Meet our Staff

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Cheryl Fanene Lane is the founder and Executive Director of Luminary Theatre Company, where she draws on decades of diverse experience in theatre, education, and administration. Cheryl’s love for theatre began at the age of 10 when she stepped onto the stage as Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. By high school, she was already sharing her passion through teaching, sparking an early career as a teaching artist. Over the years, she has developed theatre curricula for young people, trained educators to integrate drama into their classrooms, and immersed herself in nearly every facet of theatre—from performing to production.

Cheryl’s administrative expertise includes her role as Director of Outreach for Artivate, where she championed cultural arts programming for underserved audiences across the DMV region. Her career also includes touring with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program and collaborating with numerous theatres and organizations, such as The National Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Smithsonian’s Discovery Theatre, Troika Touring Company, Signrise Deaf Theatre, and The Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre. Her work has extended into unique spaces, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the Udvar-Hazy Space Center.

For nearly a decade, Cheryl directed the Washington Revels May Day Celebration in partnership with the National Audubon Society and the Washington National Cathedral, while also leading numerous festivals and events for the Revels. As a founding member of the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices, she has performed at iconic landmarks such as President Lincoln’s Cottage, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress. Cheryl’s work with Jubilee Voices includes appearances on PBS’s Time Team America and music contributions to the PBS series Mercy Street. Additionally, she is a featured vocalist on several Washington Revels recordings.

Her more recent theatrical credits include the Capital Fringe Festival, Dark Horse Theatre Company, and in productions with community theatres such as the Lake of the Woods Players and The Art Factory. Cheryl studied Musical Theatre at Montgomery College and earned a nursing degree from George Mason University, complementing her artistic endeavors with a career as a registered nurse since 2014.

With a wealth of experience and an unwavering passion for the arts, Cheryl is dedicated to making Luminary Theatre Company a beacon of creative storytelling and community engagement.