Murder For Two

Joe Kinosian (Book and Music) is the co-book writer (with lyricist Kellen Blair) and composer of Murder For Two, which he’s also performed in nearly 700 times as The Suspects. Murder For Two had its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, receiving the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical and earning Joe a nomination for Best Leading Actor, before going on to an acclaimed off-Broadway run, where it earned Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. A two-year national tour and well-received productions in Japan, China, Korea, England, Chile, and Argentina followed. Joe’s work with Kellen has been showcased at The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and on Broadway at the Theatre World Awards, and their new musical Diane, a backstage farce, is currently in development at Second Stage Theater. Joe received the ASCAP Foundation Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award for excellence in musical theater, selected and presented by Stephen Schwartz, and the Harrington Award from the BMI Workshop. His acting credits include the off-Broadway hit Dear Edwina, as well as regional productions of the Mae West bio Dirty Blonde (with Emily Skinner), An Act of God, and the title role in the comedy The Nerd. www.kinosianandblair.com

JC Clementz (Director) is excited to make his MRT debut. His directing credits include The All Night Strut!, Murder for Two, Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, The Doyle & Debbie Show, Forever Plaid, and five seasons of Rep Lab (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and the New York premiere of Waiting: A Song Cycle (The World’s Stage/Cherry Lane). As Casting Director at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and previously at Milwaukee Rep, JC has cast over 75 productions out of Chicago and New York City. Highlights include the world premieres of Tracy Letts' The Minutes and Linda Vista, The Doppelganger (an international farce) starring Rainn Wilson, and Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over, which was filmed at Steppenwolf by Spike Lee and made its debut at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. He most recently cast and served as Artistic Producer on Steppenwolf’s world premiere production of Bruce Norris’ Downstate, which will transfer to The National Theatre of Great Britain in spring of 2019. JC holds an MFA in Directing from Western Illinois University. Much love to Phil and Tinkin. www.jcclementz.com

Regina García (Scenic Designer) A Chicago-based scenic designer, Regina has long standing relationships with renowned Latino theaters, including Repertorio Español, the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, INTAR, Teatro Vista, and Pregones Theater. Regina is a Fellow of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and the Princess Grace Awards, USA. She is an ensemble member with Rivendell Theatre Company, Advisory Board member of the Latinx Theatre Commons, and a Regional Associate Member of the League of Professional Theatre Women. Recently completed projects include Steppenwolf Theatre Company, GALA Hispanic Theatre (Helen Hayes Nomination), and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She joins the Design Faculty at DePaul this Fall.

Aimee Hanyzewski (Lighting Design) Aimee is glad to be working with the Merrimack Repertory Theatre. She is the Resident Lighting Designer at Edgewood College in Madison, WI.  She has designed for Milwaukee Repertory Theater for over 13 years for such hits as Always Patsy Cline, Black Pearl Sings!, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Times of Bessie Smith, I Love a Piano, Liberace, Debbie and Doyle, Ain’t Misbehavin’, From My Hometown, Fire on the Bayou, Grafton City Blues, Venus in Fur, The Year of Magically Thinking, A Christmas Carol and many others.  Other theaters Aimee has designed for are Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, In Tandem Theatre, Next Act Theater, Forward Theater, Madison Savoyards Ltd, and The Legacy Theatre. Not only a lighting designer, in 2010 Aimee was nominated for a Jefferson Award in Chicago for her scenic design of Of Mice and Men for Oak Park Festival Theatre.

Ashlee Wasmund (Associate Director) joins the Murder for Two team from North Carolina, where she proudly serves as the head of Musical Theatre and Dance at Western Carolina University's School of Stage & Screen. She also choreographs and directs professionally around the country, most recently as the choreographer for New Light Theatre’s production of Hitler’s Tasters in NYC. Prior to her move to North Carolina, Ashlee worked as a Chicago-based actor, choreographer, and director with area theaters such as Milwaukee Repertory, Drury Lane Theatre, Midsommer Flight, First Folio Theatre, and Provision Theatre, among others. She holds an MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University. As always, endless love and gratitude to Colin and Fiona for holding down fort while I’m away.