MEET OUR ENSEMBLE

Amy Rene Byrne

she/her
Resident Artist
Actor/Director
amyreneb@bte.org

Aliah Cooper

she/her
Box Office
Manager
aliahc@bte.org

  • Amy Rene Byrne is an autistic theatre creator that joined BTE in 2015. She earned her MFA in Acting from West Virginia University and has spent her career acting, directing, teaching, and administrating. Her favorite onstage roles include Annie Wilkes in Misery, Morris in The Nether, and Cannibal Queen in Airness. Her favorite directing credits include Witch; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Dragons Love Tacos. Amy lives in Williamsport with her mountain man husband, a rambunctiously loveable child, and two unremarkable dogs. She likes hiking, kayaking, and spending outdoor time in the dirt with her son in her spare time. 

  • Aliah Cooper is an Allentown native turned Bloomsburg resident. Aliah earned her A.A. in Journalism at Penn State University, where she pursued a D1 soccer career, and her B.A in Journalism at Bloomsburg University, where she found her peace. In her spare time, Aliah works with local advocacy groups, freelance writes for Women Sports organizations, and serves as a personal soccer trainer for athletes in the area. 

    Aliah is proud to be a part of BTEs overall mission of inclusivity, artistry, and community for everyone.

Justine Drake

she/her
Associate Managing
Director
justined@bte.org

Emma Ginader

she/her
Communications
Director
emmag@bte.org

  • After seeing countless BTE shows throughout her childhood, Emma Ginader now serves as the organization’s Communications Director. She has held editorial positions at the Columbia Journal, The Daily Item, Moneta, and Quick Brown Fox. Emma is passionate about public arts programming. She has created events and overseen social media outreach for organizations like the Chautauqua Institution - Literary Arts, Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop, and The Daily Item newspaper. During her tenure as The Daily Item’s social media editor, her work earned the newspaper the CNHI Best Use of Social Media Award - Division I Newspapers in 2017. She is excited to continue this work at BTE.

    She earned her MFA in Writing from Columbia University. Her poetry has appeared in The Journal of Radical Wonder, The Lavender Review, december magazine, Mantis, The Moth Magazine, and Love Me, Love My Belly. ​​She was also the 2023 Literary Arts Fellow at the Chautauqua Institution and a 2022 Resident at the Ayatana’s Biophilium’s Mortem Arts residency. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House holds a special place in her heart.

  • Justine Drake is a New Jersey native turned Bloomsburg resident. She earned her MBA from Bloomsburg University in the Spring of 2024. In her space time, she continues to pursue her love of swimming and diving, coaching for the Bloomsburg YMCA & Bloomsburg Area High School.

    Justine is proud to be a part of BTE’s mission: artistry, education, community, inlusivity, and stewardship for everyone, with everyone.

Gregor/Gunelson

he/him
Resident Artist
Scene Shop &
Facilities Manager
gregorg@bte.org

Abigail Leffler

she/her
Resident Artist
Education
Lead
abigaill@bte.org

Amy Dana
Mayernick

she/her
Office
Manager
amydanam@bte.org

Kimie Muroya
室屋季美恵

she/her
Resident Artist
Actor/Director
kimiem@bte.org

  • Abigail Leffler is a Bloomsburg native thrilled to have her theatre-home be in her hometown. She has been a part of BTE since college in many capacities: Education Director (currently), actor, sound board operator, backstage crew, box office, and house management to name a few. Abigail is also the founder and facilitator of BTE Improv.

    Alongside her educational career, she has performed regularly as a guest artist at BTE and various theatres in North Carolina. She spent 10 years in North Carolina, learning and developing with many talented artists. She has performed at the New Bern Civic Theatre, Rivertowne Players, Ratio Theatre Company, and Walk-in Bathtub. Teaching theatre has been one of her greatest joys for over a decade and she is thrilled to continue the legacy BTE has cultivated. 

    Favorite performance credits include Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd) at NBCT, Jolene (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) at NBCT, Smee (Peter and the Starcatcher) at NBCT, Narrator (A Christmas Carol) at BTE, and Dr. McCormick (Fair Food Foul Play) at BTE. 

  • Gregor Gunelson is the Scene Shop and Facilities Manager. He received his degree in Theatre and History at St. Cloud State University, MN, with an emphasis in Scenic Design and Technical Theatre. He has had a varied career in scenery and exhibitry, working in the Twin Cities, MN, and Tulsa, OK, before moving to Pennsylvania. Locally, he has worked at Reptiland in Allenwood, The Electric City Aquarium and Reptile Den in Scranton, and The Daytona Aquarium in Florida. He has been very active in the Community Theatre scene in Schuylkill County, as well as refinishing historic homes. He is very excited to be joining a talented team here in Bloomsburg.

  • Kimie Muroya 室屋季美恵 is happy to be a part of the lasting legacy of Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. Favorite roles at BTE have included Winnifred in Witch, G in Sanctuary City, and Jill in Radiant Vermin. Though most recently from Philadelphia, she went to high school in Lewisburg and interacted with BTE throughout her time there—seeing shows at the Alvina Krause Theatre, participating in workshops, and even performing in one of the summer shows! After graduating college, she spent several years in Philadelphia building a professional acting career: performing with many companies in the Philly area, co-founding the Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, and even dabbling in some commercial and film work. Kimie also enjoys stage combat (and is certified in four disciplines!), building with LEGO (a collection far too large to be healthy!), and playing Dungeons and Dragons (and other table-top role-playing games!). Possibly her favorite activity, however, is napping.

    See more of Kimie's work at kimiemuroya.com.

  • Amy Dana Mayernick is a long-time Bloomsburg resident and lifelong wallflower who blooms best in the background, doing the organizational office stuff that bores the talent to tears.  She spent 12 years as an administrative assistant to highly stressed professionals, followed by seven years as a stay-at-home parent, at which time she earned an A. S. in Professional Writing from Luzerne County Community College.  In the evenings, she teaches pole fitness at LaLa-Pole-Ooza in Bloomsburg, helping women of all ages to build their confidence and expand their movement vocabulary. She’s a frequent parent chaperone for the high school marching band and costume helper for the drama program. She loves the performing arts and is proud to serve a small supporting role within the enduring community treasure that is the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble.

Emily Weisgerber

she/her
RA Costume Shop Manager
emilyw@bte.org

Shemar Wheeler

he/him
Managing
Director
shemarw@bte.org

  • Emily Weisgerber is a costume and fashion designer who brings over 20 years of experience to her position as Costume Shop Manager. She began working as a costume designer for Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in 2009, has supported Bucknell University’s costume shop as a stitcher for two seasons of theatre, opera, and dance performances, and is the Costume Director for Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg where she teaches university level classes in costume design, costume construction, and theatrical makeup design as well as mentoring student costume and makeup designers.

    Before coming to the Bloomsburg area, Emily worked in a luxury millinery studio in Manhattan, a bespoke dress shop in Hollywood, and another hat shop in her hometown of Seattle. She also started her own brand of hats in 2008, which she sold in six states and in her own store in downtown Bloomsburg.

    Emily graduated from Alfred University where she earned a BFA with a concentration in sculpture, robotics, and installation. She used soft sculpture, life casting, mold making, and immersive video displays to convey her interest in the body, identity, and the interaction between art and science. She has utilized her background in fine art to educate students in art camps, elementary schools, and university settings, and has had her work featured in group and solo shows.

    When Emily is not working in theater, she can be found in Endless Records and Books in downtown Bloomsburg, a store she opened with her husband, Nick, in 2010. Their store has moved and grown throughout the years, becoming a vital part of the Bloomsburg community and providing a cultural hub for students, locals, and visitors who love music and literature.

  • Shemar Wheeler is proud to be joining Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble - a 47-year-old professional resident ensemble theatre in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and one of the longest-running companies of its kind in the United States - as the new Managing Director, he leads the organization's institutional strategy, financial stabilization, board development, community partnerships, and long-term vision as BTE enters its 49th season.

    A Washington, DC native with roots in the DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago arts ecosystems, Shemar brings more than a decade of experience and training spanning theatre producing, arts education, teaching artistry, and nonprofit arts leadership. He completed an Arts Leadership Fellowship at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in conjunction with DePaul University Theater School MFA Arts Leadership program, where he served as line producer for the annual Shakes in the City touring production. His other work focused on marketing initiatives, community engagement and partnership strategies, producing, and supporting educational programming across student productions and lifelong learning events. 

    Prior to his work in Chicago, Shemar was a middle school based educator holding a MS in Secondary Education and a minor in English through the Relay Graduate School of Education. His teaching artistry work spans DC public schools, community organizations, and youth programs, with a consistent focus on promoting arts education as a tool for academic success and making professional theatre accessible to young people who have historically been excluded from it. He is passionate about producing work that centers diverse storytelling, arts education, and social awareness.

    Shemar is also the founder of Droom Theatre Company, a DC-based nonprofit theatre currently in a deliberate three-year relaunch with a planned home in the Ward 7 neighborhood in Washington, DC where he grew up. Droom's mission reflects a conviction that has defined his entire career: that professional, community-rooted theatre belongs in every neighborhood, not just in downtown cultural corridors, and that the communities most often overlooked by institutional arts funding are frequently the ones with the most to say.

    At BTE, he joins a 47-year legacy of ensemble artistry and community service with a clear-eyed commitment to the organization's financial health, its relationship with the Bloomsburg community, and its next chapter as a model for what a small-town resident ensemble can be. He holds prior degrees in Arts Leadership, Secondary Education, and Entertainment Business, and is a member of the Theatre Communications Group network of emerging arts leaders and Arts Admin of Color network.

Aaron White

he/him
Resident Artist
Actor/Director
aaronw@bte.org

  • Aaron White has been a working theater-maker for the past two decades and has made living in the theater as an actor, director, choreographer, fight choreographer and Set/Sound/Puppet designer. After a 10 year affiliation with BTE as a guest actor and designer, Aaron became an Ensemble Member in 2022 and takes great pride in serving the Bloomsburg community. Besides his work onstage as a Resident Actor he also writes, directs, designs and co-produces the BTE Downcenter Podcast.Outside of Bloomsburg, he has played roles such as Romeo and Hamlet for many fine regional companies including the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theater, the Texas Shakespeare Festival and the Adirondack Shakespeare Company. In the recent past, Mr. White has directed at Millbrook Playhouse, and Susquehanna University. His sets have been seen at BTE, Williamsport Community Art Center and Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. Aaron is also committed to teaching his craft to the next generation. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Lycoming College and  Susquehanna University. He teaches regularly for BTE Theatre School and workshops for the Williamsport Community Theatre League and many Schools throughout the region. Aaron is also very proud of his collaboration with Williamsport’s CAC Student Summer Stock from 2014-2018. Aaron holds a BA from Susquehanna University. He has done post-graduate work at Ohio University and received his MFA from the PATP at the University of Houston. Originally from Dalmatia, Pa, Aaron now resides in Williamsport with his loving wife, Nina, and their son, Liam.

Emeritus Members

An Emeritus Member is an artist who has served at least 20 years with the Ensemble at the time of their departure from the company.

Elizabeth Dowd
James Goode
Andrew Hubatsek
Laurie McCants
Danny Roth
Gerard Stropnicky

Associate Ensemble Members

An Associate Ensemble Member is an artist who spent at least one year as part of the Ensemble at the time of their departure from the company.

Peter Brown
Tom Byrn
Richie Cannaday
Jerry Matheny
Whit MacLaughlin
David Moreland

Cassandra Pisieczko
Seth Reichgott
Martin Shell
Leigh Strimbeck
Rand Whipple
Eric Wunsch

Affiliated Artists

Affiliated Artists are exceptional guest artists who maintain ongoing, long-term relationships with BTE.

We thank them for their commitment.

* Indicates members of our theatre family who are now deceased. Their names remain to recognize their contributions to BTE.

Karen Anselm, Kristen Bailey, Bruce Candlish, Anastasia Davidson, Paula Davis, William Decker*, Mac Dowd-Whipple, Cecilia Durbin, Elizabeth Ennis, Rebecca Ermisch, Renee Fawess, Sarah Forsythe, Michael Fritz, Joshua Gallagher, Nora Gair, Steve Gilliland, John Golomb, Lydia Hannibal*, Heath Hansum, Connor Henry, A.C. Hickox, Monica Johnson, Jenny Kenyon, A’nie Kirchner, Zak Knoll, Ethan Krupp, Richard Latta, Jeffrey Leighton, Ellen Lenbergs, Earl Martz, Melissa Matthews, Nick McGaw, Mary McNaugher, Michael Mengine, David Miller, Samantha Norton, Hayley Garcia Parnell, Julie Petry, Lynne Porter, Kali Quinn, Violet Race, Emaley Rose, Heather Rummings, Bob Rush, Geddeth Smith, Nick Troisi, Gordon Wenzel, Amber Williams, F. Elaine Williams, Elizabeth Wislar, Michael Yerges, and Dave Yezefski.