Developed with Mallory Miner-Selby
Just a few days after 2025's show Wanderlust, my wife and I were talking about ideas for 2026 and I suggested a whodunnit might be fun. What we wound up creating was a very different show that was both more thematic and dramatic than what we'd done before. The entire project had several notable influences, with the intro video using the theme from Knive's Out, the design of the story inspired by the movie version of Clue (with a different jewel thief each night), and the poster using silhouettes from Disney's Emil and the Detectives poster.
Instead of a regular auditorium playlist of music, we used music from classic detective and noir films. Pauses in between performances were filled with detective sketches and musical interludes from Only Murders in the Building, A Simple Favor, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Maltese Falcon, Ocean's Eleven, Columbo, The Third Man, Skyfall, Poker Face, and Murder on the Orient Express.
Beyond the show's audio design, I did visual design for a pre-show animation featuring a magnifying glass effect, the design for show shirts for the team, and Detective Notes card and notepads inspired by the board game Clue. The logo treatment used Monty Blanco by Ikiiko and Bradley DJR by David Jonathan Ross. Additionally, supporting artwork and elements used both Chausson CF (a revival of Othello) by Chuck Mountain, Atencio (a Rubens revival) by Crown Type, and Clauthbound by SimpleBits.
In the lobby, the logo was printed and applied to the doors to welcome guests in. A classic pair of cork boards with evidence photos and suspect photos connected by red string drew attention when entering above tables featuring the programs and Detective Notes to play along. Other elements in the lobby included upscaled versions of the detective's file folder props on the doors to the auditorium.
A video loop featuring a magnifying glass element moved around the show's logo on the screen in the auditorium, as thunder rumbled as the audience got settled in. The show started with the intro video, followed by several introductory sketches with our dance officer detectives looking for clues in the audience. At intermission, a web-based poll ran allowing the audience to vote on who stole the jewel.
2026 Title Treatment
Fonts: Monty Blanco, Bradley DJR, Chausson CF
2026 Variations (detail)
Different versions of the logo treatment
2026 Poster
11x17
2026 Program
8.5x11 booklet (back/front)
2026 Door Decals
Printed on clear vinyl
2026 Detective's Props
File Folder with ~3-5 printed documents
2026 Shirt Design
Two-color, DTG printed
2026 Intermission
Agatha Christie film-inspired title
2026 Detective Notes
Inspired by the board game Clue
