Maya Apodaca
Director of Teaching and Summer Camps
Maya has been with Drama Kids since 2007 and was promoted to Director of Teaching and Summer Camps in 2012. She takes the lead in hiring, training and supervising our teachers. Maya attended the University of New Mexico where she majored in Elementary Education and Theater Arts. Outside of Drama Kids, Maya is a ballroom dance teacher and has been teaching children the creative elements and fundamentals of dance and drama for over 18 years.
Jessica Torres
Administrative Support
Since Drama Kids inception, Jessica has been working behind the scenes, and handles registration processing, class scheduling, and bill processing along with a myriad of other responsibilities. Jessica hails from Sam Houston State University. She believes in the Drama Kids system and loves watching the kids grow in confidence.
Kelsey Foster
Programs Coordinator, Drama Kids Teacher and Team Lead
Kelsey is a veteran Drama Kids teacher and has been with the Drama Kids program for over 12 years as either a student or employee. She knows the program well and has witnessed and experienced the benefits firsthand. She grew up with an appreciation for the arts and has performance experience in both dance and theatre arts. She is a true Broadway fan, having seen over 15+ shows just in the past year alone! She hails from UNT Dallas with a Bachelor’s degree. Kelsey also serves as our Drama Kids Programs Coordinator as well as being a Team Lead for our teachers.
Natalie Hernandez
Drama Kids Marketing Specialist
Natalie is a former Drama Kids teacher who is now pursuing an acting career in New York City. She is a performer at heart but Natalie comes from a long line of teachers. Helping children learn and grow is a very big passion of hers. Natalie worked with children for 6 years at Hummingbird Music Camp in New Mexico before joining the Drama Kids team. Natalie loves the Drama Kids program and what it has done for so many children! She currently serves the Drama Kids team from NYC.
Tonya Megyesi
Drama Kids Teacher and Team Lead
After years of being a Drama Kids parent, Tonya wanted to get more involved in the program. Tonya was excited about the philosophy of DKI as she had witnessed the results of the program first-hand in her daughter. As a Sunday school teacher and home school mom, Tonya plans classes that engage children in active, hands-on learning that instill the importance of presentation and creativity. Tonya has also been involved in many community theatre productions herself.
Brandy Townsend
Drama Kids Teacher and Team Lead
Brandy Townsend received her Bachelors degree in Drama with a minor in Education from Texas Woman’s University in 2016. She has worked for Drama Kids for over 5 years and has loved every minute of it. She currently serves the Drama Kids team as a teacher and team lead. She also leads up our Drama Kids Summer Camps in the Denton area!
Gillian Horowitz
Drama Kids Teacher
Gillian is a graduate from the University of North Texas with a degree in Hospitality Management. However, she is no stranger to the world of performing arts. She has been participating in children’s theaters around the DFW Metroplex since the age of 4. She has taken opera lessons, and enjoyed singing and music so much that she even put a musical theatre spin to her ice skating performances! Miss Gillian has been performing and competing through ballroom dance for the past 12 years. As a returning teacher, Gillian is thrilled to continue the DK journey because she says Drama Kids includes all the things she loves, including her love of theatre and deep desire to give back to others that which she received from her own mentors. She knows first hand the positive impact the experience can make.
Doreen Degenhardt
Drama Kids Teacher
Ms Doreen has been involved in theatre since the age of three. Over the years she has worked in film, television and live theatre. She also enjoys writing and directing plays for all ages. Most importantly, Doreen has a passion for working with children and seeing them use and develop their imaginations. She is excited about the year ahead and all the creativity she and her students will explore together
Kelsey Oudshoorn
Drama Teacher
Kelsey earned her Associate of Science at Collin College and is now a senior at the University of North Texas. In spring of 2018, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology along with minors in Theatre and Spanish. Kelsey has been on the President’s List of exemplary students every year of her college career for her perfect grade point average.
Kelsey’s love of theatre started in the 8th grade when she played a rabbit in The Magician’s Nephew at UIL One-Act Play. Some of her favorite roles include: Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables, Wendy in Peter Pan, and in the ensemble of Fiddler on the Roof at Garland Summer Musicals.
Danielle Rohr
Drama Kids Teacher
Danielle Rohr is a lifelong theater lover. She graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma in 2010. Since then, she has been performing sketch comedy and stand-up comedy in Chicago, Illinois. She enjoys making puppets and crafting. She is very excited to be back in the South where she is working toward getting her teaching certificate in Denton, Texas and is thrilled to be making a difference in the lives of our Denton County Drama Kids!
Elizabeth Sankey
Drama Kids Teacher
After her youngest daughter fell in love with the Drama Kids program, Elizabeth decided to get involved too! Besides having theater experience in high school, Elizabeth has spent many hours volunteering as a teacher’s aide. For the past 6+ years, she has coached Argyle Drill Team and Cheerleading, working with kids from kindergarten through fifth grade. She understands the importance of individualized attention, praise, classroom management and wants your child’s confidence to grow. She also encourages all to be a team player while having fun!
Nathan Freeman
Drama Kids Teacher
Nathan (Nate) Daniel Freeman is excited to be part of the Dallas Drama Kids team. Nate graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 2011 with a BA in Speech and Theatre. He has always enjoyed working with kids in childrens’ church, youth group productions, community summer musicals, and theatre camps. In his free time Nate enjoys playing his piano, singing, dog sitting and binge watching Cartoon Network.
Tom Urrutia
Drama Kids Teacher
Tom is a graduate of University of North Texas where he studied Communication Studies, Theatre Arts, and Spanish. His love for performing began while being involved in various young adult performing arts groups. He has experience with performing arts from both Flower Mound High School and UNT. Some of his favorite roles are from musicals such as Charlotte’s Web, Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, The Nutcracker and A Very Potter Musical where he played Harry Potter. He is also an improvisational actor with The Dallas Murder Mystery Company, and was the vice president of PIGs (Performing Interest Group) at University of North Texas. He is excited to be part of Drama Kids to share his love and passion for performing with others!
Emily Grove
Drama Kids Teacher
Emily recently moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area from South Carolina. Emily is a professional actor and teacher, and loves bringing out the best in her students. She is a firm believer that theatre can change the world. Emily can’t wait to meet the students of Texas and see what they can teach her!
Kalee Gough
Drama Kids Teacher
Kaylee is a full-time student at the University of North Texas. Her major is theatre with a concentration in education. Kaylee has been doing theatre for 8 years and has been working with kids for 4. She decided to combine both of her passions in hopes of being a theatre teacher when she graduates. Kaylee joined Drama Kids to help children break out of their shells and learn to love theatre just as much as she does. Theatre has helped her build confidence, enhance her public speaking skills, and become an overall more social person and hopes she can help so many children do the same.
Julian Williams
Drama Kids Teacher
Julian, a Houston native, became a true Thespian at an early age. He has starred and featured in numerous productions including Bound By Choices, Fame, Southern Truths , Rumors, Better Now: The Web-series, Watch Night , A Midsummer Night’s Dream and many more. Currently Julian serves as the Chief Operations Officer for Free Me Dreams Entertainment based in Dallas, TX. He is high energy and tons of fun in class. He loves acting up with his students!
Vanessa Hernandez
Drama Kids Teacher
Vanessa is a very outgoing and energetic teacher! She has a playful spirit. In addition to teaching drama, she has been a math tutor, a children’s dance instructor, a nanny and a girl scout troop leader. Vanessa loves children and has worked with many different age groups. Vanessa enjoys helping her students reach their true potential through the creative art of dramatic play.
Randal Doud
Drama Kids Teacher
Randal Doud has lived in Texas his entire life. He is married to his wife of 8 years. They have two children 6 and 3. He has been involved in Theatre since 2000 where he played Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. He loves everything to do with Theatre. He taught junior high and high school theatre for five years. He has a BFA in Theatre Education from Texas State University. Our Drama Kids are lucky to have him!
Elizabeth Cyr
Drama Kids Teacher
Ms. Elizabeth is a returning teacher for our Denton Drama Kids. She is a native Bostonian who has been involved in many performing arts venues. She was a substitute teacher for nearly two decades; including preparing students for school concerts and plays. Her love of performing started as a 2nd grader when she began playing the flute in concerts and competitions; still playing today. She has a heart for kids, and finds nothing more rewarding than watching a child’s confidence grow and sparks ignite!
Katelyn Cave
Drama Kids Teacher
Katelyn has called North Texas home her whole life and has been involved in live performance since she was 10 years old. After performing on a Broadway stage as North Texas’s Best Actress in 2015 for the National High School Musical Theatre awards, she returned to Dallas to become a professional Cirque Artist and instructor. However, she discovered her love for teaching and is now pursuing a degree in Fine Arts to become a Theatre director. She is very passionate about lifting her students up to gain confidence in self-expression and creativity through Theatre Arts.
Rachel Giles
Drama Kids Teacher
Rachel Giles is a veteran teacher for Drama Kids! She has been involved with performance through Dance, Choir, and Theatrical productions since she was 4 years old. She has also been involved in her church Drama Team since its inception when she was in middle school. She currently is the point person for production at her church community campus. She loves to see how her students grow through Drama Kids!
Cleo Lissade
Drama Kids Teacher
Cleo is a recent graduate from Abilene Christian University’s Theatre department and holds a degree in Theatre Education as well as her Texas teaching certification. She has always loved theatre and the arts and loves to live life outside of the box, this is what drew her to the arts in the first place. She wants to use her passion for theatre to teach students of all ages and share the power of art with every person she meets.
Claire Loescher
Drama Kids Teacher/Marketing
Claire is in North Texas for college, studying public relations at UNT. Did a public relations internship with 94.9 KLTY. She loves theater and working with children, which is why Drama Kids is the best job ever! She wants every student to find their confidence through Drama Kids. She has recently started working with DK creating great ads for our social media sites!
Blane Owen
Drama Kids Teacher
Blane is a North Texas native who discovered his love for acting in 2013. He did several plays at The Actor’s Conservatory Theatre in Lewisville, TX such as Suessical, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Scrooge, Narnia, and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. He has also done shows at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church and Music Theatre of Denton, and is part of a local improv acting group which is currently working on an entirely improv based show and has intentions of taking it on tour. He is excited to jump into the fun with Drama Kids!
