ABOUT THE YOUTH THEATER PROJECT
The San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project (YTP) empowers Bay Area teens through the magic of theater. This after-school program provides a unique platform for self-expression and social awareness where participating teens collaborate to create their own original play.
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Our programs foster a supportive and creative environment where teens explore themes relevant to their lives. Guided by experienced mentors, they delve into playwriting, acting, and stage production. This holistic approach equips them with valuable skills like public speaking, teamwork, and critical thinking. It also builds their confidence and allows them to find their voices on important social issues.
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The YTP programs culminate in a public performance of the student-created plays. This experience not only showcases their newfound talents but also provides a platform for them to share their perspectives with the community. The YTP goes beyond entertainment; it's a powerful tool for youth development and social change.
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THE YOUTH THEATER PROJECT HISTORY
Since 1996, the San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project (YTP) has focused its mission on empowering young people through theater. Led by a diverse group of theater practitioners and social justice artists, they mentor young apprentices, guiding them in expressing their thoughts and experiences creatively. These mentors, who come from various backgrounds within the Bay Area, share a passion for using theater as a tool for artistic expression, social awareness, and personal growth.
The YTP team fosters a supportive and inclusive environment where youth can explore important issues, develop their artistic skills, and build self-confidence. Through workshops and activities, the team equips young people with the tools for playwriting, acting, improvisation, and collaboration. Their dedication to providing a free and accessible program allows youth from diverse communities to participate and find their voices through theater.
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THE YOUTH THEATER PROJECT TEAM
The San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project (YTP) team is dedicated to empowering young people through theater. Led by a diverse group of theater practitioners and social justice artists, they mentor young apprentices, guiding them in expressing their thoughts and experiences creatively. These mentors, who come from various backgrounds within the Bay Area, share a passion for using theater as a tool for artistic expression, social awareness, and personal growth.
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MEET THE YTP TEAM!
LISA HORI-GARCIA
YTP Program Director, Teaching Artist, Actress, Director, Collective Member
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Since joining the San Francisco Mime Troupe in 2004, Lisa has had the pleasure of being part of the YTP team and watched it grow and evolve over the years. One of the things about YTP that Lisa is most proud of is how we create a supportive environment where professional theater activist/artists connect, train and mentor young people and help them to find their voice. In this time of Covid, Lisa has been living in Denver and enjoying going on ur-ban hikes with her pup Alma and (safely) exploring a new city. Lisa received her BA from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. She is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
Here’s to another 25 years of YTP helping youth speak truth to power!
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ELLEN CALLAS
General Manager, Teaching, Writer, Director, Collective Member
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A native Chicagoan who cut her teeth on Second City, Ellen co-founded, in 1976, Hit and Run Theater, a political sketch comedy troupe that toured rural northern California for many years. Since joining the Mime Troupe in 1986, she has worked as a writer on (Ripped Van Winkle, Secrets in the Sand, Rats, Back to Normal, Escape from Cyberia, Revenger Rat, Soul Suckers, Eating It, 1600 Transylvania Ave, Doing Good, and Posibilidad. Also as an actor (Rats), director (Making a Killing) and as production, company & stage manager for various productions including the international collaboration and Asian tour of Big Wind.She also served as company manager for ACT's long running production of Angels In America: Parts I & II. She is committed to mentoring future activist artists and from its beginning has been an enthusiastic teacher and occasional project director of company's 25-year-old Youth Theater Project. Ellen credits her ability as an improviser for helping to navigate the rocky road of non-profit political theater.
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CHRISTIAN WILBURN
Lead Teacher
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Christian Wilburn is a biracial writer and educator, born and raised in San Francisco. He teaches fiction, playwriting, and storytelling to teens and adults throughout the Bay Area. Christian’s inclusive approach to craft allows for self-expression, and diversity (in every sense of the word) in writing, while still guiding students to become the writers they’ve always dreamed of being. He’s taught at the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the San Francisco Opera, The Marsh Theater, Playground San Francisco, and Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.
As a writer, Christian has found success in a number of mediums. He is an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced in multiple states. In terms of fiction, his novel, Basketball Chronicles received a one-of-a-kind fellowship from the University of San Francisco.
Christian creates stories that are simultaneously diverse, fantastical, and radically empathetic. His short plays have been featured in festivals around the country. Christian is also a five-time Monday Night Playground People’s Choice Award winner and winner of the inaugural Best of Playground People’s Choice Award. After receiving a commission from Playground SF, his full-length play Starlight, received a developmental production at the 2023 Playground New Works Festival, and a reading at Town Hall Theatre.
Christian holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing with a Fiction Emphasis from the University of San Francisco, as well as Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Santa Clara University.
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SKYLER SULLIVAN
Lead Teacher
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Skyler Sullivan (They/He) is thrilled to return to collaborate with the S.F. Mime Troupe and loves guiding artists to tell stories on stage. Skyler's work as an actor, director, educator and therapeutic clown, has been seen coast to coast. Thank you for supporting arts programs that give our community a chance to connect and thrive.
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CARLA GALLARDO
Assistant
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This is Carla’s first time working with the SF Mime Troupe’s Youth Theater Project, and she’s very excited to be a part of this incredible learning experience! Before she decided to become a full-time actor in the Bay Area, she used to teach swimming for children and adults for about four years in the East Bay. She studied theater arts at Laney College in Oakland, and then transferred to SF State in San Francisco, CA. When she’s not acting, she enjoys taking breaks at the beach, listen to loud music with the car windows down and wind in her hair (but not in her eyes), spending time with her loved ones, and having coffee/food/boba dates with friends to catch up on life; and now, due to the pandemic, she has started enjoying sleeping in until the sun shines, reading books, embroidery, and becoming a new plant mama to 20+ plants.
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LIZZIE CALOGERO
YTP Outreach Coordinator
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Lizzie Calogero is an actress and educator from England, living in the Bay Area. She is a former SF Mime Troupe Collective member, and has appeared in many Mime Troupe summer shows, recently Walls, Treasure Island, and Back to the Way Things Were.
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TAYLOR GONZALEZ
YTP Support Staff
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Taylor Gonzalez has been working with the Mime Troupe since he was 16 years old. His work began with the Youth Theater Project (YTP) as a student. Since then he has taught as well as designed lights and sound for YTP. Now most of his time at the Troupe is spent mainly on sound related projects. He was the lead audio editor,engineer and designer for the two past summers of Tales of the Resistance. Taylor recently took over as the lead audio engineer at SF Playhouse and has been working on many shows there. Other work includes time as a studio and live audio engineer for local bands, as well as a sound designer for various theaters around the bay area.
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OONA VALLE ELLIS
YTP Support Staff
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​Oona Valle Ellis is a queer Honduran-American plant-lover and musician, originally hailing from Lenape territory (NYC). When they’re not playing holy fool with SFMT, they can be found tending to the land and apothecary at Canticle Farm playing accordion with fellow cumbierxs, fiber-crafting sculptural adornments, listening at the feet of their elders, tickling the feet of their chosen niblings, or up to some other sacred mischief. Pictured here with trans corn.
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MARIE CARTIER
YTP Support Staff
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Marie Cartier has been working with the Mime Troupe since 2012. Born and raised in San Francisco, her theater practices encompass a variety of roles. She has created props for several years of Mime Troupe shows, and was on the writing team for Treasure Island and Tales of the Resistance. She had the pleasure of teaching the Youth Theater project for four years, 2016-2019. Her teaching practices emphasize bringing out the weirdness within and questioning the system. Marie is currently pursuing her Masters in Social Work at CSU East Bay. Despite previously being a hater about flow arts and dog people, Marie now enjoys hooping and hanging out with her newly adopted senior chihuahua, Lady Catherine De Bourgh. These things have kept her sane during quarantine.
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