Joey Katsiroubas (Music & Lyrics/Music Director) is thrilled to bring Musical Therapy to the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. This is the show’s second production, following its debut at Gorilla Tango in Chicago. Prior to Musical Therapy, Joey was a music director for MCL Theatre's improv show, VAMP, and for Second City's longest running show, #DateMe. He has contributed original music to Off The Wall Theatre's Pagliacci, and was the music director for the University of Illinois' production of Hairspray. He is excited to announce that Musical Therapy will be playing again in DC's fringe festival this summer!

Dan Hass (Book) is a comedy writer from Chicago turned LA beach rat (with the tank top tan to prove it). During the day, he’s a Development Executive at AwesomenessTV, pitching original programming for Awesomeness, Awestruck, and DreamworksTV. As a writer, he’s created shows, shorts, and pilots—on top of national commercials and ad campaigns for Kia Motors, Harley-Davidson, Jack in the Box, and Universal Studios. His short film, Magic H8 Ball, is currently hitting the festival circuit. And his favorite project, Musical Therapy, is going to knock your sock (puppets) off. 

Madison Smith (Director) is a graduate of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she got her degree in Directing and Management from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film. In 2014 she co-founded Death & Pretzels, a company dedicated to exploring oddity, antiquity and ensemble-built experiences. Her credits with them include directing and producing The Dybbuk, Gruoch, or Lady Macbeth, Anatomy of Gray, very still & hard to see, Musical Therapy, Helmut's Big Day, and The Basement Company. Madison has been fortunate enough to work with several other companies in the city including Three Cat Productions, Team StarKid, Otherworld Theatre, the Beverley Theatre Guild, and assistant directing on productions at RedTwist and the House Theatre of Chicago. Madison is stoked to be bringing Musical Therapy to the stage again at the CMTF and looks forward to remounting the production at various venues every six months for the rest of her natural life. 

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Katelyn Stoss (Choreographer), originally from Kansas, is stoked to be choreographing this perfectly silly musical! She earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Wichita State University and hit the road for a year with Missoula Children’s Theatre. Since arriving in the city she has directed and choreographed The Music Man (Summer Place Theatre), choreographed The Snow Queen (Nequa Valley), Legally Blonde (Warren Township), and Curtains (Vernon Hills). Katelyn’s current projects include Cinderella (Maine West), and Catch Me If You Can (Warren Township). Some of her favorite performance roles are Schwartzy in Spelling Bee, Elaine in Crazy for You, and Kate in Pirates of Penzance. Much love and thanks to the entire team, cast, and crew for this hilariously therapeutic opportunity. Stoss loves pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Clare (Assistant Director) is super stoked to be working as Assistant Director for this production of Musical Therapy the Musical. She received her Bachelor of Arts for Theatre Performance and Directing & Management from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film in 2014, and she is grateful to be working again with some former colleagues and some new friends. When she's not working in theatre, Clare can be found teaching herself the drums as part of her New Year's resolution and listening to audio books. 

Lili Björklund (Stage Manager) is a stage manager, sound designer and part time playwright. She recently graduated from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA with a degree in Theatre for Social Change. Favorite works from college include 8’18” (Production Designer), m[other] (Sound Designer), Boy Gets Girl (Technical Director) and In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play (Stage Manager). Back home in Colorado she was assistant stage manager for An Iliad and Silent Sky at Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. She is writing a piece called Dirt Play, a show about grief and trauma and the fact that the world is made

of dirt. Lili is delighted to be working with Madison again after stage managing The Basement Company with Death & Pretzels!