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  • <h2><strong>THE MICHAEL MAGGIO EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD</strong></h2> <br><h4> This annual award recognizes and supports the work of an outstanding emerging theatrical designer within the Chicago area. A $2000 honorarium is given annually to an emerging scenic, costume, lighting, sound, or other media designer in acknowledgment of excellence in artistry and collaboration. <br><br><strong> <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/5/10/18321168/designer-courtney-o-neill-receives-the-merritt-she-deserves">Chicago Sun-Times Feature</a> <br> <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-2017-merritt-awards-announced-20170424-story.html">Chicago Tribune Announcement</a> <br> <a href="https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Legendary-Broadway-and-Film-Costume-Designer-Ann-Roth-Receives-2017-Michael-Merritt-Award-20170424">Broadway World Announcement</a></strong><p></p></h4>

    THE MICHAEL MAGGIO EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD


    This annual award recognizes and supports the work of an outstanding emerging theatrical designer within the Chicago area. A $2000 honorarium is given annually to an emerging scenic, costume, lighting, sound, or other media designer in acknowledgment of excellence in artistry and collaboration.

    Chicago Sun-Times Feature
    Chicago Tribune Announcement
    Broadway World Announcement

  • <h2>MOBY DICK (Lookingglass Theatre)</h2> <h4><p><strong>*Jeff Award Best Production - Play</strong></p><p>"<strong>What is remarkable about Courtney O'Neill's design</strong> for "Moby Dick" is that it avoids such familiarities, substituting instead a slice of deck emblematic of land itself, immediately plugging in to the Melvillian theme of our obsession being not so much the expanse of the raging seas but the precise spot where the rules of the land stop and the primal conflicts of the sea begin. <br><strong>Doing the best work of her career,</strong> O'Neill has come up with a series of curved poles, structures that can be masts, sure, but that also can form the carcass of the great antagonistic beast, thus suggesting that Moby Dick is on board the Pequod even before the vessel sets sail from Nantucket. For Moby Dick lurks inside us all. Otherwise he's merely the kind of whale you cruise to Alaska to hope to see." --Chicago Tribune </p><p> "Performers scramble nimbly on <strong>Courtney O’Neill’s ingenious set</strong>, dominated by a series of curved ribs that resemble the yards and masts of the Pequod and the massive bones of a whale." --The Orange County Register</p></h4>

    MOBY DICK (Lookingglass Theatre)

    *Jeff Award Best Production - Play

    "What is remarkable about Courtney O'Neill's design for "Moby Dick" is that it avoids such familiarities, substituting instead a slice of deck emblematic of land itself, immediately plugging in to the Melvillian theme of our obsession being not so much the expanse of the raging seas but the precise spot where the rules of the land stop and the primal conflicts of the sea begin.
    Doing the best work of her career, O'Neill has come up with a series of curved poles, structures that can be masts, sure, but that also can form the carcass of the great antagonistic beast, thus suggesting that Moby Dick is on board the Pequod even before the vessel sets sail from Nantucket. For Moby Dick lurks inside us all. Otherwise he's merely the kind of whale you cruise to Alaska to hope to see." --Chicago Tribune

    "Performers scramble nimbly on Courtney O’Neill’s ingenious set, dominated by a series of curved ribs that resemble the yards and masts of the Pequod and the massive bones of a whale." --The Orange County Register

  • <h2>JULIUS CAESAR (Writers Theater)</h2> <br><h4>"replete with designer Courtney O'Neill's vision of the explosion of a superpower, crumbling pillars, rubble and all. This must be the biggest set <strong>O'Neill, a long-standing Chicago asset, </strong>ever has designed. By an order of magnitude." --Chicago Tribune <p>"The play unfolds against Mike Tutaj's projections on Courtney O'Neill's imposing set... <strong>O'Neill masterfully conveys the before and after of the doomed republic</strong>." --Daily Herald</p></h4>

    JULIUS CAESAR (Writers Theater)


    "replete with designer Courtney O'Neill's vision of the explosion of a superpower, crumbling pillars, rubble and all. This must be the biggest set O'Neill, a long-standing Chicago asset, ever has designed. By an order of magnitude." --Chicago Tribune

    "The play unfolds against Mike Tutaj's projections on Courtney O'Neill's imposing set... O'Neill masterfully conveys the before and after of the doomed republic." --Daily Herald

  • <h2>OUR TOWN (The Hypocrites)</h2> <h4><p><strong>*Jeff Award Best Production - Play</strong></p> <p><strong> <a href="http://livedesignonline.com/resourcecenter/howtos/problem_solution/naked_city_0908/index.html">OUR TOWN Feature in Live Design Magazine</a></strong> </p><p> "Outside one audacious—and <strong>brilliant—bit of set-design excess,</strong> things hew close to the bare-bones staging the script dictates." -- TimeOut Chicago </p><p> "Courtney O'Neill's Spartan set contribute[s] to the show's laid-back, contemporary mood (from which it diverges briefly in an <strong>ingenious</strong>, affecting scene late in the play)." -- Daily Herald </p></h4>

    OUR TOWN (The Hypocrites)

    *Jeff Award Best Production - Play

    OUR TOWN Feature in Live Design Magazine

    "Outside one audacious—and brilliant—bit of set-design excess, things hew close to the bare-bones staging the script dictates." -- TimeOut Chicago

    "Courtney O'Neill's Spartan set contribute[s] to the show's laid-back, contemporary mood (from which it diverges briefly in an ingenious, affecting scene late in the play)." -- Daily Herald

  • <h2>MUD (The Hypocrites)</h2> <p></p><h4> <strong>*Non-Equity Jeff Award for Outstanding Scenic Design </strong><p><strong>*Orgie Theatre Award for Scenic Design </strong><br> </p><p> “Give set designer Courtney O’Neill credit for <strong>the most imaginative set design</strong> seen in Chicago in many a year.” – Chicago Critic <br>“designer Courtney O'Neill turns the script's inherent weakness into the biggest asset of this Hypocrites production, setting the play inside a room-size tank.” –Chicago Reader <br>“<strong>an ingenious set by O'Neill</strong>" -Daily Herald <br>“designer Courtney O'Neill [has] certainly devised a riveting form of presentation for MUD” –Chicago Sun-Times <br>“And what a world scenic designer Courtney O’Neill has created in that aquarium.” -Windy City Times</p></h4>

    MUD (The Hypocrites)

    *Non-Equity Jeff Award for Outstanding Scenic Design

    *Orgie Theatre Award for Scenic Design

    “Give set designer Courtney O’Neill credit for the most imaginative set design seen in Chicago in many a year.” – Chicago Critic
    “designer Courtney O'Neill turns the script's inherent weakness into the biggest asset of this Hypocrites production, setting the play inside a room-size tank.” –Chicago Reader
    “an ingenious set by O'Neill" -Daily Herald
    “designer Courtney O'Neill [has] certainly devised a riveting form of presentation for MUD” –Chicago Sun-Times
    “And what a world scenic designer Courtney O’Neill has created in that aquarium.” -Windy City Times

  • <h2>TWISTED MELODIES (Baltimore Center Stage)</h2> <br> <h4><strong> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/theater/twisted-melodies-donny-hathaway.html">New York Times Feature</a></strong> <br><br> "Roston singing Hathaway’s slow burn “Giving Up” leads to one of the most emotionally packed finishes on a Washington stage this year. The end of the recorded version sounds like a jazz funeral; onstage, <strong>with a substantial visual assist from Courtney O’Neill’s expressive set,</strong> it sounds like a rocket to the moon. The contradiction is remarkable — how exalting the moment is without compromising Roston’s unflinching gaze at Hathaway’s destructive demons." -Washington Post <br>"<strong>The visual side is impressive — spot-on set by Courtney O'Neill,</strong> great '70s costuming by Dede Ayite. Mike Tutaj's projections… provide a compelling complement to the final, sobering scene." -Baltimore Sun <br>"Hathaway’s final act of letting go — beautifully realized through Sanders’ directorial vision, <strong>Courtney O’Neill’s remarkable set,</strong> and great lighting and projections by Alan C. Edwards and Mike Tutaj, respectively — seems no less tragic, even if by then, we think we understand him." -Metro Weekly <br>"Courtney O'Neill's set is homage to late 70s hotel, but equipped for some neat surprises, including a door that seemingly disappears mid-show. The big window is a constant, and after we were reminded in the program it's how he fell to his death from 15 floors in 1979, it sits there ominously throughout the depiction of his final 24 hours." -Broadway World <p></p><p>"<strong>sagely designed by Courtney O’Neill</strong>" --DC Metro Theatre Arts</p></h4>

    TWISTED MELODIES (Baltimore Center Stage)


    New York Times Feature

    "Roston singing Hathaway’s slow burn “Giving Up” leads to one of the most emotionally packed finishes on a Washington stage this year. The end of the recorded version sounds like a jazz funeral; onstage, with a substantial visual assist from Courtney O’Neill’s expressive set, it sounds like a rocket to the moon. The contradiction is remarkable — how exalting the moment is without compromising Roston’s unflinching gaze at Hathaway’s destructive demons." -Washington Post
    "The visual side is impressive — spot-on set by Courtney O'Neill, great '70s costuming by Dede Ayite. Mike Tutaj's projections… provide a compelling complement to the final, sobering scene." -Baltimore Sun
    "Hathaway’s final act of letting go — beautifully realized through Sanders’ directorial vision, Courtney O’Neill’s remarkable set, and great lighting and projections by Alan C. Edwards and Mike Tutaj, respectively — seems no less tragic, even if by then, we think we understand him." -Metro Weekly
    "Courtney O'Neill's set is homage to late 70s hotel, but equipped for some neat surprises, including a door that seemingly disappears mid-show. The big window is a constant, and after we were reminded in the program it's how he fell to his death from 15 floors in 1979, it sits there ominously throughout the depiction of his final 24 hours." -Broadway World

    "sagely designed by Courtney O’Neill" --DC Metro Theatre Arts

  • <h2>THE BURIALS (Steppenwolf Theatre)</h2> <br><h4> "<strong>a deceptively simple but highly effective setting from Courtney O'Neill</strong>" --Chicago Tribune</h4>

    THE BURIALS (Steppenwolf Theatre)


    "a deceptively simple but highly effective setting from Courtney O'Neill" --Chicago Tribune

  • <h2>MEN SHOULD WEEP (Griffin Theatre)</h2> <p></p><h4><strong>*Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Scenic Design <br>*Jeff Award Best Production - Play</strong> <br> "vividly realized here in Courtney O'Neill's detailed set" -- Chicago Reader</h4>

    MEN SHOULD WEEP (Griffin Theatre)

    *Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Scenic Design
    *Jeff Award Best Production - Play
    "vividly realized here in Courtney O'Neill's detailed set" -- Chicago Reader

  • <h2>PROWESS (Jackalope Theatre)</h2> <br><h4> "Lyons has directed “Prowess” with an emotional and physical fury that fully lives up to the play’s title, and her designers (<strong>a terrific set by the ever-brilliant Courtney O’Neill</strong> is animated by superb, fear-inducing lighting and projections by Michael Stanfill, and sound by Matt Chapman) help drive the show by conjuring a summertime urban heat." --Chicago Sun-Times</h4>

    PROWESS (Jackalope Theatre)


    "Lyons has directed “Prowess” with an emotional and physical fury that fully lives up to the play’s title, and her designers (a terrific set by the ever-brilliant Courtney O’Neill is animated by superb, fear-inducing lighting and projections by Michael Stanfill, and sound by Matt Chapman) help drive the show by conjuring a summertime urban heat." --Chicago Sun-Times

  • <h2>SUNDOWN TOWN (Theatre Squared)</h2> <br><h4>“The <strong>set is gorgeous</strong> and the music is transporting.” – Fayetteville Flyer</h4>

    SUNDOWN TOWN (Theatre Squared)


    “The set is gorgeous and the music is transporting.” – Fayetteville Flyer

  • <h2> ENDGAME (Red Tape Theatre Company</h2> <br><h4>"The <strong>smart set design</strong> alone comprises a lesson in technical theater" -New City Chicago</h4>

    ENDGAME (Red Tape Theatre Company


    "The smart set design alone comprises a lesson in technical theater" -New City Chicago

  • <h2>LIES &amp; LIARS (Theatre Seven)</h2> <br><h4>“<strong>Courtney O’Neill’s set is a gilded wonder.</strong>” – Chicago Free Press <p> “Courtney O’Neill’s set, Justin Wardell’s lights and CJ Arellano’s video design are sharp and dynamic.” – TimeOut Chicago </p><p> “Theatre Seven of Chicago's world premiere of Lies &amp; Liars stylistically dazzles on just about every level. The slick production design (sets by Courtney O'Neill) ingeniously incorporates mounds of multimedia.” – Windy City Times</p></h4>

    LIES & LIARS (Theatre Seven)


    “Courtney O’Neill’s set is a gilded wonder.” – Chicago Free Press

    “Courtney O’Neill’s set, Justin Wardell’s lights and CJ Arellano’s video design are sharp and dynamic.” – TimeOut Chicago

    “Theatre Seven of Chicago's world premiere of Lies & Liars stylistically dazzles on just about every level. The slick production design (sets by Courtney O'Neill) ingeniously incorporates mounds of multimedia.” – Windy City Times

  • <h2>JON (Collaboraction)</h2> <br><h4>“<strong>Brilliant use of the space here</strong>—and packs into the last few minutes a simple, visual coup de theater that’s not unlike what David Cromer did earlier this season with “Our Town.” As with Cromer’s device, this one got me right in the gut.” – Chicago Tribune <p> “<strong>Kudos to the artistic design team</strong> for perfectly setting the stage of Jon as a multi-media onslaught—as captivating as it is nightmarish.” – Centerstage Chicago </p><p> <strong>Equally powerful are the design elements</strong>: Courtney O’Neill’s set design, which provides a new "angle" to The Building Stage space; Jeremy Gatz’s lighting and Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design. The end of the play is too important to share, but is certainly an "Our Town"-esque statement of the importance of "smelling the roses," so to speak, and finding choice within the ignorance of fear. -Edge Chicago</p></h4>

    JON (Collaboraction)


    “Brilliant use of the space here—and packs into the last few minutes a simple, visual coup de theater that’s not unlike what David Cromer did earlier this season with “Our Town.” As with Cromer’s device, this one got me right in the gut.” – Chicago Tribune

    “Kudos to the artistic design team for perfectly setting the stage of Jon as a multi-media onslaught—as captivating as it is nightmarish.” – Centerstage Chicago

    Equally powerful are the design elements: Courtney O’Neill’s set design, which provides a new "angle" to The Building Stage space; Jeremy Gatz’s lighting and Mikhail Fiksel’s sound design. The end of the play is too important to share, but is certainly an "Our Town"-esque statement of the importance of "smelling the roses," so to speak, and finding choice within the ignorance of fear. -Edge Chicago

  • <h2>TALK RADIO (The Gift Theatre)</h2><p> </p><h4><strong>*Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Scenic Design</strong> <p></p><p> </p>“<strong>Courtney O'Neill's set design works wonders</strong> with the tight space.” – Chicago Tribune</h4>

    TALK RADIO (The Gift Theatre)

    *Jeff Award Nomination for Outstanding Scenic Design

    “Courtney O'Neill's set design works wonders with the tight space.” – Chicago Tribune

  • <h2>THE MEEK (A Red Orchid Theatre)</h2> <h4>“a shabby, slacker-chic hovel by set designer Courtney O'Neill” –Daily Herald <br>“with an amusingly detailed set by Courtney O'Neill” –Chicago Sun-Times <br>“Courtney O’Neill’s grimy set” –TimeOut Chicago <br>“A Red Orchid gives the work a hyper-realistic setting from designer Courtney O'Neill.” –Chicago Tribune </h4>

    THE MEEK (A Red Orchid Theatre)

    “a shabby, slacker-chic hovel by set designer Courtney O'Neill” –Daily Herald
    “with an amusingly detailed set by Courtney O'Neill” –Chicago Sun-Times
    “Courtney O’Neill’s grimy set” –TimeOut Chicago
    “A Red Orchid gives the work a hyper-realistic setting from designer Courtney O'Neill.” –Chicago Tribune

  • <h2>THE BALD SOPRANO (The Hypocrites)</h2> <br><h4>“<strong>Courtney O'Neill's inspired set</strong>, along with Michael Griggs' bravura sound and Graney's ingenious costumes, all perfectly complement Ionesco.” –Chicago Sun-Times <br>“<strong>Exquisitely designed</strong> and performed, Graney's hopped-up-on-goofballs staging delights from start to finish” –Chicago Reader <br>“Color-saturated performances collide with Courtney O'Neill's superstylized black-and-white set and Graney's monochromatic costumes. The final result is the strongest and loosest effort from the company all season.” –Chicago Tribune <br>“Even the whimsical designs of Courtney O’Neill (sets) and Graney (costumes) are stylish odes to the printed page since everything is painted in blacks, whites and grays.” –Windy City Times </h4>

    THE BALD SOPRANO (The Hypocrites)


    “Courtney O'Neill's inspired set, along with Michael Griggs' bravura sound and Graney's ingenious costumes, all perfectly complement Ionesco.” –Chicago Sun-Times
    “Exquisitely designed and performed, Graney's hopped-up-on-goofballs staging delights from start to finish” –Chicago Reader
    “Color-saturated performances collide with Courtney O'Neill's superstylized black-and-white set and Graney's monochromatic costumes. The final result is the strongest and loosest effort from the company all season.” –Chicago Tribune
    “Even the whimsical designs of Courtney O’Neill (sets) and Graney (costumes) are stylish odes to the printed page since everything is painted in blacks, whites and grays.” –Windy City Times

  • <h2>OEDIPUS (The Hypocrites,)<p></p></h2> <br><h4>“<strong>Courtney O’Neill’s set is a knockout.</strong> Beyond the benches and fast-food patio furniture, she uses a giant globe of collected non-biodegradable trash to mirror-ball effect on the crooner stage and even throws in a winged port-a-potty as the royal chambers. The connection between the wretchedly ill people of Thebes and our own decaying society is present, but not heavy handed.” – Chicago Critic <p> “Courtney O’Neill’s garbage-strewn, freak-chic set is enclosed within blue tarps and populated with playground furniture and shower-stall totem poles.” – TimeOut Chicago </p><p> “A beautifully garish garbage playground that comprises the set suggests the imminent decay of Oedipus’ kingdom, while costumes and props make subtle but smart reference to ancient Greek theater.” – Newcity Chicago </p><p> “The Hypocrites' edgy mounting of Sophocles' classic is decidedly not Aristotle's Oedipus, but it inspires a tragic chill all the same. This is thanks to, not in spite of, the bristling, weird energy that pulses behind every aspect of the production. Each element of Courtney O'Neill's eclectic set plays a role in the drama, and Jared Moore's expressive lighting design doesn't so much set the mood as plunge you into it.” – Centerstage Chicago </p><p> “The set design expresses both the horror and mock horror aspects of the production... This strikes a balanced interrogation between the plastic and the real.” – Chicago Theater Beat</p></h4>

    OEDIPUS (The Hypocrites,)


    “Courtney O’Neill’s set is a knockout. Beyond the benches and fast-food patio furniture, she uses a giant globe of collected non-biodegradable trash to mirror-ball effect on the crooner stage and even throws in a winged port-a-potty as the royal chambers. The connection between the wretchedly ill people of Thebes and our own decaying society is present, but not heavy handed.” – Chicago Critic

    “Courtney O’Neill’s garbage-strewn, freak-chic set is enclosed within blue tarps and populated with playground furniture and shower-stall totem poles.” – TimeOut Chicago

    “A beautifully garish garbage playground that comprises the set suggests the imminent decay of Oedipus’ kingdom, while costumes and props make subtle but smart reference to ancient Greek theater.” – Newcity Chicago

    “The Hypocrites' edgy mounting of Sophocles' classic is decidedly not Aristotle's Oedipus, but it inspires a tragic chill all the same. This is thanks to, not in spite of, the bristling, weird energy that pulses behind every aspect of the production. Each element of Courtney O'Neill's eclectic set plays a role in the drama, and Jared Moore's expressive lighting design doesn't so much set the mood as plunge you into it.” – Centerstage Chicago

    “The set design expresses both the horror and mock horror aspects of the production... This strikes a balanced interrogation between the plastic and the real.” – Chicago Theater Beat

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