OUR FOUNDING STORY
Founders Emily, Joellen, and Sean met in Portland, Oregon while completing a yearlong mentorship program with Third Rail Repertory Theatre. Through collaboration on numerous projects, they fell in love with working together and began exploring a long-term vision for that work. Many days spent daydreaming in the woods convinced them that Portland’s enchanted forests were the perfect backdrop for an interactive, site-specific performance, and the idea for Bedrock Theatre began.
The Bedrock Team
Company members Joellen, Emily, and Becca are the small and nimble team of artist-administrators who volunteer to run Bedrock’s operations and shape Bedrock’s creative vision. Their work feels most alive where story meets landscape: among the tall trees, rugged coastline, and lush pockets of nature that make Oregon such a special place to explore. The initial seed of inspiration for any Bedrock piece—whether it’s a full performance, a casual meetup, or a digital production—always begins with a combination of ecology, lore, and tactile observations that draw them to a specific location.
Current Company
EMILY EISELE
(Managing Director/Founder | she/her)
Emily grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, where her appreciation for the outdoors began. After spending over a decade in Portland, Oregon, she continues to be amazed by our fortunate proximity to mountains, ocean, forests, and more. A “many hats” type of collaborator, Emily has a wide range of experience as both an artist and administrator with companies including Third Rail Repertory Theatre, CoHo Productions, and Artists Repertory Theatre. She currently works in nonprofit accounting at Susan Matlack Jones & Associates.
JOELLEN
SWEENEY
(Development Director/Founder | she/her)
Joellen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and grew up hiking and exploring the beautiful Oregon coast and the Columbia River Gorge. An actor, director and teaching artist, Joellen's regional credits include work with Shaking the Tree Theatre, Corrib Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Renegade Opera and others. Joellen earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Washington, and currently works as Development Manager for North Pole Studio, and serves as a member of The Verdancy Project Advisory Board.
BECCA WIRTA
(Communications Director | she/her)
Born and raised on the Puget Sound in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, Becca is a Portland-based performer and creator who is inspired by the seasons’ offerings: from autumn mushroom foraging and winter fireside dinner parties, to spring bloom-fueled hikes and summer evening berry picking. Along with being a member of Bedrock Theatre, she is a founding member of Basement Stair Collective, an experimental theatre company illuminating and challenging the cycles in which we are trapped through immersive, collaborative, and design-forward performance. She is a graduate of Willamette University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theatre Performance as well as Rhetoric and Media Studies, and is also a graduate of the Institute of Contemporary Performance with Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble. Outside of theatre, she works in communications, relishes discussing a juicy read with book club, loves cooking with friends, and is most relaxed watching a film in her creaky 1890s home snuggled up with her husband and two cats near a crackling fire.
Bedrock Ecosystem
ALEXANDRA SCHAFFER
(Company Manager | she/they)
Alexandra is a lifelong Oregonian who continues to be enchanted by the incredible ecological diversity of their home state. She is connected to Bedrock via participating in the Third Rail Mentorship Program with Emily, Sean, and Joellen; and belonging to a bookclub with Becca since 2018. Their contributions to Bedrock include: the care & keeping of multiple moving parts & people, a knack for finagling a schedule, and creative content skills for production materials like the CoastWatch & Listen and SSMT album covers. In addition to theatre, she is a writer, designer, and nature photographer for her studio A.Schaffer Creative.
SEAN GROSSHANS
(Founder | he/him)
Sean is from Lincoln, Nebraska, and moved back home in 2025. He received his B.A. in Theatre Directing/Management from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After graduation, he came to Portland, Oregon for the mentorship program with Third Rail Repertory Theatre and immediately fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. Sean loves creating new works with an ensemble of artists. Sean tells his stories through music, photography/video, food and beverage. He will miss being on the trail with Bedrock, but looks forward to finding creative ways to contribute and support Bedrock productions from afar.