TEDx Talks: The Murder Room

Phillip Magin

Phillip Magin (Actor) holds a B.A. in Theatre from SDSU. San Diego credits include The Great Khan (u/s) (San Diego Repertory Theatre), The Mineola Twins (MOXIE Theatre), On Her Shoulders We Stand (TuYo Theatre/La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival), La Lucha (Optika Moderna), Macbeth (Coronado Playhouse). LA Credits include a staged reading of the new play Christmastown (New West Playwrights/Ensemble Studio Theatre LA). Phillip wrote, directed, and produced Turn Me On, Dead Man for the San Diego International Fringe Festival (KPBS Beth Accomando Top 10 Pick). Phillip is a Marketing Coordinator for La Jolla Playhouse and a teaching artist at North Coast Repertory Theatre.

Stephen Simpson

Stephen is incredibly excited and grateful to be once again working with Director Michael Mizerany, previously playing the role of Quint in Marry Me, Dennis Branigan. In the past year, Stephen has also performed with Shakespeare in the Vines in A Midsummer Night's Dream as Demetrius and in Romeo & Juliet as Tybalt. He was most recently seen playing Romeo in Romeo & Juliet (Vanguard Theatre) in Point Loma. Thank you to friends and family for all your support!”

Michael Mizerany

Playwright: Michael’s first full-length play, The Big D, was produced and directed by Ronnie Larson and ran for 4 sold outs weeks at The Abyss Theatre in Fort Lauderdale. His second full-length play, Wally & His Lover Boys, premiered at Diversionary Black Box to great critical success. Michael premiered his third full-length play, Marry Me, Dennis Branigan at The Tenth Avenue Arts Center. This new romantic comedy won the San Diego Broadway World Award for Most Anticipated Production of a New Play. Recently, his play The Big D made its West Coast Premiere at The Complex Theater in Los Angeles, produced by G3productions. Most recently, Michael premiered the first play in his Thrillogy Series, A TWISTED BARGAIN, at The Tenth Avenue Arts Center in April with subsequent performances at The Complex Theater in Los Angeles in October of 2022. Michael Mizerany Choreography/Director Credits: Altar Boyz (Coronado Playhouse), Bat Boy: The Musical, The Rocky Horror Show (OB Playhouse), Songs From An Unmade Bed (Compulsion Dance & Theatre), Hot Guys Dancing, In The Va Va Voom Room, Midnight Alley, Man Clan, Manhandled and ManTrap (Diversionary Theatre). Choreography Credits (Selected): Dooley, Miss Kitty’s Wild West Revue, Scrooge In Rouge, Thrill Me, Bare: A Pop Opera, A New Brain. Hedwig & The Angry Inche and Tryst (Diversionary Theatre); Chicago: A Speakeasy Cabaret, Grey Gardens and Cabaret (Ion Theatre); Suds and Carnival (The Coronado Playhouse); Spring Awakening, When The Rain Stops Falling, Stupid Fucking Bird, Shockheaded Peter, Pride & Prejudice and The Last Five Years (Cygnet Theatre); Voyeurs De Venus (Moxie Theatre); The Full Monty and Smokey Joe’s Cafe (New Village Arts) and Dido & Aeneas (Bodhi Tree Concerts). Michael has been nominated for the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Choreography for Dooley, Altar Boyz, Spring Awakening, Bare: A Pop Opera and Voyeurs De Venus and has won the LA Stage Scene Award for Outstanding Choreography four times for Altar Boyz, Bare: A Pop Opera, A New Brain and Shockheaded Peter. Most recently, Michael was nominated for 3 Aubrey Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for Green Day’s American Idiot, Heathers: The Musical and Scrooge in Rouge, winning for his propulsive and high energy dances for Green Day’s American Idiot.

Jared Jacobs

Jared Jacobs is San Diego based, mostly recently designing Hands on a Hardbody (Coronado Playhouse), Love Song (Scripps Ranch Theatre), A Twisted Bargain (Compulsion Dance & Theatre), and The Rocky Horror Show (OB Playhouse & Theatre Company). Specializing in musical theater, plays, and other custom lighting projects, he originally began designing at a young age in Maine. Jared later joined the Marines where he was stationed in San Diego and began to work with many theaters in the community. When he isn’t working on lighting design he enjoys surfing, working in IT, and riding the trolley.

Tony Ayala

Anthony Ayala is a Chicano actor from Norwalk California. He first found a passion for fight choreography when he was in High School. In an off chance, he enrolled in a stage combat class which sparked an interest he never strayed away from. Studying at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln as well as at California State University Fullerton, he was able to take several stage combat classes as well as participating in fight choreography heavy shows such as Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Frankenstein. This is in addition to actually choreographing fight scenes in such shows as Fly Over States, at the Arena Theater, What Happens After (Casa 0101) and Disgraced (Cal State Fullerton).