Yellow House is everyone that has had anything to do with any of our projects.  We will soon attempt to post as complete a list as is possible of all of our volunteers.  In the meantime, this is our "core," the members of our Board of Directors.

Stephanie Dray: President, Managing Director, and co-founder

Stephanie has been involved in the arts and entertainment industry since she was a small child.  She began acting on stage at the age of 5 and on film at the age of 15 and is now part of the Screen Actor’s Guild.  Throughout the years Stephanie has gained useful knowledge of everything having to do with the arts, from acting to graphic design, to producing and financing.  She has had the pleasure of learning and working with other area non-profit theatres and film production companies. Some of her recent acting credits include: Film: Cry Wolf (Rogue Pictures), Iron Jawed Angels (HBO), Mickey (Disney/Mickey Productions), Mediated (Natural Science Productions); Stage: “Volume of Smoke,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Duct-Tape to Family-Time,” “Buried Child,” “Fuddy Meers,” and “Judas Kiss”.  Stephanie has been the producer of over 15 theatrical productions and films in Richmond since she moved here in 1998.

But, really, what does Mrs. Dray envision Yellow House to be?  To quote her, “Yellow House is a warm and welcome place for anyone who wants to learn more about theatre and film.  It is an environment where students and professionals can come together and explore, and most important, it is an environment that is fully educational, fostering, nurturing and supportive.”  Everyone at Yellow House learns through a hands-on approach, whether they are acting, directing, or designing. By continuing this approach, Yellow House will grow and thrive in its community.

Justin Dray: Artistic Director and co-founder. 

He first started using the name Yellow House in his student films at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Justin graduated from St. Christopher’s School in 1994 and went on to VCU where he graduated in 2000 with a BFA in Theatre Performance.  He has also studied at California Art Institute, East Carolina University, Denver Center Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neil Theatre.  Justin has appeared in many films such as “Asunder,” “The Contender” and “Gods and Generals”.  He has been a part of the theatre community in Richmond for over ten years and has been named “Best Actor in Richmond” by both Style Weekly and The Richmond Times Dispatch for his portrayal of Owen in The Big Slam and Wesley in Curse of the Starving Class.  Though Justin continues his acting career and is now a part of the Actor’s Equity Association, he has begun to pursue directing and editing as well.  He directed Yellow House’s first feature film, “Hitiro the Peasant” in June and July of 2003.

Clifton Leo Arthur Frei: Vice-President

Clifton has been working as a theatre professional in the Tidewater and Richmond area for over a decade.  In that time he has participated in over 100 productions and has had extensive involvement in nearly every facet of theatrical production as an actor, director, producer, stage manager, lighting designer, props master, costumer, graphic designer, writer, and animal wrangler.   Clifton hopes to leverage this experience to help guide Yellow House to fulfilling its mission to provide education, and cutting edge entertainment to the community.

Steve Gardner: Treasurer

Steve Gardner has been a supporter of the Arts since attending college, where he performed in a few one-act plays and won the “best performance of an actor by a non-major” award from the local theater Honors Society. One of Steve’s passions is centered around empowering people to live their life’s dreams by becoming financially independent; to that end, Steve joined Yellow House’s Board in the fall of ’05 and is working to help Yellow House reach its financial goals.   When not helping Yellow House, you can find Steve on various ski slopes- as he is an addicted snowboarder- spending much of his time at Mammoth Mt in Ca.  Professionally, Steve has worked for two fortune 200 companies and is currently president of an online and retail furniture store.  Steve currently lives in Moscow, Russia, where he is attending the University of Moscow and working towards an international MBA.   While in Moscow, you can keep in touch with Steve by visiting his website at www.stevestudyingabroad.com.

Todd Raviotta: Film Liaison 

Born in New Orleans on Valentines Day 1978 Todd spent his childhood growing up in the creative and eclectic culture of the Big Easy.  It was during the summer of 1992 Raviotta's family relocated to Northern Virginia where he graduated high school from James Madison in Vienna.  Raviotta went to art school in Richmond starting in 1996.  He completed his undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Design with an emphasis on Film at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in May 2001.  Spring 2004 Todd completed graduate school with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film from VCU.  

During the summer after completing his undergraduate studies (2001), he served as Dean of Students at the first "Southern Mystique Film Camp", which was a joint venture between New Millennium Studios and the Central Virginia Film Office. The success of the 2001 Film Camp where he coordinated supervised and taught digital filmmaking from the story line conceptions and screen writing through filming and editing, resulted in Todd being invited to return as Dean of Students for the 2002,  2003,  2004, and the 2005 summer film camps. Upon recommendations of Central Virginia's Film Office and VCU's Film Department, Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond, VA  recruited Todd to teach a Senior Seminar course on Digital Video for the 2001-02 school year expanding on the role he played at the "Southern Mystique Film Camp".   He now teaches 2 Senior Seminars and the Dual enrollment Film Studies course at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School.  

In addition to teaching and freelance digital non-liner editing, Raviotta produces and directs short films under the banner of Natural Science Productions.  Starting in 1998 he has completed well over 30 narrative short films including Mediated: The 21st Century Lifestyle, music videos, and several art installation videos.  As film liaison for Yellow House Todd is a producer of the monthly film and video forum Project Resolution.  Raviotta feels at home in Richmond and with the activity he is a part of in VA he feels the Southern film movement has a new center point.

George Weistroffer: Technical Liaison

George Weistroffer has been with Yellow House since its inception.  He is the Technical Liaison for the Board of Directors and is constantly maintaining and repairing all theatre and film related equipment for Yellow House.  George has worked as a camera man, lighting designer, and grip on many Yellow House projects as well as with other local filmmakers and production companies in the Greater Richmond area.

Mr. Weistroffer received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Engineering, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.  He spent the summer of 2006 working at the Aeronautics Systems Engineering Branch at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.  In his spare time, George enjoys turning a wrench or handling a soldering iron.  One day he hopes to be a successful inventor.

Andrew Carnwath

Born and raised in Richmond, VA.  He attended Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated with a BFA in Communication Arts and Design with a focus in Film and Video.  Andrew also studied Fine Arts and Video at the Lorenzo de’ Medici School of Design in Florence, Italy.

Andrew has worked in the Film Industry for over eight years.  He has worked as a Production Designer and Prop Master on numerous Richmond produced motion pictures including “Wicked Spring”, “For Real”, “The Snowflake Crusade”, “Hitiro the Peasant”, “Iron Jawed Angels”, and “Cry Wolf”.  Currently Andrew focuses on his talent as a freelance Art Director on commercials and public service announcements.  His short film “Greater Than Half” was shown in festivals nationally and internationally including New Zealand’s Incredibly Strange Film Festival, Canada’s Winnipeg Film Festival, The Central Florida Film and Video Festival, Hunter College Film Festival, and won The Audience Choice Award at Bare Bones International and the Rosebud Film Festival in Washington, D.C.

Andrew’s latest project, “Bloodscout”, a full length Comedy/Horror movie, which he co-wrote, is in the pre-production stage.  He has just completed a sample trailer for the film which he plans to use to raise money for the project.

Rebecca A. Ferrell 

Native of Richmond, Virginia, is a dance educator, performer, and Artistic Director of FDance. She received her B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University where she graduated Cum Laude in 2004. Rebecca also holds a Master’s Certificate in Nonprofit Management from VCU. Rebecca’s dancing has taken her around the country and she has worked with many established choreographers including world-renowned Tere O’Connor. Rebecca’s own work has been seen at VCU, ODU, Grace St. Theater, The Firehouse Theatre, Art 6, and Gallery5. She is currently teaching and choreographing at the Collegiate School and the Center for the Arts. Rebecca is also an active supporter of the Virginia arts scene and is a board member of Yellow House as well as a member of the advisory committee for the Virginia Performing Arts Center. In Rebecca’s very limited free time she enjoys baking cookies, buying handbags and obsessing over the color pink.

d.l. Hopkins

There are presently only three African-American men in recorded history who have received a key to the City of Richmond, Virginia: Marvin Gaye, Arthur Ashe, and d.l. Hopkins. As poet, teacher, and award winning actor d.l. is driven to inspire young people to harness, hear, understand and appreciate their individual artistic voice. Through many charitable acts and organizations d.l. has worked with youth throughout the Commonwealth to accomplish this goal. d.l. has had the fortune to work on every major stage Richmond has to offer with an array the most talented professionals. d.l. cut his performance teeth as a seventeen year old stand-up comedian where he toured up and down the east coast. He is known as one of the founding fathers of the Richmond spoken word movement, creator of the Just Poetry Slam and numerous other poetic ventures. He has appeared in many television and movie productions and starred in Yellow House's first feature length film "Hitiro: the Peasant".  d.l. is one of the founding members of Ernie McClintock's Jazz Actors Theatre and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond. He is a husband and a father and he proudly serves on the Board of Directors of Yellow House.