Faculty
Duane Gardella, MFA
Professor of Dramatic Arts
C106A | [email protected] | 619/388-3594
Mr. Gardella received his BA and MFA from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television and is a past member of Local 816, Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists Union. He worked professionally in Los Angeles for nineteen years as an Assistant Art Director/Scenic Artist/Stage Designer on a wide range of projects including General Hospital, Married with Children, Mr. Belvedere, The Academy Awards, The Great American Children's Theatre, various commercials, and a smattering of film. While teaching at City College he has also worked with Bravo, an arts fund raising group and the San Diego Convention Center. He has designed all of the sets for City College Theatre for over 25 years.
Classes taught for City College:
- DRAM 123/126 - Stagecraft
- DRAM 129A/B - Scene Painting
- DRAM 243 - Production
- FJMP126 - Lighting for Film and Television
- FJMP 128 - Art Direction for Film and Television
Kate Neff Stone, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts
C106C | [email protected] | 619/388-3617
Kate Neff Stone obtained her Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama with emphases in Dramaturgy and Critical Theatre from the joint programs at UC Irvine and UC San Diego, and she earned her MA in Performance Studies from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has extensive experience teaching theatre in Southern California, including performance and theory classes at UC Irvine, Santiago Canyon College, Golden West College, and Coastline College. She has presented original research at numerous national and regional conferences including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, American Society for Theatre Research, and the Mid-American Theatre Conference. She has directed numerous productions in Southern California, Chicago, and New York, including Lord of the Flies (Ding Ah Sich Theatre); Othello (Blind Cotton Theatre Company); The Bacchae; Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge; Almost, Maine; and All in the Timing (Santiago Canyon College). For City College, she has directed the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2026 New Play Festivals, Macbeth, Imogen Says Nothing, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Mr Burns: a post-electric play, Tape, Stupid F##king Bird, Spring Awakening,The Secret in the Wings, and Eurydice.
Classes taught for City College:
- DRAM 105 - Introduction to Dramatic Arts
- DRAM 107 - Study of Filmed Plays
- DRAM 109 - Theatre and Social Issues
- DRAM 132/133 - Acting
- DRAM 134 - Beginning Voice for Actors
- DRAM 240, 242, 244 - Production
Katie Rodda, Ph.D
Professor of Dramatic Arts
Co-Chair, Visual and Performing Arts
C106b | [email protected] | 619/388-3088
Katie began teaching at San Diego City College in 2000. She earned her MA and Ph.D. in Dramatic Art from UC Santa Barbara and her BFA cum laude from the University of Arizona. Directing credits include plays at Cygnet Theatre, Scripps Ranch Theatre, San Diego Junior Theatre, the Fritz Theatre, MOXIE Theatre, CSU San Marcos, Southwestern College, and MiraCosta College. For City College she has directed and produced The Vagina Monologues (2010-2013), the 2016, 2021, and 2025 Festivals of New Plays, Good Kids, Chicago, Electricidad, The Rocky Horror Show, Anatomy of Gray, Heathers, Just Like Us, Twelfth Night, Urinetown,The Wolves, Cabaret, Salvation Road,The Prom, John Proctor Is the Villain, Fade, The Taming of the Shrew (cross-gender casting), Into the Woods, and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes). She is a proud mama to Teddy, the coolest kid in the world.
Classes taught for City College:
- DRAM 103 - Acting for the Non-Major
- DRAM 105 - Introduction to Dramatic Arts
- DRAM 107 - Study of Filmed Plays
- DRAM 108/118 - Playwriting
- DRAM/RTVF 119 - Acting for Film and Television
- DRAM 132/133 - Acting
- DRAM 136/137 - Theatre History
- DRAM 205 - Musical Theatre History
- DRAM 240, 242, and 244 - Production
- HUMA 102 - Humanities
Staff
Mike McCullock
Theatre Technician
C106D | [email protected] | 619/388-3508
James (Mike) McCullock has been working in theatre for over 40 years. He has done everything from acting and directing, to designing and running shows. He has worked locally for The Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The San Diego REPertory Theater, Moxie, Diversionary, Cygnet, and more. He has also worked in New York at Waverley Place Theater in Greenwich Village and One Dream Theater in SoHo. He has toured the United States, Canada, and seven countries in Europe. Mike has his CTE credential in Art, Media and Entertainment, and taught Theatrical Production and Management for Coronado School of the Arts. Most recently he was the Technical Director the Idyllwild School of the Arts summer program, 2022 and 2023. He has his license in Massage Therapy and Asian bodywork, and is working on his Masters in Theatre.
Part-Time Faculty
Marc Biagi - DRAM 106 (CCAP) - Voice-Over
Joe Slevcove - DRAM 123, 126 (CCAP) - Stagecraft
Carol Whaley - DRAM 107, 143, 153