ACT Staff and Instructors
Kerry DiMaggio
Education Director
(805) 781-3889 x 14[email protected]
A native of the Central Coast, Kerry has been involved in theatre since she was young, including many productions on the SLO REP stage as a performer, instructor, and director. Kerry holds a BA (with honors) in Theatre Arts from Cal Poly’s Theatre and Dance Department, where her interest in teaching was piqued by a course in Children’s Drama. Kerry has also trained with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, PCPA, and Cal State Fullerton’s Musical Theatre program. Her passion for teaching young performers continues to grow, and she is honored to have served as SLO REP’s Education Director for over 16 years. She can’t wait to see you in class or at the theatre!
Rachel Tietz
Assitant Education Director
[email protected]Rachel Tietz is absolutely thrilled to be a member of the ACT team! A graduate of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) 2011, Rachel also earned a degree in Arts and Humanities from Allan Hancock College during the 2020 theatre hiatus. She has been teaching and directing for the ACT program since 2017. Previous SLO REP credits include Betty Jean in The Marvelous Wonderettes, Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit, Philia in A Funny Thing Happened…Forum, Ulla in The Producers, and Miss Shields in A Christmas Story. She has also had the pleasure to write, direct, and perform in many shows at The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville. A central coast native, Rachel has a deep passion for working with young artists and for enriching the arts community.
Shannon Peters
Assistant Education Director & Twelfth Night Director
[email protected]Shannon Peters is beyond grateful to be back home on the central coast and a member of SLO REP’s education team! A graduate of PCPA, Shannon continued her education at Utah State University earning a BFA before moving to New York and starring in multiple customer service roles! Previous SLO Rep credits include A Wrinkle in Time (Director), Xanadu (Melpomene) and Why Do Fools Fall In Love (Deedee). Other favorite roles include Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (USU), Viola in Twelfth Night (USU) and the Actress in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Lyric Repertory Theatre). As an alumni of the ACT Program and the daughter of an educator, she feels at home in the classroom and understands the importance of cultivating joy and creative freedom for young performers of all ages.
Danielle Durbin
ACT Instructor
Danielle was born and raised on the Central Coast and, after a little over a decade away, is thrilled to be back! After graduating from PCPA in 2010, Danielle continued her education in LA and Chicago. After 10 years of writing, directing, and performing sketch and stand up comedy in Chicago, she was ready to make the move back home. She is thrilled to be able to bring her twelve years of experience back to the Central Coast, where she currently teaches acting at Allan Hancock College and works on various theatre and comedy projects.
Jill Price
ACT Instructor
Jill Price is an actor, director, and teaching artist hailing from Bakersfield, CA. A graduate of UC Davis and PCPA, Jill has performed.with many West Coast Regional Theatres such as SLO Rep, Sacramento Theatre Company, Santa Rosa Rep, and The Great American Melodrama. A passionate educator, Jill has worked as an instructor for dozens of camps, theaters, and elementary schools. Some of her favorite past credits include Silent Sky (Williamina Fleming), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Logainne). Jill currently serves as the Youth and Community Arts Coordinator for PCPA, where she creates theater programming for students in SLO and Santa Barbara County.
Katherine Konjoyan
ACT Instructor
Katherine is so excited to be a part of the ACT team! Growing up on the Central Coast, Katherine found her love of theatre as an ACT student, so she is thrilled to be coming full circle as an instructor! Katherine holds an AA in Theatre Arts from Cuesta College and is pursuing her BA in Theatre Arts at Cal Poly, with a focus on performance and education. She also studies classical voice at the Alpert Studios. Katherine has worked as an assistant director at Los Osos Middle School and as musical director for Morro Bay High School. Some of her favorite performance credits include flower seller/ensemble in Opera SLO’s Beauty and the Beast, Ali in Mamma Mia!, and Cookie Cusack in Rumors. Katherine is extremely passionate about working with young performers, and feels so blessed to be able to help grow the future of theatre!
Kennedy Martin
ACT Instructor
Kennedy Martin is a senior at Cal Poly SLO, majoring in Theater Arts. She transferred from Moorpark College after completing her associate degrees in Theater Arts, Sociology, and Psychology. Her love for theater started when she was young, taking summer acting classes, and has grown to love both performance and backstage work. She has studied a range of topics such as improv, clowning, set design, scenic painting, and acting. In her free time, she loves creating crafts of all kinds and watching cat videos! She is excited to be a part of the ACT team and hopes to inspire a love of theater in others!
Krissie Miller
ACT Instructor
Krissie was born and raised in SLO and is so thankful to be back home building roots after traveling for her education. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree for Acting at Academy of Art University in San Francisco with an emphasis in Musical Theatre Performance. Growing up, Krissie was involved in community theatre and choral groups in SLO as well as attending summer camps at PCPA. She later went on to be the President of SLO High Drama Club as well as the Improv Troupe, creating a welcoming environment for students from a multitude of backgrounds and lifestyles. Currently she has music out on all platforms under the artist name Krissie Meadows, fusing pop styles with her love for jazz and soul music.
Lester Wilson
ACT Resident Stage Manager
Lester Wilson received his B.A. in Theatre Arts & English at Cal Poly State University, has been involved with many theatre companies on the Central Coast, and Los Angeles area performing, designing, and directing. Some of his favorite roles include Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls, Baloo The Bear in The Jungle Book, the title role in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, and The Genie of the Lamp in Disney’s Aladdin. He’s worked with such Improv groups as The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, & iO West. He is also a teacher with Academy of Creative Theatre (ACT) at SLO REP, a director at AGHS Theatre Company, and Improv Coach for award winning AGHS Improv Team: Grin & Bare It. He enjoys all aspects of theatre and loves helping students develop and hone their skills while broadening their horizons as people and artists, it’s the power of theatre. The world is a stage, enjoy it!
Weston Scott
ACT Instructor
Weston Scott is a playwright, director, and teaching artist who’s excited to be back on the Central Coast. After graduating from UC Berkeley, he completed a Directing Internship at PCPA before returning to the Bay Area as a Teaching Artist and Resident YouthStage Director at the Berkeley Playhouse. During that time, he was the producer and director of the RIFFS program for Oakland schools. Wes also initiated the Hapgood Theater Project, which just completed its eighth year in Lompoc. As a playwright, he’s created or developed new work at Z Space, FaultLine Theater, Custom Made Theater Co., Stumptown Stages in Portland, and PianoFight. He is most proud to be the resident playwright for Exit Pursued by a Bear, which offers radically accessible and free original work to the Central Coast. Wes is an Associate Artist of FaultLine Theater and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.
Savanna Batto
ACT Instructor
Savanna Batto is a Communications major at Cal Poly. This is my first year with SLO REP’S ACT program, and she has previous theatre teaching experience in her hometown of Oakland. She’s been involved in theater her whole life and feels very thankful to be able to spread the joy of live theater to the younger generation! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, and playing with her two cats.
Liz Martinie
ACT Instructor
bio coming soon!
Carolyn Peters
ACT Instructor
bio coming soon!
