T.J. Shanoff is a Chicago-based musical entertainer, producer, and creative director. T.J. wrote, directed, and musically directed for over 20 years at The Second City, including creating the music and lyrics for the hit musical, Rod Blagojevich, Superstar. T.J. is represented Off-Broadway as co-creator/director of Blank! The Musical, now playing at NYC's The Green Room 42, after opening at New World Stages in 2014.  T.J. is currently a musical director at Chicago's acclaimed new venue, the Chicago Magic Lounge, and was a featured performer at City Winery Chicago's Downtown Passover Seder. 
 
A piano player "by ear" for nearly 40 years, T.J. specializes in Beatles, old-school Broadway, and more TV themes than any fairly-sane individual should know how to play. Since 1998, T.J. has musically directed at The Second City, iO, Annoyance Theater, annually for the Chicago Emmy Awards, and for projects across the country. 
 
T.J. is a trusted musical emcee (a la Paul Schaffer), host, and auctioneer for corporate and fundraising events, notably Gilda’s Club Chicago’s annual “Night Of A Thousand Noogies” at the historic Park West theater. On the air, T.J. has co-hosted talk shows on Sporting News Radio, and Chicago's legendary WLUP-FM, and WCKG-FM; none of which are around anymore, but that’s not T.J.’s fault, ok? What are you, a lawyer? You could've disclosed that earlier, you know. 

T.J. has a real gift for starting paragraphs with his own name, and is a proud alum of the Latin School of Chicago, Emerson College, and Harand Camp Of The Theatre Arts.