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR - PLAY
THE MAN
Jeb Bigelow is a pharmacist by day and Columbus sensation the rest of the time. From a small town, Jeb went to Ohio Northern University for pharmacy and indulged his creative side with a minor in Theatre. After moving to Columbus in 2000, Jeb connected with the Central Ohio Theatre community and along with performing in the occasional show, he became a patron of all the shows that his ever expanding group of friends were in. From seeing just a few shows then to seeing nearly 90 in 2018, he has grown into one of the most visible and positive forces in the Columbus Arts scene.
Read more about Jebby below or listen to Krista Stauffer interview him on her podcast "Speak Easily" produced by Boxland Media.
THE PASSION
In his early teens, and a true mix of left and right-brained, Jeb loved the statistics of Top 40 charts and the pageantry of awards shows. But when his personal favorites weren't chosen for the big awards, young Jeb started recording his own winners. When friends encouraged him to share this "guilty pleasure," with them, it grew into something no one could have anticipated.
When his community expanded to include the local Theatre scene, the awards morphed into something truly special, honoring individual and group performances and providing a night of red carpets, speeches, and all of the spectacle one could wish for from a big time awards show. And throughout the year, every theatre company in town waits to see when Jeb and his merry band of theatre-goers is going to attend their show.
THE EVENT
The awards ceremony grew from a living room affair with a few friends to fifty in a hotel banquet room, to consistently over 300 of Jeb's friends, acquaintances, and admirers in attendance. As the acts got bigger, so did the legend of Jebby, with articles in the Columbus Dispatch wanting to know where he likes to eat and about his awards in 614 Magazine. His contribution to the visibility of the Arts in Columbus is tremendous and more importantly, he's a friend and cheerleader to everyone doing what they love on stage.