The Mystery Theatre Unlimited Cast — Butch Maxwell

Co-founder of the company and principal actor for his roles in 64 shows; he wrote or was co-author of 52.

Butch Maxwell

He directed Towngate Theatre’s 2018 production of August: Osage County, Towngate’s May 2021 production of Murderers, and the 2024 production of Rabbit Hole. His one-act Fine was produced at Pittsburgh New Works Festival in late September 2010. He appeared in Matches at Towngate Theatre in 2009 and The Strap at ITC in 2009, both co-starring with Arlene Merryman. He also appeared in 1000 Variations of a Lie Told Once for ITC in 2010. Along with fellow students Bob Athey and Bert Furioli, he co-founded “The Generic Players” comedy company at West Liberty State College. Refusing to grow up, they later formed Company B, which performed original comedy at the Cornerstone Project in Wheeling (1994–1996).

Radio & Improv: He hosts a local radio program on WKKX (The Watchdog), Butch Maxwell’s Complete Waste of Airtime (Wednesdays at 2 pm on AM 1600). He appears regularly with Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre improv troupe, The Left of Centre Players, and he’s also a co-conspirator in an off-and-on original rock project known as Teaser…

…and a new wave tribute band called The M-80s.

In January of 2006, Butch appeared in Towngate Theatre’s National Playwriting Award-winning production Fool Circle. He also appeared in Towngate’s May 2003 production of The Sunshine Boys, the November 2002 production of Born Yesterday, and in 2001 portrayed Frank N. Furter in the Hilltop Player’s production of The Rocky Horror Show.

He also directed the Strand Theatre’s 2019 production of The Importance of Being Earnest, and acted in the Strand’s Mamma Mia! Other Towngate Theatre appearances include the one-man show The Santaland Diaries (2001), Neil Simon’s Chapter Two (2000) and The Gingerbread Lady (1998), La Ronde (1996), and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1995).

Writing & Co-Writing

He is author of “Salon, Farewell, Auf Weidersehen, You’re Dead” and co-author of dozens more, including: Bridgerdon Abbey, The Calmityville Horror, The Capitol Hillbillies, The Case of the Ms. and the Show Biz Whiz, Coleslaw & Order, Dead of State, Dead of the Class, A Deadly Christmas Carol, DOA in the Y2K, E.A.T. (The Extra Added Terrestrial), Elliot Brick’s Case of the Maltese Ferret, Happily Never After, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, How the West Was Dumb, I Killed Lucy, Indiana Smith and the Raiders of the Lost Sequel, Indiana Smith and the Restaurant of Doom, Johnny B. Dead, Kill Phil, Last Kill and Testament, Mayberry R.I.P., The Menace of the Super-Duper Party Pooper, Mind Over Murder, Mission: Unpossible, Murder at the Kit Kat Klub, Murder in the Mansion Museum, Murder on the Luv Boat, Murder Under the Big Top, My Big Fat Reality Wedding, Nothing Much About Doo-Doo, Once Upon a Crime, One Life to Lose, Overture for an Undertaker, The Pirates of Poughkeepsie, Popguy the Sailor Man, Rock ’em Dead, Slay Ride: Rudolph the Dead-Nosed Reindeer, Slay Ride 2: Fright Christmas, Slay Ride III: The Case of the Santa Sham Scam, Slay Ride IV: Revenge of the Claus, Slay Ride V: CSI North Pole, Slay Ride Six: Santa’s Last Christmas, Slay Ride 7: The Buttcracker Suite, Star Bores, The Strange Case of Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hype, Survivor on Killigan’s Island, Tales from the Script, A Very Hellmark Christmas Special, Who Killed the Top Chef?, Who Wants to Murder a Millionaire?, Wizard of Odds, and You’re a Dead Man, Chuckie Brown, plus script-doctoring on several others.

His Mystery Theatre Credits

As principal actor:

As an understudy: Peeves — A Medium for Murder (1997)

In a different role in revival:

For more nonsense about him, see Butch Maxwell’s Complete Waste of Web Space.

The Mystery Theatre Unlimited Company