A Request of Our Audience

Please be respectful of the actors! We invite guests to interact with and interrogate the actors during this performance, but we ask that you be mindful of their personal space and real human feelings. We enjoy this element of the mystery, so please avoid any inappropriate, hurtful, or threatening remarks.

86'ed

A murder mystery comedy by Stefanie R. Austin

February 9, 10, & 11, 2023 @ 7pm
February 12, 2023 @ 1pm
Titan Hollow in Bellefonte, PA

It’s Valentine’s Day at "Don’s Steakhouse", a local fine dining restaurant, where the steaks are rare and the stakes are high! Not only is it the busiest night of the year, but a very important guest will be arriving soon, and things must be perfect. As the maître d’ works to keep the restaurant running smoothly, staff keep disappearing for smoke breaks and gossip, someone is stealing tips, and one server thinks the restaurant is her own personal performance space. And who keeps setting off those firecrackers?! Threats are made, lovers quarrel, and tensions build, leading one person to resort to cold-blooded murder. As if by fate, an Inspector shows up right on time to help crack the case.

Poster design credit:
Caitlin Meleski of Caitlin Meleski Artwork

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Cast

Maeve.................................STEFANIE AUSTIN
Grace..................................LIZ FUHRMANN*
Charlotte.............................HEIDI COLE
Jack....................................KYLE STANLEY*
Don......................................DANIEL SKILES*
Rick.....................................DAVID SMITH*
Inspector Collins................JARED KEHLER*
Guest #1.............................ANNE GAMBLE*
Guest #2.............................JARED ERNICO*
Guest #3.............................KARI WILLIAMSON

*Sock & Buskin debut

Crew

Producers....................................GREGG BAPTISTA, STEFANIE AUSTIN Director........................................NATE SCHIERMAN*
Assistant Director........................KARI WILLIAMSON
Stage Manager............................KARI WILLIAMSON
Assistant Stage Manager...........LILLI FALCON*
Costume/Set/Props....................MEGHAN TANNER
Lighting/Sound Designer............STEFANIE AUSTIN
Light/Sound Technicians............NATHAN GLUNT*, JAMES ROHAN
Set Design Engineer....................PETER AUSTIN*
Set Construction..........................PETER AUSTIN*, STEFANIE AUSTIN,
DANIEL SKILES, GREGG BAPTISTA
House Manager...........................GREGG BAPTISTA
Photographer...............................CORBIN PEARCE*
Video Editor..................................JAMES ROHAN
Graphic Designer..........................CAITLIN MELESKI

*First production role with Sock & Buskin

Meet The Cast

Stefanie Austin

Maeve, Writer, Co-Producer, Lighting/Sound Designer

Stefanie is the President and a Founding Director of Sock & Buskin Theatre Company. Stefanie’s been an actor, director, and various other roles in a number of productions since 2014; her most recent acting roles were as Miss Scarlet in SCCT’s Clue in April and as Sherry in S&B’s debut show, Sibbleger in June. Stefanie has also been dabbling in playwriting: in addition to 86’ed, Stefanie penned Sin-ergy and co-wrote Cutthroat Christmas (along with friend Kari Williamson), both performed by Sock & Buskin last year. Off-stage, Stefanie works at Penn State, plays soccer and softball, and enjoys spending time with friends and family, including her amazingly supportive husband, Peter (who often creates construction design for shows), and their two kids and two dogs. Like her character Maeve, Stefanie enjoys the spotlight and is excited to return to the stage in this Valentine’s themed murder mystery. She thanks the talented cast, crew, and volunteers for all their amazing work on this production, as well as the community for their support of S&B.

Liz Fuhrmann

Grace

Liz is thrilled about her Sock & Buskin debut! Prior to moving to State College in April, Liz worked in the journalism and marketing industries in Buffalo, NY. She currently works in Strategic Communications for Penn State. You may have seen her in A Murder Has Been Renounced with State College Community Theatre back in November. Prior roles include Felicia Dantine in I Hate Hamlet, Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest, and a Witch in "The Scottish Play" with Canisius College Little Theatre in Buffalo. She would like to thank her partner Nathan for his continued love and support (like being willing to jump in on the crew!), as well as her friends and family for continuously cheering her on.

Heidi Cole

Charlotte

Heidi had her acting debut in 2022’s Clue on Stage with the State College Community Theatre, playing the roles of The Cook and The Singing Telegram Girl. Later that year, she was lucky enough to help out Sock & Buskin with their Halloween fundraiser, Terror in Transylvania. She can also be found on various local stages doing improv and standup comedy as well as performing karaoke

Daniel Skiles

Don, Set Construction

Daniel Skiles should be stored at a slight angle, out of direct sunlight. Temperature should remain between 45° and 65° Fahrenheit, with an optimal value of 55°. Humidity levels between 50% and 80% are generally regarded as safe. Should any measured values significantly deviate from these levels, seek shelter and contact your closest UN-OST signatory at your earliest possible convenience.

Kyle Stanley

Jack

Kyle is delighted to make his Sock and Buskin debut with the wonderful cast and crew of 86’ed! He discovered the stage last year, stepping into the heel-clicking shoes of Inspector Pierre Perrier for the SCCT’s production of Dead Tuesday. Later that year, he appeared — briefly 😉 — in the same theater’s production of Clue as Mr. Boddy. Kyle hails from Vermont, and also lived in Maine and Massachusetts before moving to State College in 2020 to pursue a Statistics PhD. He would like to thank his friends and parents for coming to see the show. Cheerio!

David Smith

Rick

David is ecstatic to make his Sock & Buskin debut with this hilarious cast as he steps out of his usual singing and dancing roles to play Rick the hot head chef in 86'ed. Most recently he performed with ACT in both Addams Family and She Loves Me. David & his Wife, Emily have recently taken over the family business at Old Main Frame Shop where he assists individuals and companies with their custom framing needs. David spends the rest of his life adventuring with and living in awe of his beautiful wife, as well as being the best possible PapaBear to his two daughters, Elliana & Mia. David would like to thank all of his family and friends for their support. MAD LOVE.

Jared Kehler

Inspector Collins

Jared is excited to make his Sock & Buskin Theatre Company debut! Having graduated from Penn State in 2019, he decided to stay in the area for at least a few more years. Since he was a freshman, he has been in multiple State College Community Theatre productions, including Jekyll & Hyde (2015), The Wedding Singer (2016) and was Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2017). Last year he starred in his first murder mystery in SCCT’s A Murder Has Been Renounced, and currently serves on SCCT’s Board of Directors. He has been involved with other theatre companies in the surrounding area, playing Ken Gorman in the Stone Arch Players’ production of Rumors (2022), and was in the debut production of Fallout (2022) at the State Theatre. Jared would like to thank everyone that has supported his theatrical endeavors throughout the years, and hopes you enjoy the show!

Anne Gamble

Guest #1

Anne is fairly new to Centre County and was happy to find a theater group. She started her acting career in 2nd grade as the wicked stepmother in Hansel and Gretel, in high school worked painting sets, then took a break for several decades. Since 2010 she had small parts in several musicals including Jekyll and Hyde, Annie Get Your Gun and Music Man and was lead in comedy dinner theaters, playing the rich aunt in I Shot My Rich Aunt, the Queen in a comedy set in Medieval times and a few others. Anne is a retired English teacher, mother of two and grandmother of four. She resides in Bellefonte with her 5 dogs and a cat and spends lots of hours volunteering at Centre County PAWS.

Jared Ernico

Guest #2

Jared is a Pennsylvania native that migrated to State College from south central PA back in 2008. He is brand new to the theater world in State College and practically brand new to theater in general. Many moons ago in a mountain town far far away he played a hotel detective in a murder mystery known as Bridesmaids in Fur. When he is not pretending to eat food on the big stage he loves spending time with his amazing wife Kelly. He also enjoys playing with his corgis Banjo & Teddy Roosevelt along with enjoying all the fantastic things to do in Centre County. Jared doesn’t work a day in his life because his career as a REALTOR with RE/MAX Centre Realty is amazing!

Kari Williamson

Guest #3, Stage Manager, Assistant Director

Kari is excited to take on the role of Stage Manager and of Guest #3. Her recent theatre credits include co-writing, directing and playing the role of Christy in Cutthroat Christmas. Kari served as assistant director for Sock & Buskin’s production of Sin-ergy and as director for Sibbleger. Kari has also been seen on stage in SCCT’s productions of Dead Tuesday, Murd-arrrr! Pirates of the Salty Dog, and 9 to 5. When not on stage, Kari can be found cooking, hanging out with her family, and working for Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses. Kari would like to thank her family for their unwavering support. And a big thank you to her husband, Steve, who supports her dreams, no matter how crazy they seem.

Video & Photos: Corbin Pearce of Corbin Pearce Photography
Video Editing: James Rohan

Meet The Crew

Nate Schierman

Director

Nate has acted in a handful of area productions, where he was always trying to boss people around, so it was only natural for him to step into the director’s chair. He lucked out with a very talented cast and crew that allowed him to sit back, do as little work as possible, and hog all of the praise and glory.

Meghan Tanner

Costumer, Props Master, Set Designer

Meghan is happy to help Sock & Buskin in this production of 86’ed! Throughout high school, Meghan was a member of the stage crew for both plays and musicals in a variety of roles, including props manager. She also had the opportunity to join Sock & Buskin as the skeleton, Bones, in Terror in Transylvania. Outside of theatre, Meghan enjoys running, Dungeons & Dragons, reading, and spending time with her husband, Albert, and pitbull, Olenna.

Caitlin Meleski

Graphic Designer

Caitlin considers herself to be “a small-town-famous graphic designer with a passion for digital artistry”. She is a 2015 Advertising Art & Design graduate of SUN Area Technical Institute and a 2019 Bachelors of Arts graduate of Susquehanna University. Before designing promo artwork for Sock & Buskin, Caitlin has designed posters for productions presented by Selinsgrove Area High School Theatre, Riverstage Community Theatre, and many other small theater companies across the United States. Caitlin hopes to continue to combine her skills in design and her love for theater and hopefully get to work for productions on Broadway. You can follow her work on Instagram and Facebook @caitlinmeleskiartwork.

Lilli Falcon

Assistant Stage Manager

Lilli is so excited to be a part of this wonderful, hilarious production in her first ever crew position, and her third show with S&B. When she’s not at rehearsals, you can usually find Lilli drinking Starbucks, eating junk food and traveling to see her family. Lilli is currently a second year PhD student in Educational Psychology at PSU. She is so grateful to the talented cast and crew of 86’ed for being so awesome to work with, and to her roomie, her mom and her fiancé for always supporting her.

Corbin Pearce

Photographer/Videographer

Corbin is a Photographer in State College, specializing in Headshots and Portraits. That focus made hopping on the Sock and Buskin crew a no-brainer, and he’s excited to join the production! When he’s not in his studio working on projects, he can be found traveling and exploring, or sometimes just reading a book.

James Rohan

Video Editor, Lighting Technician

James is a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, with a bachelor's degree in Digital Arts. He is currently working as a graphic artist and also loves to find any opportunity to do freelance work. James was happy to get the opportunity to join Sock & Buskin during the summer as a designer and helped by creating a logo design for the group. James also served on the production crew in Sin-ergy and Cutthroat Christmas. James has a strong passion for Digital Art, such as Graphic Design and Photography, and is thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a fun and interesting group like Sock and Buskin where he can use that passion.

Gregg Baptista

Co-Producer, House Manager

Gregg performed in and worked backstage on various high school and community theatre productions in his native Massachusetts and returned to theatre in 2021 after a long hiatus. Last year, he was seen on stage as Mr. Green in SCCT’s production of Clue and as Greg in Sock & Buskin’s Cutthroat Christmas, and he helped out backstage for Sock & Buskin’s Sin-ergy. Gregg works as a writer in development at Penn State in an office filled with talented and quirky coworkers. He helped launch Sock & Buskin Theatre Company in 2022 as a member of its board of directors and is looking forward to another fun and exciting year of live theatre.

Peter Austin

Set Design Engineer, Set Construction

Pete got started with designing and constructing set pieces for theatre in 2021 when his wife, Stefanie, recruited him to construct pieces for SCCT’s productions of Barefoot in the Park, 9 to 5: The Musical and Murd-ARRR! Pirates of the Salty Dog. Last year he designed the set construction plans for Clue: On Stage, also with SCCT. Scene 2's “trash room door” is Pete’s first contribution to a Sock & Buskin Theatre Co. production. He enjoys the unique challenge of building items for theatre (on a theatre’s budget!) and finding another hobby to do with his wife. Pete holds Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and works at Penn State as an R&D Engineer. When he’s not working or building doors, Pete enjoys video games, board games, watercolor painting, and playing with his kids and dogs.

Nathan Glunt

Sound Technician

Nathan has been involved in live sound ever since he was a teenager. From live stages, small bars and outdoor amphitheaters, he has helped set up audio equipment and mixed a variety of venues. He is very excited to work with Sock and Buskin on his debut production. Nathan was born and raised in Altoona, Pa. He moved closer to the State College Area for work with AccuWeather designing and maintaining studios as an Engineer. Aside from live sound production, Nathan is an avid musician always looking for gigs in the surrounding areas.