Michael Yerges
Company Stage Manager
Michael, a Bloomsburg native and Bloomsburg University graduate, is thrilled to be starting his ninth year working with BTE and his second season as company stage manager. Over the years, he has worked in many capacities for the Ensemble, and is looking forward to the new and interesting challenges our 34th season will bring. In addition to working with BTE, Michael has also worked with Bloomsburg University Players on several occasions, most recently as the Stage Manager for Bat Boy: the Musical. He has also worked with the Simpatico Theatre Project and American Theatre Arts for Youth, both based in Philadelphia and was a Fellow in the Hangar Theatre’s Lab Company in Ithaca, NY.
BTE Backstage: What’s been your favorite show to stage manage at BTE?
Michael Yerges: Last season’s production of Ghost-Writer, Michael Hollinger’s latest work. I’m the type of person who really enjoys words – how you use them, what they mean, and how they affect us – and working on a play that in some ways was all about ‘getting the wording right’ was very enjoyable to me. I also tend to enjoy pieces with smaller casts and the intimacy that is created both on-stage and off to create a piece for our audiences.
BTE: How is it different stage managing for an Ensemble versus, say, a college cast, or other actors?
MY: The major difference for me is consistency. Within reason, you are working with the same actors and directors all the time. Most theaters are constantly bringing new actors, directors, etc. to work on their productions. Here, you have a better opportunity to really develop a working relationship with your cast and director as you work together on multiple productions. And I think that creates an atmosphere of comfort, which can really help us do better work.
BTE: Do you also enjoy performing? What other positions do you enjoy in theatre?
MY: I have enjoyed a wide variety of positions working in theater. Over the years I have been involved in almost every aspect of creating a production. I have designed, performed, built, directed, managed, painted, draped, lit, programmed… it’s a long list. And I’ve enjoyed it all. I like the idea of looking at things from different perspectives, and luckily for me, I’ve had the opportunity to do that, both in college and here at BTE. Admittedly, this had led to some rather interesting and sometimes spectacular mistakes, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to try it and see what happens next.
BTE: How did your interest in theatre develop?
MY: I found theater by accident in high school. I had seen plays before, but never really thought about how they were made; or thought that there was any opportunity to find out in Central Pennsylvania. But then I discovered my high school had a Drama Club. It was small, underfunded, and had no real resources whatsoever, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was it existed. So I joined and soon discovered one of the advantages of a small drama club: you try anything you wanted. So I did. And then I enrolled in college as a Secondary education/history double major. After one education class I realized that it wasn’t for me. After a good year of going back and forth about what to do. I drank a ton of coffee, auditioned for BU’s production of The Adding Machine, and for some unknown reason was cast. One year later I switched majors and here we are.
