Our Staff & Board
Randall Stuart
Randall is the Founder and Director of Cerimon House [2009 - present], and the Artistic Director of the theatre troupe Upon These Boards. A theatre producer, professor, playwright & director who works both regionally and abroad, Mr. Stuart has produced large-scale humanitarian benefits, and is a lifelong student of thanatology and philosophy. He received his professional training at A.C.T. in San Francisco (in the ‘golden era’ of mentor William Ball) and has spent three decades as a visiting professor to institutions of higher learning, including A.C.T.’s Advanced Training Program. Randall has directed for repertory theaters, opera companies and Shakespeare festivals. His stage work includes creating classical, contemporary and “epic” theatre events, including the BATCC award-winning version of the international peace event Lysistrata Project (featuring a cast of 100). His time onstage: Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Portland Rep, Artists Reperory Theatre, ACT Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the American Conservatory Theater.
More on Randall’s artistic work at: www.UponTheseBoards.org
Gemma Whelan
Gemma serves on the Board [2009 - present] and is a theatre artist, author and professor. Ms. Whelan’s most recent novel Fiona: Stolen Child has enjoyed an extensive book tour. Gemma was the founding Artistic Director of Wilde Irish Productions where she directed The Importance Of Being Oscar (Dean Goodman Award for Direction), the U.S. Premiere of Ariel by Marina Carr, Eclipsed (Berkeley City Club and Magic Theatre), and Beckett’s Endgame. Other favorites include: Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Cable Car Nomination for Outstanding Achievement) and Vita and Virginia (both at Theatre Rhinoceros). Gemma has taught at numerous colleges and conservatories, serves on the Portland Drammy Awards committee, and leads theatre tours to Ireland and England. Gemma lives in the vibrant Hawthorne District within the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. Gemma appeared in the Cerimon House Salon James Agee: An American Son as well as the Cerimon House Salon Lifelines.
More on Gemma’s work at www.fionastolenchild.com
Desiree Fitterer
Desiree serves on the Board [2009 - present] and is an experienced trainer and audio presentation specialist with a talent for taking complex information and making it clear. Her area of expertise is in Indoor Air Quality, and her education allows her to develop and deliver training presentations and materials that make an impact across a variety of industries. Her true career satisfaction comes when she hears, “That makes perfect sense now!” When she is not crusading to make the world a more understandable place, she spends much of her free time constructing costumes for local theater productions and events, practicing amateur storytelling, and studying for a nursing degree. Desiree appeared in the Cerimon Salon “James Agee – An American Son”.
Desiree Fitterer is the Cerimon House Treasurer.
Kevin Yell
Kevin serves on the Board [2010 - present] and has an MA in Spirituality and the Creative Arts from Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. Ordained with the American Catholic Church, he is the co-owner and manager of Ainsworth House & Gardens (in Oregon City) a center for ceremonies, retreats and the performing arts, and home to The Grove Project. In his native England he was Artistic Director of The Epiphany Dancers, as well as performed with London opera, dance, and musical theatre companies. He continued his work in the United States by being a founder of the Liturgical Arts Adventure, lecturing on “Using Art in Worship” for seminaries and other religious groups, and being a retreat ritual director. His recent theatre directing credits include The Laramie Project, Dead Man Walking and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His writing credits include Can’t Say I Do and Acts of Salvation.
Kevin Yell is the Cerimon House Co-Chair.
More about Kevin’s work at: www.AinsworthHouse.net
Lynne Foster
Lynne serves on the Board [2011 - present] and is a theatre artist and writer with a peripatetic bent, having studied with Stella Adler and William Hickey in New York and Charles Conrad in Los Angeles, and the American Conservatory Theatre’s Young Conservatory in San Francisco. With over 25 years experience in theatre, arts and television production, Lynne worked for New York City Ballet as the Project Coordinator on two publications: “Costumes by Karinska” and “Tributes: Celebrating Fifty Years of New York City Ballet”. A member of a fifth generation Marin County family, Lynne is happy to have filled her heart in Portland where she bicycles, backpacks and travels whenever possible, and thrills to the possibilities of Cerimon House. Lynne appeared in the Cerimon House Salon: “Lifelines”.
Lynne Foster is the Cerimon House Board Secretary.
Michael Murphy
Michael serves on the Board [2011 - present] and is a Special Events Coordinator with a local non-profit organization. He has a professional background in both banking and non-profit development and fundraising, as well as events management for both large and small events. He recently moved back to the Northwest after a 5-year stint in New York where he enjoyed the food, history and culture, and also worked in events planning. He attended Western Washington University for his undergraduate degree, where he received a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology. Michael considers himself a World Citizen who enjoys running, reading, writing, discussing politics and philosophy and generally taking in all that life has to offer.
Sascha Blocker
Sascha serves on the Board [2011 - present] and works as a theater artist, freelancer, and Public Speaking instructor at Portland State University. Ms. Blocker is a recent graduate of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and was awarded an MFA in Lecoq Based Actor Created Theater from Naropa University. She is a graduate from the Portland Actors Conservatory two year professional training program, and a founding company member of Das Collectivnost de Teatro y Ridicule International and Olio Productions, which will premiere work at the 2012 Fertile Ground Festival. Sascha also has a passion for non-profit service and has worked in a variety of organizations for as long as she can remember. You can spot her happily commuting by bike, and taking advantage of the bountiful offerings of the City of Portland.
