Staff
Michelle Porraro
Owner & Director
Michelle, proud mother of two, is a member of SAG/AFTRA and has worked as a professional actress in film, television and theatre for over a decade. She completed professional acting training in New York City at The Neighborhood Playhouse, HB Studios and with professional acting coaches from the Actor’s Studio. She has also worked with children at the YMCA of Ridgewood, YMCA of Madison, and YMCA of Hoboken.
In recent years, she has worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a regional Sales Trainer helping staff develop strong presentation skills. Michelle has a B.S. Degree from Ramapo College and pursued an M.E. at Stevens Institute of Technology on a scholarship from the Army Corps of Engineers. When she found a program that was focused on building confidence and speaking and acting skills in children, Michelle knew it was the perfect match for her talents. “I took my own acting training and experience and applied it successfully to the business world and I want to help other children do the same!”
Celine Dirkes
Drama & Acting Teacher
Celine is excited to be a teacher for Drama Kids of Greater Morristown for many years. Celine graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and English. At Rutgers they also acquired certificates in Creative Writing, Drama and Performance Studies, and a certificate in Women’s Leadership from historic Douglass Residential College. As a performer, they prioritize creative approaches to Shakespeare and new works that highlight local storytelling. Celine has experience teaching drama to students of all ages, from pre-K to 12th grade, and loves to facilitate the growth of both technical skills and creativity!
Tiffany Grossfeld
Drama & Acting Teacher
Tiffany is an actor, writer, & teaching artist based in New Jersey. A lifelong actor, Tiffany has been performing professionally since her childhood. She holds a B.F.A. in Performing Arts from SCAD: Savannah College of Art & Design and continues to work in film & theatre as well as arts education. She believes firmly in the power of creative expression & is grateful to make arts education accessible to a wide array of students & young artists.
Kristen DeAngelis
Drama & Acting Teacher
As a passionate advocate for the arts, Kristen is thrilled to join Drama Kids of Greater Morristown! A recent graduate of Montclair State University with a B.A. in Theatre and a minor in Musical Theatre, Kristen has performed, directed, and taught across various stages in the Northern NJ area, including the Rosen Performing Arts Center and NJPAC. Currently, Kristen serves as this season’s Theatre Director for the All Children’s Art Center of New Jersey. In her classroom, she emphasizes the importance of empowering students to discover and nurture their artistic voices.
Mary Elizabeth Gismonde
Drama & Acting Teacher
Mary is a Theatre Arts graduate of Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts and a proud alumna of the historic Douglass Women’s College. She is thrilled to have joined the staff of Drama Kids of Greater Morristown! As a professional actress and teaching artist, she has 10+ years of experience working with children in the arts. She has also trained with Very Special Arts NJ and Theatre in Motion LLC as a creative drama therapist, helping children with intellectual and physical differences. Mary enjoys the process of helping her students discover their creativity and watching them grow into active, social, confident young people with wonderful imaginations.
Samantha Kelly
Drama & Acting Teacher
Samantha (Sam) is so excited to be a teacher for Drama Kids! Sam has been a theater lover her entire life, but fell in love with performing in elementary school while participating in a production of Annie. She currently helps run a theater group in the New Brunswick area and performs whenever she gets the chance! She believes that theater can help kids express emotions and develop self-confidence and she’s excited to be a part of that with Drama Kids!
Linda Hatcher
Drama & Acting Teacher
Linda is so happy to be working with Drama Kids and looks forward to every class. She enjoys working with children, is patient and full of energy! She has always wanted to be an actress but was very shy as a child. Linda became active in theater her sophomore year of high school. Being able to be someone else on stage helped her come out of her shell and allowed her to make friends that she has to this day. Upon graduating high school she was accepted to The American Musical and Dramatic Academy on Broadway, but decided to go to Temple University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater/Communications. She has performed at Walt Disney World as well as Universal Studios. Linda put off her acting career to raise a family, but stayed very active in community theater, where she has been seen on many New Jersey stages. The summer of 2023she was in an off Broadway play! She recently resigned from her job as a paraprofessional to pursue her acting career. Whether her students at Drama Kids are shy, outgoing, or somewhere in between she wants them to learn the fundamentals of theater, but most of all have fun!
Jessica Giunta
Drama & Acting Teacher
Jessica is thrilled to be teaching with Drama Kids! She’s a proud mother of two and an avid Shakespeare fan who has loved working with children her whole life. She fell in love with performing as a preteen at summer camp. She graduated from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut (the state she’s originally from) where she studied acting, journalism, media studies and education. Jessica performed in various shows with Sacred Heart’s theater group, The SHU Players. After college, Jessica first worked in the journalism field where some of her written work was published in newspapers, magazines and on websites. After getting married, she then made the switch to education, having missed working with children. She worked as a middle school English teacher and directed the after-school drama program for four years. Once she started a family and moved to New Jersey, she took a break from teaching for seven years to raise her daughter and son. It wasn’t long before she decided to start teaching drama again to all ages in the Edison/Metuchen areas and has done so for six years now. Jessica is a huge advocate for children in the arts and even teaches her own children in some of her classes. She believes acting can instill confidence, creativity, social awareness and unlock parts of children’s personalities to help them grow, learn and achieve their dreams- while having so much fun!
Kate Hoover
Drama & Acting Teacher
Kate Hoover is an actress who has performed all over the East Coast as well as off-Broadway for many years. In addition to co-founding her own theatre company “Sonyo Theatre”, she’s had the honor of being a longtime host of The Cosplay Cabaret with the performance company GeekLifeRules for over 6 years.
Previously, she performed for over 3 years as a singer aboard Carnival Cruise Lines. On top of that, Kate can be heard on the musical podcast series “The World To Come” where she voices several characters including Millicent Knickerbocker. In addition to her performance career, Kate has extensive experience both teaching and directing children’s theatre throughout New Jersey, and traveled for years teaching/performing an educational one-person show entitled “The Tournament of Science” which combined learning and performance skills.
Kate loves teaching drama to children because it was something she herself started doing and loving since she was just 5 years old and helped shape her into the performer and person she is today. Kate jokes that drama class was “the one thing that could get her out of bed before 8am on a Saturday morning”. Seeing the kids have fun and build confidence reminds her of the young, shy girl who just needed an opportunity to shine.
Johnny Kavanagh
Drama & Acting Teacher
Johnny Kavanagh (He/They) is a professional working actor, comedian and most importantly teaching artist bringing 10 years of knowledge, experience and passion to the table. He has a BFA in Acting from Montclair University. Johnny adores getting to pass on his knowledge and help nurture and grow the skills and passions of young artists just like impactful teachers did for him. Johnny is beyond excited to be a part of the drama kids team and cannot wait for what is in store, lets get creative!