Spooky stories, professional actors and Take 10. Cue the Halloween music: we have a scary brew planned for the Gazette’s live Take 10 audience on Friday, Oct. 27 during the noon hour on the Gazette News Facebook platform. Yes, it’s the Halloween edition of our popular springboard to promote southern Colorado entertainment.

During the month of October, Gazette reporter Stephanie Earls prompted our younger audience to finish a scary story that she had begun. Actors Steve Austin and Martha Lockhart will be performing the top three endings for Stephanie’s story.

Austin is an accomplished professional actor, voice talent and acting coach in the Pikes Peak region who knew in the sixth grade that he had to follow his heart into acting.

“There was a kids’ play that I was in and as soon I heard the applause from my fellow sixth graders to the performance, that’s all I needed,” he said.

After retiring from the U.S. Air Force after 20 years of service and then working as a defense contractor and full-time civilian employee for the government for more than a decade, Austin knew he had to make his move to professional acting and also help others sharpen their acting skills. His acting credits include being in the 2016 movie “Heaven Sent” as George the mailman. He will be in the upcoming movie “The Not So Good Samaritan,” due out in 2018, and filmed in part in the Pikes Peak region.

Austin’s smile is contagious when he talks about helping others listen, feel and respond as an actor to a role and helping them achieve that goal in the industry.

“You have to persevere. It’s a never-ending road. Have a lot of patience. It’s a long journey and it never stops,” he said.

Lockhart will join Austin on our live Take 10 spooky story performance. This native Coloradan began her love of performing at the age of 3 with her first dance recital.

You will see Martha and Steve perform these winning Gazette spooky story endings, live on our Take 10, Friday during the noon hour, exclusively on our Gazette News Facebook platform.

If you are someone who likes to perform, I want to hear from you and find out what you can do to wow a crowd. Go ahead and email me at eric.singer@gazette.com so that you can be on a future Take 10 performance.