Sin-ergy

A murder mystery by Stefanie R. Austin

October 6, 7, & 8, 2022
7pm at Titan Hollow in Bellefonte, PA

Much is at stake at Synergy, Corp.’s third annual L.E.A.D.E.R.S. conference, but it seems like nothing is going right. Bounced checks, canceled speakers, missing swag bags, a sewage leak…and a dead body. They do say that solving murder is great for team building.

Poster design credit:
Caitlin Meleski of Caitlin Meleski Artwork

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Cast

Ryan Johnston.........................ZACHARY MYERS*
Kelly Johnston.........................ELIZABETH BAPTISTA
Jenna Rhymer..........................JESSICA KARP
Graham Morton.......................CHRIS BRANNEN
Craig Daly..................................NATE SCHIERMAN
Ava Morris.................................LILLI FALCON
Paula Perry................................MELISSA BRANNEN
Lewis..........................................MICHAEL PROCANIN BERNOSKY

*First time acting

Crew

Producers...................................................KARI WILLIAMSON, STEFANIE AUSTIN Director......................................................STEFANIE AUSTIN
Assistant Director.....................................KARI WILLIAMSON
Stage Manager..........................................APRIL COCKBURN*
Costume/Set/Prop Design.......................APRIL COCKBURN*, JAYDA COCKBURN*
Light/Sound Designer/Technicians..........EMILY STILLWAGON, JAMES ROHAN*,
GREGG BAPTISTA
Production Assistants...............................JAYDA COCKBURN*, GREGG BAPTISTA
Stage Crew................................................JAYDA COCKBURN*, MEGHAN TANNER
Photography/Videography......................JAMES ROHAN*
Graphic Design.........................................CAITLIN MELESKI

*First production role

Meet The Cast

Elizabeth Baptista

Kelly Johnston

Elizabeth Baptista, originally from Massachusetts, calls beautiful Bellefonte home. She works for Centre Volunteers in Medicine with the best coworkers and volunteers around. Elizabeth minored in theatre in college and returned to the stage for the first time in 25 years earlier this season with SCCT, first as Mrs. White in Clue then as Chelsea Thayer in On Golden Pond. She is honored to be part of Sock and Buskin’s inaugural season and work with such an awesome cast and crew. Elizabeth would like to thank her family for demonstrating their own acting skills by always mustering a good-natured “yes” to the incessant question, “Will you practice my lines with me?"

Zachary Myers

Ryan Johnston

Zach is a PhD student in Educational Psychology at Penn State originally from Solon, Ohio. He graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a B.S. in Neuroscience & Psychology and is so excited to be in his first production EVER! Zach would like to thank the Sock & Buskin Theatre Company for this opportunity, Lilli Falcon (his roommate) for encouraging him to audition, his fellow actors for their guidance and his spouse for their unwavering support of any and all activities he sets his mind to.

Jessica Karp

Jenna Rhymer

Jessica Karp lives and works in State College. She was in the Nittany Valley Shakespeare Company’s 2014 production of King Lear. In 2016, she appeared in the all-female cast production of 1776 at the Nittany Theatre at the Barn, which was the first time she sang in a chorus on stage. In 2017, she and a friend put on a staged reading of Donald Margulies’s Collected Stories, and in 2018, she was part of Tempest Production’s production of Clare Boothe Luce’s The Women. In 2020, she portrayed Maya in The Next Stage’s production of Susan Griffin’s Voices. Last year, she was involved in her first murder mystery playing the detective in SCCT’s murder mystery Girl’s Night Out. She is excited to be in this premiere of Stefanie Austin’s Sin-ergy, congratulations and thank you, Stefanie. She would also like to thank her wife Mar for her unwavering love and support.

Chris Brannen

Graham Morton

Chris is excited to be back on stage again with his wife, Melissa. Chris and Melissa met 15 years ago when they were both making their stage debuts in the 2007 SCCT Production of Ramshackle Inn where they played each other’s significant others and their lives changed forever. They were cast in many more shows together where they fell in love with both acting and each other. Chris has been lucky to perform with the SCCT (The Odd Couple 2009, Hello Dolly 2010, Wonderful Town 2010, and August: Osage County 2013) and with the Stone Arch Players (Sabrina Fair 2007, Laura 2008, The Unexpected Guest 2009, Dial M for Murder 2010, and Murder on Arrival 2011). Chris lives in Park Forest with his wife Melissa and two fabulous dogs Winnie & Sammy whom he loves TOO much. Chris currently spends his days working as a contractor for the NYC based Investable Indices group at Bank of America. Chris is thankful to be working with such a splendid cast and talented crew in this Sock and Buskin Production.

Nate Schierman

Craig Daly

Nate’s illustrious theatre career began with his tour de force portrayal of the titular character in a pre-k production of Peter and the Wolf. Starting in the late 1990s, he took a brief twenty-year hiatus from the stage to pursue more frivolous endeavors. He worked in a number of different roles for NBC in New York and Burbank. Was a zookeeper at a number of facilities across the country, caring for all manner of fauna. Worked seasonally doing data analytics for the NFL, and finally earned an M.Ed. from Penn State and now works as an academic adviser for the School of International Affairs. Nate made his triumphant return to the stage in 2019 only to be stalled by the pandemic. But you can’t keep a good man (or him) down. Following this production, Nate will be pursuing his membership in the SAG-AFTRA stuntman’s guild.

Lilli Falcon

Ava Morris

Lilli is a second year Ph.D Student in Educational Psychology at Penn State and is originally from Miami, Florida. She graduated from Baylor University with her B.S. in Neuroscience. A lifelong fan of theatre, she is very excited to be in her first show since middle school! Previous theatre experience involves middle school productions of Thoroughly Modern Millie and Aladdin. Lilli is so thrilled to get back into her love of performing. Lilli would like to thank the cast and crew of Sin-ergy for the opportunity to take part in this amazing show, as well as her roomie Zach (who plays Ryan), her partner Josh, and her family and friends for their endless love and support.

Melissa Brannen

Paula Perry

Melissa is enjoying every minute of her second production with Sock & Buskin Theatre Company! In addition to being back on stage with hubby, she is having a blast ‘playing' with her new friends in this fantastically funny murder mystery. She will be channeling her inner "Paula" for a long time after the show closes just to mix it up a bit at home (yes, you should feel sorry for her husband). 2022 marks 15 years in community theatre for Melissa performing in over 25 shows with Nittany Theatre, Stone Arch Players, Tyrone Community Players, and No Refund Theatre. Her day job is at Penn State where she “makes research happen” as a negotiator for the Office of Sponsored Programs. She thanks the cast and crew for donating their time to give us all such a great creative outlet to share with the community. "This is a truly welcoming group that is a joy to work with!" – Melissa

Michael Procanin Bernosky

Lewis

Mike is a Boalsburg resident. Actor trained at the now legendary Nimrod Theatre (Sydney, Australia) and an M.A. Theatre Arts (Penn State). In regional theatres he has appeared as Pablo Picasso in My Name Is Pablo Picasso and as Phil Hogan in Moon For The Misbegotten (State Theatre); Colonel Nathan Jessup in A Few Good Men (Millbrook Playhouse); Father Joe Callahan in Father Joe (Next Stage Prods.); Gouverneur de la Bourdonnais in Paul & Virginia and Bogart in Play It Again Sam (Penn State). Mike congratulates the founders of the Sock & Buskin Theatre Company, Stefanie, Kari, and Gregg, with the old theatrical good luck quip: “Break A Leg!”

Meet The Crew

Stefanie Austin

Producer, Writer, Director

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 roles were as “Miss Scarlet” in SCCT’s Clue in April and as “Sherry” in S&BTC’s debut show, Sibbleger in June. Sin-ergy is Stefanie’s first ever play she’s written and she thanks everyone who helped her along the way in writing and bringing it to life! She feels very fortunate to direct such a talented cast and to work with such a dedicated crew. Off-stage, Stefanie works at Penn State Human Resources, plays soccer and softball, and enjoys spending time with friends and family, including her husband, Peter (who is always supportive of her endeavors), and their two kids and two dogs. Stefanie thanks you for attending the world premiere of Sin-ergy during S&BTC’s debut season! She also invites you to find her at the show, say “hi”, and tell us what YOU want from community theatre!

Emily Stillwagon

Light/Sound Designer/Technician

Emily is a seasoned sound engineer who trained many years ago at Full Sail University. She has traveled all over the states working shows and gigging her heart out. She was a theatre and av tech at The National WWII Museum and worked on a variety of performances and corporate events. From doing wardrobe for Disney on Ice to sound for Vice President Pence, she loves every minute of it, though, The Victory Belles shows at The Stage Door canteen are some of her all-time favorites to work. After being in New Orleans for a decade Emily decided it was time to move back home. She is excited to keep rock n rollin in her hometown. “It’s all about the load out.” -Emily

James Rohan

Photographer, Video Editor, Light/Sound Assistant

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. Getting close to the production of Sin-ergy, he signed on to help as a photographer to take photos and video to help promote the upcoming shows. 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.

Kari Williamson

Producer, Assistant Director

Kari is excited to be participating in her second production with Sock & Buskin Theatre Company. In June she directed the debut show, Sibbleger. She has recently been seen on stage in SCCT’s 9 to 5 as Kathy, in Murd-arrr as Momma, and in Dead Tuesday as Bunny. Kari works for Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses as the Director of Information Technology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, learning new things, and spending time with her family. She also loves to sing and is always up for a karaoke night (her friends call it Kari-oke). Kari would like to thank Stefanie Austin and Gregg Baptista for being great friends and collaborators. She’d like to thank the cast and production team for their hard work and dedication to the show. It has been a pleasure working with such talented people. Finally, she’d like to send her love to her husband and two kids who always support her, no matter how big or crazy her dreams may seem.

Meghan Tanner

Stage Crew

Meghan is excited to join Sock & Buskin as a production assistant! She is finishing up her Master’s in Physics at Penn State this semester and is happy to be able to now have the time to get involved in theatre once more. Throughout high school, Meghan was a member of the stage crew for 4 years of plays and musicals in a variety of roles, including props manager. She hopes you all enjoy Sin-ergy and is looking forward to joining Sock & Buskin in future productions!

Gregg Baptista

Light/Sound Technician, Production Assistant

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. He was most recently seen on stage as Mr. Green in SCCT’s production of Clue and worked backstage for Sock & Buskin’s first production, Sibbleger. 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 this year as a member of its board of directors and is looking forward to all the exciting things the group has in store for the rest of this season and beyond.

April Cockburn

Stage Manager, Costume/Set/Prop Designer

April is enjoying her role as stage manager and helping with costume/prop/set design. She has a very helpful assistant, her daughter Jayda, who is very creative and has some fantastic ideas for set design! Both April and Jayda are new to the community theatre scene, but are enjoying their time and learning a lot!

Jayda Cockburn

Costume/Set/Prop Assistant, Assistant Stage Manager, Stage Crew

Jayda is assisting her mom in stage managing and designing props. The play has inspired her to script and produce a movie of her own. She is having lots of fun with the play and is looking forward to helping with many more.

Caitlin Meleski

Graphic Designer

Caitlin considers herself to be “a small-town-famous graphic designer with a passion for digital artistry”. Before designing the promo artwork for Sinergy, 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. Earlier this year, her poster work has received many accolades including a Hermes Creative Award and two Muse Creative Awards. She has also acted in a few theatrical productions including, but not limited to, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Man Who Came To Dinner, The Music Man, Jekyll & Hyde, Cabaret, Mamma Mia, and Spamalot. 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.