Meet Erin Stegeman, Mom to Adolfo (7) and Alma (5), and the Director of the upcoming M.A.C.B.E.T.H adaption being performed at The Art Farm in Serenbe this May. Erin and her family moved to Peachtree City in 2021 and have “since opened a production company with her husband, and created and directed several series for Passionflix Studios.” In our Q&A below, Erin shares what led her to become a Director and her most recent inspiration for her adaptation of M.A.C.B.E.T.H as an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. along with her favorite Mom Hack!
What is your background? Tell us about your career.
I’m originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I remember going to The Muny as a kid to see Cinderella and they did this incredible ballgown transformation on stage that sparked an obsession with theatre for me. I started as an actor, earned my BFA from Stephens College, and moved to NYC and then LA, where I shifted into creating my own work. While working as a journalist for LA Weekly, interviewing web series creators, my editor gave me the nudge to make my own. That led to a parody web series inspired by Once Upon a Time, which evolved into creating a musical film adaptation that I toured for years, and from there eventually into composing, producing, and starring in the Off-Broadway hit Shame of Thrones: The Musical. After relocating to Georgia in 2021, I leaned hard into 90s nostalgia and created immersive experiences like Save the Video Store and its horror sequel. I have since opened a production company with my husband, and we created and directed several series for Passionflix Studios. I also write and voice-direct digital series and commercials for Mattel and Disney and, last fall, a comedy feature I cowrote with director Brad Epstein called “Wrecked A** Parents” (starring Jen Kirkman, Lindsay Broad, and Ryan Hansen) was shot in Austin.
What called you to become a Director?
It actually feels incredibly serendipitous that I’m directing a MACBETH adaptation right now, because that’s where it all started for me. In college, I took a stage directing class, and for my final I chose one of the witch scenes. I was completely hooked. I loved every part of it. The rehearsals, shaping the performances, building the staging, playing with lighting and tone. And then watching it all come alive in front of an audience, I remember sitting there thinking, “This. This is what I want to do forever.” So to be back in this world now feels like coming full circle. I love blending genre and spectacle with grounded, unpredictable acting. Creating something that feels bold, comedic, and theatrical, but still deeply human. That’s magic to me.
Tell us about your upcoming play, M.A.C.B.E.T.H at The Art Farm in Serenbe. Simply put, it’s Shakespeare as a sitcom. We’ve dropped Macbeth into a modern day, TV-style world with these iconic characters. But beneath the comedy, it’s exploring something very real. How technology is pulling us further apart while making us think we’re more connected than ever.
I love the idea of re-creating MACBETH as if it were an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. What gave you this idea?
I was originally working on a completely different adaptation of Macbeth when I went through a stretch of intense grief – close friends and family members had passed, others were dealing with serious health issues, and I found myself turning to my favorite comfort show just to get through it. Somewhere along the way, those characters started bleeding onto the page. I resisted it at first. I’ve done a lot of 90s-inspired work, and part of me thought, “not again” lol. I even asked a friend if doing this version of the show was completely nuts, and she said, “Yes.” And honestly, that was the permission I needed to move ahead.
What is the best thing about your job?
It’s cliched to say but it really is the people. I grew up in sports and theater is a very similar animal. It’s a team effort through and through, and theater people are some of the most hard-working, kindest souls. I met my husband doing theater (he plays “Joey” in the play). Two other PTC moms, Lena DeLoache and Vanessa Reynolds (who I knew from back in LA) are producing this show. I couldn’t do this without them.
What is your best “working mom” tip?
Oh man. I have not mastered this at all. I feel like I’m in survival mode most of the time. My husband and I are both in the entertainment industry and there’s zero consistency in terms of a schedule there. I think just accepting it is what it is and keeping “family time” as protected as possible are what’s been keeping us (mostly) sane.
What is your favorite “mom hack”?
I do charcuterie style for lunch and snacks. Get a large board, put a bunch of fruits, veggies, yogurt, nuts, meats, crackers and let them have at it. I leave it out for a little bit too because when they are really young, they tend to snack more. Easy to prep, easy to clean, I make sure there’s a couple things everyone likes on it. Truly a game changer, especially with kids who have very different palettes. One other one I have is to get a bunch of canvases from the dollar store and get some buttons and paints and let your kids make em all. Then you can arrange them together to create a mural.
What do you love about Peachtree City and the surrounding areas?
Has to be the incredible community of moms and parents out here. Shout out to my book club. We have a group chat and if anyone needs anything – and I mean anything – somebody’s gonna have it and will drop it off at your house within the hour. We’ve walked each other through job interviews and losses, divorce, miscarriage, surgery, kids’ graduations, births… When we first moved here, it was fresh off the most isolated part of the pandemic, I had a baby and a 2 year old, my parents had just divorced – I was IN IT. I took the kids to get lunch that first week and both of them were fussing and wiggling about. The server was a young mom, and she came right over to the table, grabbed my son and took him to play with the soda fountain so I could feed my baby. I just started sobbing. I felt completely taken care of – by a total stranger – without even having to ask. I knew then that we moved somewhere very special.
What TV show are you loving right now? Book? Movie? Podcast?
I’m a TV junkie. I’ll watch anything. You know how people like to have three beverages when they work (tea/coffee, water, cocktail/soda)? I do that with TV. I need a murder show, a comedy, and some kind of genre all at once. So my trifecta right now is Daredevil, Jury Duty: Company Retreat, and DTF St. Louis.
I also love what I call my Reddit shows – the ones that do weekly releases and you can theorize what’s gonna happen on Reddit in between episodes. That is my jam. White Lotus, Severance, Pluribus, Yellow Jackets…sometimes the discussion is the most entertaining part.
Also anything Brad Ingelsby does, I’m going to watch.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our Moms? Only that you are all amazing.
How can we buy tickets for M.A.C.B.E.T.H?
Head on over to www.artfarmatserenbe.org! I’ve been told we are getting close to selling out (woot!) so I suggest sooner rather than later. And we have a special Mother’s Day performance the evening of the 10th, so there will be some fun stuff at that show.