A Very Special Hanukkah Special - Mark Harvey Levine

About This Episode

In this special Halloween edition of Stories Found, we’re chatting with the multi-talented playwright, composer, director, and performer, Fred Tacon and then listening to his hilarious and spooky ten-minute play, Rent-a-Stiff.

Rent-a-Stiff – Mr. Ut, the proprietor of a human taxidermy rental company, is at risk of losing his livelihood due to aging inventory and new competition. But, he makes shocking discovery that just might save his business. This macabre comedy is well-suited for themed evenings of short plays for Halloween, horror, or simply the strange and unusual.

Fred Tacon is a playwright, composer, director, and performer from Hebron, Kentucky (just over the river from Cincinnati, Ohio). He recently starred as Nick Bottom in a sold-out run of ‘Something Rotten!’ at The Footlighters Inc. in Newport, Kentucky. Fred’s writing usually focuses on theatre for young audiences, and his musical, ‘The Jester Prince’, and plays, ‘Clara and the Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Pond’, have been enjoyed by audiences in Kentucky and Ohio.

He has also written several short plays, musicals, and monologues that have been seen and streamed in a variety of ways and places. His 10-minute musical, ‘Puddle Jumpers’, will be a part of The Drama Workshop’s Homebrew Theatre, January 2023, in Cincinnati.

Fred serves as Vice President of the Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging the development of new works for the stage by Kentucky playwright

Read more of Fred’s plays on NPX, The New Play Exchange.

Rent-a-Stiff was performed for us by:

Joe Llorens has been a performer for over twenty years. In that time, he’s done things. Some of those things he’s liked, even. Joe will keep trying to do things he likes and not be as judgy about the things he doesn’t like because he really should cut himself a bit of a break. He loves his wife, children, and pets, though. A lot.

Liz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In the Central Florida area, she has performed with the Gemini Blvd collegiate a cappella group, Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Central Florida Community Arts, and Playwrights Roundtable. She has also worked virtually with the Fragmented Festival and is excited to continue working virtually with Stories Found. Liz is a core collective member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, a group dedicated to producing meaningful theatrical productions that uplift, develop, and celebrate emerging and untapped voices. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, she has helped with new play development and production, including new works in the Orlando Fringe Festival. Most recently, Liz was honored to perform the role of “Amy” in Ava Love Hanna’s piece, There Will Be Bears for PRT’s production of Launch.

Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.

Danielle Muething has twenty plus years of experience in professional acting a...