CAST AND CREW
(in alphabetical order)
TIM ACKERSON (setup/teardown/re-set) has worked on the crew since he moved to the area in 2000. A friend for over 30 years, he is the only person on the current production (besides the Efrans) to have seen any of the decorated hallways in Rochester that started this tradition.
ANGIE COOPER (tapestry artist) also painted the exquisite hieroglyphic designs for The Curse of Anubis.
ILENE DYLLER (Her Majesty, the Queen) burst upon the scene as Madame DuVive in Séance at Midnight, reprising that role the following year in The Medium and the Message. She served as narrator for The Curse of Anubis, played Adler, the second-in-command astronaut, in 3001: The Shadow Planet, and was Marta, a night watchperson, in Night of the Golem.
DANIEL EFRAN (assistant producer, associate director, scriptwriter, illusion worker) has been involved in all facets of the Halloween productions since 1974, most prominently directing and acting as well as designing and constructing special effects. He starred as the hero in The Lost Temple of the Maya, made a memorable impression as the poignant yet violent Rat Boy in Side-Show Spectacular, and has co-directed and co-written most of the shows since 1988, doing much of the work long-distance, commuting and communicating from Pittsburgh. He has also written original music for several of the shows and has videotaped a number of productions. Sometimes described as having a Cecil B. deMille complex, he was saying things like “All we need is a laser” (eventually borrowed from a physics lab for Space Pod) long before lasers were readily available for a few dollars at Staples.
ELSA EFRAN (associate producer) is primarily responsible for candy, catering, costumes, critiquing, crowd control, data, editing, errand running, graphics, painting, papier-mâché, publicity, research, supplies, and last-minute odds and ends. She is still hoping that someday there will be a Nobel Prize for gofers.
JAY EFRAN (producer, director, scriptwriter) has been involved in stagecraft and magic since his youth. Little did he know that turning brown wrapping paper into “rocks” in order to create a witch’s cave in a hallway in Rochester, New York, in 1968 would lead to masterminding more than 30 years of Halloween productions. He is legendary for resurrecting a number of arcane ways of making people and objects appear, disappear, emit smoke, and burst into flames-often simultaneously.
RICH GENGA (illusioneer) has constructed a number of magical devices for various productions, including the frame for this year’s show. Pam Genga ably assists him.
BRUCE LORIA (illusioneer), a new volunteer, built the alchemist’s magical laboratory table.
PAT McMAHON (John Vernon-The Alchemist) finally steps into a speaking role after three years of playing heavily disguised character roles, beginning with the Dementor in Hogwarts for Sale! and continuing as the Alien arm and miniature spacecraft puppeteer in 3001: The Shadow Planet and the Golem in Night of the Golem. He is also an indefatigable member of our group’s setup crew.
MIKE REMSHARD (illusion worker) began his career with the company doing sound effects for Aladdin’s Dream; the following year he stepped onstage as the Peasant Boy in The Enchanted Forest. Two years later, he again assisted backstage, this time preparing chemical effects for Rite of the Undead. After several years in the Midwest, he returned to play Zito, a night watchperson, in Night of the Golem.
BRENNA ROSENBERG (illusion worker) was the carnival employee who took pity on the Rat Boy in Side-Show Spectacular.
SARINA ROSENBERG (Narrator) played the Lovely Assistant in Side-Show Spectacular.
JORDU SCHELL (makeup) created one of our first major effects, the Talking Head, in 1985, and made memorable masks for Aladdin’s Dream, The Curse of Anubis, and Side-Show Spectacular. He designed, constructed, and operated the Alien in 3001: The Shadow Planet, and last year he designed and built the Golem. A native of Mt. Airy, he regularly returns from California—where he designs creatures for the movies and teaches sculpting—to assist with Halloween shows and enjoy the changing of the seasons.
MARK SCHENKER (sound effects) narrated A Knightmare to Remember and came into his own as Parkins the Butler in Séance at Midnight. Mark was the dry-ice wrangler for The Medium and the Message and has been a staple of our outdoor crowd-control force for many years. He is also the father of two of our actors—David Kornblith (Young Arthur) in A Knightmare to Remember and Molly Schenker (Krakkit the House-Elf) in Hogwarts for Sale!
MOLLY SCHENKER (illusion worker) debuted as Krakkit the Elf in Hogwarts for Sale! and has helped with porch duties in other years.
MATTHEW SEPIELLI (painting) joins us for the first time.
JOHN SIEMIAROWSKI (associate producer, head carpenter, head electrician) has been an indispensable part of our productions ever since he assisted with set design, construction, lighting, and special effects for Séance at Midnight. As Master of Electrical Wizardry, he has rarely heard a wild idea of Jay’s that he hasn’t been able to bring to life. His daughter, Leah, was a child ghost in Séance at Midnight and a damsel in distress in The Curse of Anubis. His son, Jake, made a cameo appearance as Harry Potter in Hogwarts for Sale!
BECCA STALLINGS (scriptwriter, attendance-taker) joined the crew in 1998 as a prop-painting assistant and attendance taker. In 1999, for Side-Show Spectacular, she served as head plastering assistant, off-set Rat Boy wrangler, and attendance taker. She was one of the scriptwriters for Hogwarts for Sale! as well as an elf makeup artist. For 3001: The Shadow Planet, in true show-business tradition, she stepped into the role of narrator at the last minute to replace an ailing cast member.
EMILY STEINBERG (set painting) is new to the company this year.
TIM VERDUIN (Edward Fuller) starred as Professor Ludvic Lowe in Night of the Golem and was Perkins, the jittery astronaut in 3001: The Shadow Planet.
RIVKAH WALTON (set painting, chemical re-set) is new to the crew this year. Among her other duties, she created the Queen’s elegant shoes.
OTHER SET DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION HELPERS:
Jeanne & Stephen Collins
Laura Cronk
LOAD-IN CREW:
Tim Ackerson
Pat McMahon
Michael Remshard
TEARDOWN CREW:
Kiel Ackerson
Tim Ackerson
Will Boehm
Pat McMahon
Suzanne McMurphy
Michael Remshard
Rivkah Walton
CROWD-CONTROL ASSISTANCE:
Kiki Bernard
Claude Bernard
Kristen English
Stephen Hatzai
Barbara Kessler
Michael Kessler
Sharon Ross
Jordu Schell
Jake Siemiarowski
SPECIAL THANKS:
Elayne Bender and Herschel Rubin.