Staff

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.

Phillip Slay 
Program Manager

Phillip has been with Drama Kids for many years as a Drama Teacher and is happy to now be part of the leadership team as Program Manager. Since 2015, he has acquired his Bachelor’s in Arts & Performance and his Master’s in Performing Arts Administration. Phillip is very active in community theatre and can be seen on stages all over Dallas in many plays and musicals throughout the year. He loves Drama Kids and everything that it does for students in the DFW Metroplex. Drama Kids is FUN!

Kelsey Foster
Program Coordinator and Drama Kids Teacher

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.

Tonya Megyesi
Drama Kids Teacher

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. She has also been involved in many community theatre productions herself. Tonya subs occasionally for our elementary aged students but her heart belongs to our Acting Academy tweens/teens. She heads up our Acting Academy program and does a fabulous job!

Brandy Townsend
Drama Kids Teacher

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 7 years and has loved every minute of it. She cherishes the relationships she makes with her students and loves knowing she is teaching them life skills! Brandy is one of our most veteran teachers and 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.

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.

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!

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!

Harley Roche 
Drama Kids Teacher

Harley has experience as a director, designer and acting coach. She received her B.A in Theatre from Oklahoma State University. She now lives in Dallas where she has become a freelance director and designer, working with Theatre Three, Dallas Shakespeare, and Rover Dramawerks. She is also in association with Chickasaw Arts Academy, Starquest Dance Competition Touring Company, and The Acting Studio. Harley is the co-founder and president of Pawnee Arts INC. a children’s theatre company located in Pawnee, Oklahoma. She is so ecstatic to be part of our Drama Kids family!

Zoe Settle 
Drama Kids Teacher

Zoe is a Dallas native who graduated from Oklahoma City University with her BFA in Acting and minors in Directing, Design and Production. In addition to pursuing her acting career, she is excited to get to share her passion for theatre with others, including her Drama Kids students! Zoe has many years of experience working with children through teaching summer camps and directing shows. She is so glad that she has the chance to work with and positively impact her Drama Kids students year round!

SuzAnne Scallan 
Drama Kids Teacher

SuzAnne is an actress and makeup artist based in Garland, Texas. She has a Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts from McNeese State University in Louisiana. She has worked as a writer, production assistant, makeup artist, and director for small film production companies and brands such as Paul Mitchell, Fedex, and Walmart. She has experience teaching drama/improv and stage makeup workshops for Merryville High School and McNeese State University. She credits her adventure and career to her theatre involvement in grade school. She loves to extend her love for the arts and the positivity that surrounds it with her students.

Morgan Leath 
Drama Kids Teacher

Morgan is a freshman at the University of North Texas where she is studying Audiology/Speech Pathology as well as Theatre with a performance concentration. She was a Drama Kid herself for 9 years and understands what our Drama Kids students experience from their point of view. She has been in performance theatre since she was in first grade and was in the varsity acting class in her high school years. She even won Best Actress in her senior year UIL OAP district competition. Morgan is so excited to inspire each child she teaches. She hopes they will take from the program what she did, when she was a Drama Kid herself. Morgan’s favorite quote is:
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people come see you they will come back and bring others to show them how well you do what you do.” – Walt Disney

Alyssa Nicolas 
Drama Kids Teacher

Alyssa has been around children and theatre nearly all her life. She has experience as a Sunday school teacher and has worked for multiple children’s programs. She found her passion for acting around the age of nine when she started acting in plays at her church and hosting her Elementary’s school broadcast show. From there she was hooked and was a part of as many plays as she could be! She found that when she was on the stage she could come out of her shell. Alyssa has her B.A. in Theatre Arts at Cal State Northridge. Since obtaining her degree, she has furthered her education by being involved in various acting programs and improvisation classes such as Comedy Sportz and United Citizens Brigade. She believes that there is always something new to learn!

Katelyn Buchta 
Drama Kids Teacher

Katelyn is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she received her BA in theatre with a focus in theatre for young audiences. She has been performing onstage since she was a child! Katelyn became passionate about fostering confidence, empathy, and creativity through teaching theatre, which she has been doing for the past five years in both the Chicago and Dallas areas. After teaching a fifth grade course on character values in an intermediate school recently, she decided that Drama Kids would be the perfect place for her to continue her passion! Outside of work, you can often find her watching Disney movies, singing karaoke, or performing in improv shows and musicals in the DFW area.

Morgen Lanueva
Drama Kids Teacher

Morgen is a former nanny and camp counselor who earned her B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Texas at Arlington. She grew up in north Texas and was inspired to become involved in the performing arts after attending children’s plays at the Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth. She is delighted to be part of the Drama Kids family, as it allows her to combine her passion for theatre and working with kids to bring quality developmental drama programs to the next generation of Texans. She aspires to become a writer-director for the stage and screen, as well as a published children’s book author!

Sydney Kelley
Drama Kids Teacher

Sydney Kelley is a sophomore at the University of North Texas where she studies Media Arts and Anthropology. She has been involved in theatre all throughout her life. She has been involved in a multitude of shows since she first appeared on stage in 2011. Since then, her love for theatre has grown, as has her love for teaching. She is beyond excited that she gets to combine these two loves together and share the lifelong benefits of theatre with her students. Drama Kids is FUN!

Hannah Fuller 
Drama Kids Teacher

Hannah is currently pursuing her BA in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Acting & Directing. She is based out of Denton, Texas and continues to find work in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area as an actress, director, and stage manager.

Her work in educational theatre began when she served as a summer camp counselor for her high school theatre program, and then went on to become part of the educational intern team at Theatre Arlington in the summer of 2018.

Hannah hopes to learn more so that she can obtain her Master’s Degree in Directing in the Fall of 2022. In the future, she hopes to help produce more theatre in an educational setting. Her desire to teach the importance of theatre arts to younger generations is why she is a good fit for Drama Kids!

Jordan Holthus
Drama Kids Teacher

Ms. Jordan (Joey) is a returning Drama Kids teacher. In addition to teaching for Drama Kids, she also has many years of experience working with children through children’s ministry and as a special needs preschool teacher. She is currently completing her degree as she focuses on making a difference through social work. Drama Kids is a perfect fit for her passion of positive change in children, as it allows her to nurture personal growth and confidence in the students she spends time with.

Kara Foster 
Drama Kids Teacher

Kara is an experienced Drama Kids teacher who has been a part of the program for many years. She believes in the program and is passionate about building confidence in children. Kara has been involved in theater arts as either an actress, director, or crew member since she was a small child. She recently obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. Outside of the theatre, she works as a Registered Nurse where she uses the social skills Drama Kids taught her as child. Kara is excited to see how Drama Kids will positively impact her students while they have fun!

Jayden Reider
Drama Kids Teacher

Jayden is a performer and instructor currently living in Dallas, Texas. She holds her BFA in Theatre from Texas State University, and her emphasis is on collaborative theatre-making, accessibility, and inclusivity. She is a co-founder of the San Marcos-based, non-illusory theatre project ReAppropriate(SMTX), a certified DanceAbility instructor, and she has experience working with children through teaching after school theatre programs and vacation bible school. She has a passion for helping young artists explore their own creative possibilities, and she is excited to be a part of the Drama Kids team!