AMERICA'S FUNNIEST MURDER MYSTERY THEATER GROUP

Randy Manning is the creator, writer, and producer of "Jest" Mysteries.

Jest performs shows across the United States from California to New York, and everywhere north, south, and in between. Randy also writes and produces his own brand of family-friendly sketch comedies,

has directed, (and acted), in many theater productions, and you may even see him on TV, or in print, from time to time.

Carolyn is a founding member of the touring comedy improv team Authorized Personnel. She is a current member of the X-Ray Company at Acme Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles. Her television and film credits include: Gilmore Girls, Passions, The Practice, Orange County and the pilots Cup O’ Joe and Postcards From Heaven. She is a series regular on the pod cast Virgin Falls. You can find out more about Carolyn at www.thatcarolynwilson.com

TIM COLLINS is an actor/writer who has been creating/touring his own one-man shows since 2002. Tim’s also a three-time winner of the 15 Minute Playwriting Festival and was commissioned by the Center For Cultural Exchange to create new work. A recipient of the Wallis Foundation Grant, Tim was a featured performer at the 24th annual "Sharing The Fire" National Storytelling Conference in Boston, performing from L.A. to Caribou, Maine. Tim is an award-winning educator, teaching acting and improvisation to incarcerated youth. Most recently, Tim won a chance to compete in the 2006 National Slam Poetry Championship.

Kimberly Lewis received an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. She has been improvising for 16 years and writing comedy for over 7 years. She is currently a member of the ACME Players and Zebra Company, ACME Comedy Theatre’s main sketch and improv companies, and has won multiple awards for her original character work and writing in both. She teaches and directs improv at ACME as well, and offers private coaching.

She is also a member of the award-winning improv troupe, the Liquid Radio Players, and guests with many other distinguished improv groups in town. Kimberly has performed with some of the best improvisers around, including Second City’s David Razowsky and Shulie Cowan, Saturday Night Live’s Nora Dunn, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Antionette Spolar-Levine, Boston Legal’s Gary Anthony Williams, The Soup’s Joel McHale, actor and comic Rick Overton, etc.

Not long ago, Kimberly appeared in the original rock musical The Possession of Mrs. Jones, directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (Legally Blonde 2, Kissing Jessica Stein), which received three Ovation Award nominations.

On television Kimberly has appeared on PBS’ children’s series Jakers!, and HBO’s Sketchpad II, among others. She also appeared in the sketch comedy pilot Nick & Gary vs. The World (with Gary Anthony Williams) and the sitcom pilot Cooking With Kay, which just premiered in LA’s Dance With Films Festival. (acmecomedy.com; liquidradioplayers.com; cookingwithkay.com)

Jest Murder Mystery - Bill Chott

BILL CHOTT is a seasoned actor, stand-up comic, writer, producer, and director -- and is internationally recognized as one of the best in improv. He's worked in 19episodes of "Saturday Night Live," written and performed for "TheDana Carvey Show," starred in the Farrelly brothers' film, "The Ringer"and has appeared in many other films and TV shows including "ER," "CSI:Crime Scene Investigation," "Third Rock from the Sun," and "Freaksand Geeks." He also does commercials and voiceovers and has performed in and produced special events for several Fortune 100 corporations. In addition, Bill has performed with such acclaimed improv groups as Second City and The Groundlingsand was in "Clef Notes," the first-ever improvised musical. He's performed improv around-the-world, and he currently teaches improv in New York, LA, and St. Louis.

THERESA MASTERS has been acting in theatre, film, television, industrials and comedy for about twenty years. In addition to working with Jest Murder Mysteries, she also performs with and writes for the NonProphet Theatre Company's sketch comedy troupe, the Millitant Propaganda Bingo Machine. Her past stand-out and critically acclaimed performances include: "Holga" in Muddy Waters Theatre Company’s "After the Fall," "Lettice" in "Lettice and Lovage" with Theatre Unlimited, and "Shannon" in the motion picture "April is My Religion".

ED REGGI was born and raised in the Big Apple and knew he was a performer from the moment he met Bill Cosby outside the NBC studios across the street from Reggi’s Brooklyn home. He spent his teen days sneaking onto the set of the famed Bill Cosby Show to learn the ropes from the comic master, Cosby himself. Reggi pursued Theatre at the University of New York and later completed his BFA. Ed continued his mastering of comedy at the historic Second City in Chicago . Today Reggi is the Director of Theatre & Voice at The Center of Contemporary Arts in St. Louis, Mo.

WHIT REICHERT, (in 30 years of professional acting), has appeared in most of the professional theatres associated with St. Louis including The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Muny, The Black Repertory Theatre, Stages, The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Historyonics Theatre, and many others. Whit has also appeared regionally at The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Great Plains Theatre Festival, The Riverside Theatre, Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals, Casa Manana, Little Theatre on the Square and Lyceum Arrow Rock. Whit has also done film, television and hundreds of radio and television commercials.

LESLIE MANNING has enjoyed being on stage and entertaining people one way or another since she was four. In addition to acting, her performance background includes modeling, singing and clogging. Since coming to St. Louis, Leslie has appeared with MASC, Kirkwood Characters & Company, and others. She has worked for Jest Entertainment two years and likes the improvisational comedic format. Leslie attends SIU in Edwardsville, IL and is working towards a BA in Mass Communications…Be sure and let her know if she’s not communicating massively.

JIMMY DOYLE is a native of Chicago, now living in Hollywood. He's an actor whom audiences will recognize as the "red tag guy" from GM commercials, or the "guy who keeps spilling his coffee 'cause his friend keeps hitting the brakes" in the Chevy commercials, or the guy who........well, you get the idea. Jimmy was a member of the National Touring company and the e.t.c. company of Chicago's Second City for six years, and performs his own solo work at the Comedy Central stage in Los Angeles. He was also a regular performer as "Father Doyle" in the smash hit "Late Nite Catechism" all over the U.S. After almost twenty years in show business, he still makes his older sister worry that he should go back to college.

CAROL HODSON has come to “JEST” with a 20 year love affair with theatre, both in acting and directing. A few credits include “Annie” (Ms. Hannigan) “Wizard of OZ” (Wicked Witched of the West), “Harvey” (Veta Louise),“Moon Over Buffalo” (Charolette) , “Disney High School Musical” (Ms. Darbus),also appearing in local television commercials and worked as an “extra” in film. Carol is the Artistic Director for Curtain’s Up Theater Co. in Edwardsville , Il . Other areas of interest include working with the Standardized Patient program at Washington University School of Medicine. Carol is very happy to be a part of the “Jest” Team and Lovin’ Life!

CAROL ROSE, a St. Louis native, recently received her Music Theatre BFA from Illinois Wesleyan University . Her work in local St. Louis theater companies include The Muny, St. Louis Shakespeare, Piwacket Children’s Theatre, Six Flags Palace Theatre, and the Bravo Theatre Group. Favorite productions include, Anything Goes, A Chorus Line, Oliver , Evita, and The Rocky Horror Show. Carol is an Arts For Life A ward recipient and two-time nominee. Regionally she has worked at Weathervane Playhouse and Galveston Island Musicals. After traveling the country singing and dancing, Carol is thrilled to be home to perform for her favorite people: Her friends and family in St. Louis .

Howie Hirshfield

HOWIE HIRSHFIELD hails from New York City, where he produced and wrote several off- and off-off-Broadway productions. Since arriving in St. Louis he has founded and acted in several Improv troupes, (Madding Crowd, City Improv, The Guys Who Showed Up, The Arch Rivals), as well as appearing in several films and local Midwest productions. He is also a professional storyteller, and is currently producing and acting in The Howard-Brinkley Report, a comedy news parody revue which will be appearing on radio as well as the Tower Grove Abbey in St. Louis.

CAROL PALMER is a well known singer/actress/dancer on numerous stages in the Des Moines area. Most recently Carol appeared in the original production of “Caucus! The Musical”. She has performed in over 40 productions since the early 1980's such as: Cats, Three Penny Opera, Footloose, Judy's Scary Little Christmas, Seussical the Musical, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, Crazy for You, Singin in the Rain, Sweeny Todd, Guys and Dolls, 42nd Street, Anything Goes and many others. Carol also performs a one woman 90 minute cabaret act featuring numerous Broadway Musical numbers which is a definite crowd pleaser. Working her full time day job as well makes for a busy life along side husband Dan Chase and their 13 year old daughter Madeline.

Director/ Writer/ Performer, Dan Green received his MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University, his BA from Southern Illinois University and is a graduate of The Second City and The Second City Player’s Workshop in Chicago. Dan has worked in TV production on several programs including ER, THE SOPRANOS, PARTY OF FIVE, TIME OF YOUR LIFE, FANTASY ISLAND, THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY JR., SHE TV and most recently the Emmy Award winning show, THE WEST WING.

Dan has directed and produced two 35mm films. The first, ENTROPY toured the country on the festival circuit. His second film, LISTEN, a documentary about inner city teens avoiding involvement with drugs in alcohol was marketed as a teaching tool in classrooms throughout the United States.

As a writer, Dan 's produced work includes co-writing the film, LISTEN. He also wrote Canterbury Air at Los Angeles City College and Brethren Christian High School, Long Beach, CA; Crew Hours at Los Angeles City College and An Elf Chorus Line for 'In The Spotlight Studio' in New Jersey. He recently directed a reading of his newest script called THE RULES OF A MUSLIM IN LOVE in Los Angeles. As a casting Director, Dan cast JOHN AND CAROLYN KENNEDY, THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS for National Geographic Channel. He also cast NIXON IN CHINA, 72’ for Central Chinese Television (CCTV), Beijing, China.

He has directed over 70 plays and dozens of industrials including The Alchemist, Little Eyolf, Alcestis , and No Exit. He was a board member at the award winning Circle Theatre in Chicago where he directed Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Harold and Maude and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You. His New York productions include Waiting Women and Alicia in Wonder Tierra at New Dramatists and The Unruly Booby for Ensemble Studio Theatre. In Los Angeles, he co-directed Frankie And Johnny At The Clare De Lune for The Whitefire Theatre, Once Buried, Twice Shy, at The Barnsdale Art Gallery, Voices in Harmony at The Tiffany and Met Theatre, Loving at the St. Ambrose Arts Center, Penelope Plans at Bang Theatre and The HBO Workspace, Merrily, Merrily for EST, All The Way and In A Trembling Hand for Write-Act Theatre Company and December Imbalance for Magna Carta Theatre. He has founded and directed several comedy/improvisational groups, including 'Authorized Personnel', which toured the country. He was also the producing director for the company Plays On Tape, where he directed their premiere productions of Thanatos and The Bug.

He is currently on the acting faculty of The Theatre Academy of LA City College where he teaches Acting, Improvisation and Orientation to the Profession. While there, he has directed All In the Timing, Crew Hours and Sage. He also co-directed and produced their Fifth Annual Showcase of Short Plays. He is also the Academic Advisor for Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz School Master of Entertainment Industry Management program in Los Angeles. For the school, he teaches Script and Story Analysis and Creative Producing. Prior to this appointment, Dan was part of the founding faculty of The Entertainment Technology Center for Carnegie Mellon University in Adelaide, Australia teaching Visual Story Telling and Improvisation.

Other teaching appointments include being an adjunct lecturer for the Radio/ TV/ Film program for The University of Texas at Austin LA Program. He was a returning guest director for the University of Michigan's Festival of New Work and also acted as the Screenplay Director during the first four years of the Festival. He coordinated the Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College Program from 1992-1994 and taught several classes. He has also taught at Wilmington College, OH; The Body Politic Theatre, Chicago; Warm Springs Indian Reservation, OR; The Pittsburgh Playhouse; The DuPage Repertory Theatre, Chicago; Triton College, Chicago; and Actors Communication Training Lab, LA. For the past three years, Dan has been the guest-acting teacher/director for In The Spotlight, a professional dance school in Wyckoff, New Jersey. He worked as the internship coordinator on ER and The West Wing. Dan was the judge for 2004 Inaugural Galesburgh Film Festival in Galesburgh, Illinois.

Dan is a recipient of the West Coast Drama Alumni Clan’s Directing Award, the Marguerite Carra Memorial Service Award and the Lincoln Academy’s Laureate Award. He received Carnegie Mellon’s Alumni Service Award in 1999. In 2005 he was the keynote speaker for the Freshman Orientation program and delivered the keynote address at Carnegie Mellon’s 2005 Commencement.

DAN CHASE has performed, over the last 35 years, and directed, on many stages around the midwest, including stops in Rock Island, Illinois; Davenport; Mt. Pleasant; Denison; Eldora; Winterset; Des Moines; and Urbandale. Although his favorite role is "whichever one I'm doing right now" including his most recent turn as Mr. Peachum in "Three Penny Opera" for the Westminster Fine Arts Series this past fall, Dan's most memorable roles include John Wilkes Booth in Stephen Sondheim's “Assassins” for the Drama Workshop and Roat in “Wait Until Dark” at the Des Moines Playhouse.

Jest Murder Mystery Bios!

MURDER MYSTERY SHOWS - MURDER MYSTERY CORPORATE EVENTS - MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATER - MURDER MYSTERY CHRISTMAS PARTIES - MURDER MYSTERY TEAM BUILDING

Our "Jest Mysteries" Actors are...

and many "talented" others...

Would you like to be an actor with Jest Mysteries?

The first step is to email your headshot and resume' to Randy