Stage Fright

Written By Scott Simmons

The owners of Escape Room Pittsburgh relied on the creative team of Needs More Fog to bring their newest and first-ever scary escape room to fiendish life.  STAGE FRIGHT is an hour-long immersive experience  plunging guests into the depths of an abandoned theater haunted from beyond by Madame Zemsta and her legions of demonic puppets.

Script, Puzzle Design, Custom Artwork, Props, Audio Design, Internal Video production, and Scenic Design & Production provided by Needs More Fog in association with the technical team at Escape Room Pittsburgh. 

Creative Director: Scott Simmons 

Puzzles Developed by Melissa Sapienza Garret, Scott Simmons

Project Manager: Wayne Simmons 

Script Written by Scott Simmons, Melissa Sapienza Garrett 

Concept Artwork and Art Direction: Kelly Braden

Lead Scenic Painter: Heather Heitzenrater

Lead Carpenter: Joe Sugar

Additional Scenic Carpentry: Michael Richter

"Zemsta" portrayed by Tamara Siegert Spangler 

Theater Manager portrayed by Kalee George

Seraphine Puppet created by Michael "Rib" Ribagin, RibFX

Scenic Team: Crystal Cavitt, Melissa Sapienza Garrett, Kalee George, Leah Henderson Rossi, Scott Simmons, Wayne Simmons, Nicole Danielle Testa 

Special Thanks to Jon Ward, Kellan Anderson, Jon Cooke, Chris Virgilio, JJ Byers

Step inside the newly restored Deasy Theater of Homestead—a once-grand venue consumed by fire in 1939—and prepare for the most immersive and interactive escape room experience Pittsburgh has ever seen.

The friendly Theater Manager greets new guests with promises of big plans for this historic landmark but there’s one strict rule: absolutely no puppets. As you descend into the Art Deco basement, surrounded by faded posters and forbidden memories, you’ll discover why.

Rumors whisper that the theater’s true star, Madame Zemsta, was a master puppeteer whose final show ended in flames—and that her vengeful spirit still commands the shadows below. When the lights flicker and the walls echo with her daughter’s terrified pleas, you’ll realize this isn’t just a game… it’s a haunting.

Your team must unravel puzzles through eerie dressing rooms, cursed workshops, and the crumbling stage itself to uncover the truth behind Zemsta’s final performance. Manipulate music, lighting, and props to free the trapped soul of her daughter before the clock—and the haunting—reaches its chilling finale. Every creak of the floorboards, every whisper in the dark, pulls you deeper into the story as the line between 1939 and today begins to blur.

Stage Fight at Escape Room Pittsburgh blends live performance, cinematic effects, and physical challenges into a terrifyingly real narrative that will leave you questioning what’s theater and what’s alive.

Dare to play your part. Escape the stage before Madame Zemsta’s eternal show claims your soul.

Now booking exclusively in Homestead, PA—Pittsburgh’s newest and most frightening escape room adventure, designed for those who crave immersive storytelling and interactive horror unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

Scott Simmons

Since 1999 I have overseen the design and production of nationally recognized haunted attractions, escape rooms, theatrical experiences and a historic dark ride. Best know for my work as Creative and Marketing Director for the SCAREHOUSE seasonal haunted attraction and the intense and adult immersive experience THE BASEMENT, I have now launched an experiential and content production company NEEDS MORE FOG

My themed attractions have been featured on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Travel Channel, and the Daily Show while also receiving acclaim from iconic creatives such as Guillermo del Toro, Michael Dougherty, and Elijah Wood. My creative team and I also collaborated directly with Universal Pictures, Legendary Entertainment and Weta Workshop creating the first immersive experience based on the film KRAMPUS.

I have also supervised all elements of concept, design, and production for a variety of immersive experience including escape rooms, special events, theatrical experiences and the total re-theme of THE OLD MILL at Kennywood.

I also produce highly engaging content for ScareHouse and other haunted attraction's social media platforms, with our trailers and "behind the screams" videos generating over eight million views on YouTube.

Frequently asked to present at conferences and in media interviews about topics such as the booming "Scream Economy" and haunted attractions, immersive experience design, generative AI, digital content creation, and murderous bunnies with axes.

Next

Factory of Terror