This Halloween, join us at the LICM theater! Uncle Vlad’s nephew Chad is getting ready to graduate from Booniversity, but needs to pass his final horror merit badge tests.
Join Uncle Vlad, Gargamel the Rat, Great Aunt Margarine, Johnny Bones, and the whole spooky crew in a celebration of the pumpkin patch’s youngest bat.
The Vlad team is proud to be returning to the LICM Theater stage for their fifth year of Halloween fun. Each year presents a different story with some familiar and some new
kooky and creepy faces, making the shows a puppet-filled treat for anyone who likes some tricks!
Meet The Cast
Austin M. Costello
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Austin Michael Costello is a Puppet Artist from Long Island, New York. Growing up as a certified (*or is it certifiable?) Muppet geek, he pursued his love of puppetry. Costello received his BFA in Puppet Arts from The University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program in 2015 and has continued learning his craft at The National Puppetry Conference. He has gone on to work for Puppet Kitchen’s monthly Monitor Night, in The Jim Henson Company’s New York Workshop and Archives, as a director for The Hudson Vagabond Puppets, and as a giant backup dancing monster for Danny Weinkauf’s Red Pants Band. His childhood geekiness bloomed in 2017 when pieces from his Muppet collection were put on display at Museum of The Moving Image in New York as a part of The Jim Henson Exhibition. He is currently the Resident Puppet Artist and Technical Director at Long Island Children’s Museum Theater, where he has designed, built, directed, and performed thousands of puppets in many styles since 2010. For TV, Sesame Street, Helpsters; off-Broadway, All Hallow’s Eve, Scurry.
Taylor Costello
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Taylor Costello is glad to be returning to Uncle Vlad’s Pumpkin Patch for his fourth year in the show. Beginning in its second year, he played The Invisible Man’s brother-in-law “The Visible Man”. Since, he has been performing Johnny Bones, the standup skeleton comic who finds himself quite HUMERUS. Fittingly, Taylor is a licensed medical massage therapist and owner of The Bodysmith Fitness & Massage LLC. Whether he is loosening muscles with a massage, or tightening them with bad puns, he is proud to be performing at the LICM Theater once more, welcoming thunderous applause.
Josie McSwane
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Carrie Heffernan
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Carrie is thrilled to be back on the LICM stage this year, reprising her role of Aunt Margerine. She has been performing in Children’s Theatre Shows at LICM theatre and Long Island for over 15 years. Some of her favorite past credits include: Bus Driver in “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” Glinda in “The Wizard of Oz” & Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella.” She is currently the owner of “It’s Possible Entertainment,” a local character entertainment company bringing magical moments to families all over Long Island. “Impossible things are happening every day!”
Kyle Mahoney
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Kyle Mahoney is one of the creators, writers, directors, and performers of Uncle Vlad’s Pumpkin Patch. He has performed in over a dozen shows on LICM’s stage including Elephant & Piggie, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Mysterious Lake. He is currently LICM’s Multimedia Producer and one of its Visitor Experience Coordinators. Legends states that Kyle is actually an immortal being inhabiting its most handsome flesh vessel to date.
Lisa Rudin
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Lisa Rudin is a Long Island-based director, choreographer, and performer. At LICM, her previous directing credits include Pete the Cat, Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”, and Frederick. As a performer, her favorite role on the LICM stage is the Little Old Lady in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! In addition to her work at LICM, she is the founder and director of Theatre Playground, an acting studio. She has worked across many areas of the entertainment industry as a performer, writer, producer, director, and casting director. As Artistic Director of the LICM Theater, Lisa strives to create welcoming, high-quality theatrical experiences for audiences of all ages.