The
25th Annual LA Weekly Theater Award Nominees SurvivorFever.net 2.26.04
Congratulations to
Jeff Varner for an LA Weekly Theatre
Award nomination for Best Ensemble,
As I Lay Dying, Open Fist Theater.
Varner is the first Reality TV contestant to be nominated
for a legitimate acting award.
The 25th annual L.A. Weekly Theater
Awards, honoring work
on small stages in 2003 and hosted by Buffalo Nights Theater
Company, will be held on Monday night, April 26, at the Los
Angeles Theater Center.
The Character: Samson
A
30-something Mississippi store owner who's torn between his
happy and welcoming public persona and his dark, turbulent
private life. A secret alcoholic and procurer of
prostitutes, Samson and his hysterically emotional wife
Rachel, welcome the traveling family to stay at their home.
Their visit leaves death and despair, to which Samson reacts.
The role is more dramatic than comedic. Jeff, as Samson,
found the perfect balance between humorous and haunting.
The feedback was that Samson was one of two characters which
audiences left the theatre remembering.
While Jeff is training on stage, he
is not actively pursing an acting career. He currently
works as a television host and reporter. Jeff can be seen
each week on TV
Guide Channel.
Jeff's Acting Credits Since Survivor:
-- Studies with Howard Fine and Laura Gardner in Hollywood.
-- Trained at HB Studios in NYC and privately with coach
Alice Spivak.
--Roles include Earl of Westmoreland in Shakespeare's
"Henry IV," Pylades in Chuck Mee's "Songs of
Joy and Destitution" (opposite former Days of Our Lives
actor Robert Cuthill), and Samson from Faulkner's "As I
Lay Dying."
Survivor
Interactive 
Congratulations to
Jeff Varner for an LA Weekly Theatre
Award nomination for Best Ensemble,
As I Lay Dying, Open Fist Theater.
Varner is the first Reality TV contestant to be nominated
for a legitimate acting award.