Luisa Handem Piette comes from a background in non-profit management, broadcast journalism, human rights law and a strong track record as a corporate communications executive for Information Technology firms. She is also known for her philanthropic work and love of the arts.
Luisa briefly served as Director of UPI Next, United Press International’s former media development division, after nearly two years of overseas work as a Knight International Journalism Fellow with the International Center for Journalists. She began her career with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service, in London. Luisa later joined Radio France International (RFI) in Paris before being recruited as an international radio broadcaster for the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, D.C. She has minimal experience acting, but she enjoyed appearances in school performances while growing up in Portugal, and in radio performances dramatizing Mia Couto’s books live on air through the Portuguese programs of the BBC World Service in London. Luisa holds a Master’s degree (LLM) in International Law, and a BA in French & Government from Essex University.
Matthew Piette has a long history of supporting the arts and theater and acting in productions at the Loft Theater in Leamington Spa, England, and appearing in a variety of shows including the London premiere of “A Dog in a Manger” by Lope de Vega, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound.” Matthew has since accumulated over 20 years of global and high-tech experience in executive-level management for Fortune 500 companies and startups in the United States, as well as playing key roles in non-profit organizations, including a bi-partisan Think Tank in Washington DC. He is currently Head of Brand Marketing at Exact Sciences Corporation, working on multi-cancer early detection solutions. Matthew holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, U.K.
Heather L. M. Pool currently serves as a managing attorney for the State of California. She has spent her career in public service to the state government, focusing on California’s parole and correctional systems as well as the health care provided to California’s incarcerated population.
Heather discovered her love of theater in childhood through her family’s trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She enjoys plays, musicals, and many other forms of performing arts. While she has some minimal experience with acting, she is thrilled to be part of the Placer Community Theater and growing this wonderful performing arts company. Heather is a licensed attorney in California and holds a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) from Pacific McGeorge School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) degree in English from the University of California, Davis. In addition to enjoying theater, Heather spends her leisure time writing, drawing, painting, learning photography, and spending time with her family.
Born in Australia, Michael received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Sydney University and later an MBA from Rutgers in New Jersey. Recently retired from a career in electronic product development, he has worked for large and small companies developing various types of equipment including radio station automation equipment, commercial security and fire alarm systems, point of sale systems and most recently home automation systems specializing in automated lighting systems. His career moved him around the world from Sydney, to the greater New York area and lastly Northern California with a short stint early on in Illinois where he met his wife. His work frequently took him to Europe as well as to Asian manufacturing locations. When not working, Michael has been involved with community theatre and has received several commendations from SARTA (Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance) for set design. He co-won an Ellie for set design of Hand To God with Sierra Stages in Nevada City. Michael has also been active in the art scene around Placer County and Sacramento and has shown some of his large acrylics in local art shows. He now plays around with concrete casting for sculpture and supports his wife with her ceramics. He enjoys helping other artists and makers learn about these technologies and how they can incorporate them in their own projects. He is particularly excited and interested in the intersection of art and technology.
You can see some of his set design portfolio here ……
With an MFA in Dramatic Arts and an MS in Business Management & Leadership, this former Silicon Valley high-tech VP and critically acclaimed professional director/playwright also plays the role of Producing Artistic Director for Placer Repertory Theater. Previously, the artistic director for two professional theater companies in San Francisco, and founder/board president of an economic & workforce development nonprofit organization for Santa Cruz County, Forsyth’s performing arts background includes international tours as an actor/singer/dancer and director/playwright for national and international touring productions with world renowned performing artists, including Brenda Wong Aoki, and equity theater companies like the Dell’Arte Players. She has instructed and directed at numerous educational institutions, including UC Davis, University of San Francisco and University of Minnesota. Projects on which Forsyth worked performed at regional and world-renowned venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, Dallas Theatre Center, San Diego Repertory Theater and famous venues in Europe, Asia, and South America, and received numerous awards, including Dramalogue Awards and Critics Circle Awards. While with Placer Rep, her projects won Broadway World Awards, the Gloria Burt Fellowship and Gold Country Media awards. Prior works on which she collaborated won numerous grants from the NEA, CAC and corporations. She is a member of the professional organizations: The Dramatists Guild, SDC Stage Directors & Choreographers, and The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).
Yolla is a theatre director and educator. Born in Cyprus and raised in East Sacramento, she attended University of Pacific, CSU Sacramento and earned her Master’s in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Theatre History and Stage Direction from CSU Long Beach.
She was one of the original company members with the notable Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles and eventually became Performing Arts Manager in the Cultural Services Division of the Long Beach City Parks and Recreation Department. In Long Beach she founded a successful equity-waiver company named the Long Beach Theatre Festival, presenting raw, edgy dramas and original scripts, along with the Long Beach Actor’s ‘Dessert Theatre,’ a small and well attended community theatre presenting lighthearted comedies and musicals within City Arts.
Upon returning to the USA, after a long hiatus in the United Kingdom, she re-trained with Los Rios Community College District teaching at the community college level and tutoring periodically. As a SARTA member, Yolla served as an Elly Awards judge for nearly 8 years. She has also served for several years as a Review Panelist for the California Arts Council, ranking and evaluating artists’ grants applications.
