Staff
Valeria Marto
Director
Valeria is passionately committed to developing kids through drama, as she herself benefited from it as a child. Valeria’s first appearance on stage was in middle school — an experience that changed her life forever! She devoted her teen and young adult years to studying theatre and participating in numerous productions. Valeria was born in Brazil but moved to the U.S. in 1996. Upon graduating from Columbus State University, Valeria began her career in the corporate world. There, she quickly learned that an articulate and expressive person with dynamic presentation skills would heavily outweigh the soft-spoken scholar. Joining Drama Kids International was a natural transition in 2007 when she brought the program to the Chattahoochee Valley. Today, Valeria lives out her passion by helping children develop those essential skills that will make the journey through life much easier. In addition to overseeing the program locally, Valeria teaches her beloved Acting Academy program for students in middle and high school.
Leslie Cardwell
Program Manager
Leslie has been with Drama Kids since 2012. She has been teaching drama for more than 15 years and has over 25 years of experience working with kids. Leslie is also a published playwright. She has written more than 30 plays and coaches our summer campers in writing their plays every year. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing (playwriting) from Mississippi University for Women. Leslie LOVES and shares the vision of Drama Kids, which is to build confidence, communication skills and acting abilities through drama, or in her own words, “seeing kids blossom and gain confidence through the skills they learn on stage.”
Khaliah Wiggins
Drama & Acting Teacher
Khaliah started with Drama Kids in the spring of 2022, when she came to help us direct our spring shows. She has been no stranger to the stage. Since her middle school days, Khaliah has been involved in theatre in various forms – from back-stage support, to stage managing, to starring in lead roles. Khaliah was in the first graduating class of the prestigious Rainey McCullers School of Performing Arts in Columbus, GA. While in high school, Khaliah was the Thespian president for Troup 8787. Khaliah’s dream is to continue working in Arts Education. She loves helping others navigate their adventure in the field of drama, and is excited to share her knowledge and skills with her very own drama kids.
Kevin Johnston
Drama & Acting Teacher
This is Kevin’s second year with Drama Kids and he’s very excited for it. Kevin has had a passion for acting since the age of five, after viewing “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” with Jim Carrey as the Grinch. He’s always been passionate about the voice and how to manipulate it, as well as physical acting. He has performed in a variety of shows in many of the Columbus theater venues: Springer, River Center, and CSU. Kevin has been a Summer intern at the Springer Theater Academy, and he also helped start a Drama Club for Eddy Middle School. He’s always thought that children having access to the arts is extremely important, whether they pursue a career in the field or not. It teaches children to express themselves and become in touch with their emotions. Kevin thinks that Drama Kids is an incredible group that will help our future generations stay inspired and caring for one another.
Sydney Cardwell
Drama & Acting Teacher
Sydney is a former Drama Kids student and is excited for the opportunity to share with her students the skills she learned as a student. She has been a part of the theatre since her family did Tom Sawyer when she was four. She participated in all areas of performance and production through her school years and performed with her college improv team until she graduated this May. Improv is her favorite way to perform theatre, but she also loves the production process of a full play and watching all the pieces fall into place during the final days of rehearsal!
Katie Jenkins
Teacher
Katie has been teaching Drama Kids since the fall of 2016 with a little break in between. During her two-and-a-half-year break from Drama Kids, Katie served as a full-time middle school drama teacher in the Muscogee County School District. Katie has been back since January 2024, after realizing that her true calling was to use drama techniques to equip and empower children. And we are lucky to have her back! Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Wesleyan College and a Master’s of Education from Columbus State University. She has worked with children of all ages inside and outside of the classroom for over 10 years. Katie is very passionate about children and theatre and knows that the power of theatre can show the shyest child the confidence they’ve always had!
Emily Denovich
Teacher
Emily is thrilled to join Drama Kids. She is a Class of 2021 Theatre Graduate from Kennesaw State University, but her love for theatre started much earlier in life. Through middle and high school, she discovered that theatre was a powerful tool for building confidence and self-expression. Her dedication led to landing the lead role in Marietta High School’s production of Steel Magnolias. Emily’s work experience includes producing showcases for Synchronicity’s after-school drama enrichment program for Atlanta Public Schools. Outside the classroom, Emily enjoys the company of Raven, her talking cat, who is always ready to lend a meow of encouragement. She looks forward to helping Drama Kids students build the confidence to shine both on stage and in life.
Join our team! Click below to apply!
Drama Kids is seeking dynamic and fun part-time teachers to meet our growing class schedule.