David Cerda to Receive Special Jeff Award

David Cerda to Receive Special Jeff Award

According to the Jeff Awards committee, more than 200 members of the Chicago theater community signed a recommendation that the 2017 Non-Equity Special Jeff Award be given to David Cerda — the co-founder and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions — for his theatrical and charitable contributions. Cerda will receive the award at the 44th Annual Non-Equity Awards ceremony on June 5th at the Athenaeum Theatre.

Cerda is a prolific performer and writer, known for his camp plays and musicals, including “Rudolph, the Red-Hosed Reindeer,” “How ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ Happened”, “POSEIDON! An Upside-Down Musical,” “Caged Dames,” and “Lady X.” Cerda also co-founded a rock band, The Joans, dedicated to giving screen legend Joan Crawford a rock and roll voice.

Cerda was elected to the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2016 for both theatrical achievements and philanthropic efforts. Hell In A Handbag has raised over $58,000 for local and national causes, ranging from the American Cancer Society to The Wounded Warrior Project to Hams 4 Hams, an organization he co-founded with Lori Cannon that provides holiday staples for clients of Groceryland, which feeds those who are HIV positive and living with AIDS.

About author

Abigail Trabue

Abigail has worked as an actor/director in Chicago for over ten years, and along with husband Jason Epperson founded Lotus Theatricals in 2015, and PerformInk Chicago and Kansas City in 2016 (where she serves as Managing Editor of both publications). When not talking shop, Abigail is raising three padawans with Jason, drinking lots of coffee, converting school buses into RV's, and eating all the foods at Disney World. You can find her on Twitter @AbigailTrabue