Welcome to Christian Youth Theater!

Christian Youth Theater (CYT) is an after-school theater arts training program for students ages 4-18. Since its founding in 1980, CYT has grown to be the largest youth theater program in the nation, with Branches across the country training thousands of students a year. 

MISSION STATEMENT
Christian Youth Theater develops character and creativity through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting Jesus.

VALUES
  • Character over Competition 
  • People over Programs
  • Service over Spotlight 
  • Excellence over Ego

What does CYT San Diego offer?

CYT San Diego has various programs for people in all ages and stages of life. 

CLASSES: trimester classes are offered weekly for ages 4-18. From time to time there will be classes offered for Adults as well.
CAMPS: over the summer we offer camps for ages 5-12 and programming opportunities for ages 13-18.
SHOWS: for students ages 8-18 enrolled in classes, they have the opportunity to AUDITION for that trimester Show. 

CYT also offers additional programming:
CCT- Christian Community Theater for ages 4-104
EXPO- National Event that brings CYT communities together
HYPE- CYT High School Leadership Team
Ages 4-104

Ages 4-104

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High School Leadership

High School Leadership

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National Event

National Event

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New Here, Start Here

New Here, Start Here

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Safety Hub

Safety Hub

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Find Your Character

Find Your Character

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Theater links with the very first response we have to the universe: the desire to play.

Annie Castledine

Current Staff Members:

Janie Cox

Artistic Director
Janie has been involved with CYT since birth! Performing since the age of 4 she has now been involved with over 150 different productions, performing, directing, choreographing, or costuming. Janie studied musical theater at Boston Conservatory and has also done film with ABC, MTV, and LXD. Her true passion is for live theater and the “next” generation training in the ARTS! Janie has two daughters, Kinley & Baelyn, who bring so much joy to her everyday life and her husband Jon who she adores. Janie’s daily goal in life is to love the Lord with all of her heart, soul, mind, & strength and to love her neighbor as herself. Sing. Act. Dance. Live. Create. Play. Laugh. Love.

Robyn Rebold-Smith

Managing Director
Robyn attended her first CYT drama class at the age of 10. Over the years, she has had the privilege of being a CYT teacher, musical director and camp director. Although her roles within the company change, her admiration and joy for CYT always remain the same. Robyn was the Vice President of Primary Focus which was the nation's largest elementary assembly program. She is a firm believer in what the arts can do for a child's self-esteem and development. Spending time with her husband and 2 children is her favorite thing to do.

Travis Russell

Design Director
Travis entered the art world decades ago as a stage lighting designer. Over the years Travis has designed over 100+ productions in locations such as San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and Puerto Rico. He has directed fully-staged musical productions including, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Footloose, Oklahoma!, Godspell, Aladdin, and Beauty & the Beast. In 2003 he won a San Diego Billie Award for ‘Outstanding Direction’. Travis decided to pursue his dream of painting in October of 1998. Since then, he has painted over 60 paintings and sold over 20 of them at self-promoted art shows. Work experience includes Invisible Children (Technical Director), Old Globe Theatre (Lighting Designer), and Apple (Mac Specialist).

Rene Smith

Branch Administrator
Rene joined the team in January 2024 with a love for musical theater and a deep appreciation for the mission statement of CYT. She grew up performing in dance, choir, and theater and can attribute some of her most cherished childhood memories to the performing arts community. She is newly married to her husband, Dylan, and is a proud dog mom to the sweetest golden doodle pup, Casper. She feels blessed to be a part of what God is doing through the volunteers, teaching artists, and staff here at CYT and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Debi Couch

Accounting Manager
Debi Couch comes to us with many years of small business management experience. She has been married to her husband, Robert for 25 year and has 3 beautiful children that have been heavily involved with CYT since 2014. Whether it is stage, crew, sets chair, special activities chair, resident parent, refreshments, or stage manager, it truly has been an entire family event! 3 John 1:4

Lynn Renfrow

Costume Manager
Lynn started working as the Costume Manager for CYT in 2008, but has been with the company since 2000. She earned her M.F.A. from San Diego State in Theater Design and Technical Production. She has worked at numerous theatres, including The Old Globe and The San Diego Repertory Theatre, as a scenic artist, prop-master and costumer. Lynn has been married for 19 years to her loving husband David and has a precocious senior puppy named Sammy.

Kristin Preddy

Costume Rentals Assistant
Kristin joined the CYT family in 2002 when her daughters were 6 and 9. The family continued to be involved in classes and shows through 2014. As a parent volunteer Kristin served as a member of the Costume Committee for the first two years and then was the lead costumer for the remainder of her time. She also had the privilege of costuming two CCT shows as well. Kristin recently joined the CYT Staff and her background in Art and Interior Design has been of great benefit to the Costume Department. Kristin is married to loving husband Steve. Her adult daughters are married and she has two grandchildren. Kristin feels blessed to be a part of CYT. She enjoys the creativity that the Costume Department provides and enjoys working with people to help them with their needs. 1 Peter 1:3.

Our Board of Directors:

Lane Adams

Chair

Lane Adams brings a lifelong love of the arts, leadership, and faith to her role as Board Chair for CYT San Diego. She grew up performing with Fresno Civic Ballet and later as a San Diego State Aztec Cheerleader. She has choreographed and performed in numerous productions in San Diego County. Lane earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech Pathology and Audiology from San Diego State University and served for 31 years as a Speech and Language Pathologist in Cajon Valley Union School District. She helped pilot a collaborative assessment model to better support students with special needs, blending strategic thinking with compassionate leadership. Her connection to CYT began as a parent volunteer while her daughter participated during high school. CYT played a meaningful role in strengthening her daughter’s faith during those formative years, deepening Lane’s commitment to CYT’s mission, developing character and creativity while reflecting Jesus. Lane retired from education in 2020 and is a Wellness Advocate and Certified Coach who integrates CliftonStrengths into her leadership work. She and her husband Paul have been married 41 years and are blessed with three grown children and five grandchildren.

Craig Bellinger

Vice Chair

Craig began his CYT journey in 1987 as a member of the crew for CYT’s production of Peter Pan. During that show, he formed friendships with fellow students that have endured for decades. He went on to crew South Bay CYT’s very first production, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and then stepped onto the stage to perform in their next show, Pinocchio. Over the years, Craig dedicated himself to building sets and crewing CCT shows on Mt. Helix, investing countless hours behind the scenes to help bring productions to life. Today, he finds great joy in watching his son grow up in CYT, carrying forward the organization’s core values of Character over Competition, People over Programs, Service over Spotlight, and Excellence over Ego. Craig remains deeply committed to CYT’s mission: developing character and creativity through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting Jesus. He continues to serve faithfully as a CYT volunteer and proudly supports the organization as a member of the San Diego CYT Board of Directors.

Alastair Kerr

Secretary

Growing up in Scotland, Alastair came to Christ through the ministry of Billy Graham. With a passion to know Christ and make Him known, he received discipleship and training through Youth With A Mission and one of Southern California’s Bible colleges. After serving as a church leader in Mongolia for five years, he returned to San Diego to lead marketing, fundraising, and communications for a global nonprofit. With a heart for motivating others toward a higher purpose and the greater good, Alastair leads faith-driven initiatives. He is married to his lovely wife, Carly. Together, they are the proud parents of three sons and a daughter, who all love being part of the CYT family.

Tim Lawrence

Treasurer

Tim Lawrence’s connection to CYT began at age 10, when he was cast in his first production. Over the next four years, he performed and served on crew in more than a dozen shows, with his favorite role being Peter in Peter Pan. He also loved participating in CYT summer camps and later performed in CCT’s adult production of Grease at Mt. Helix. Those early experiences sparked a lifelong love of the performing arts and built confidence, discipline, and teamwork that would shape his future. CYT helped launch Tim into years of continued performance, including high school show choir, a vocal scholarship to Point Loma Nazarene University, and touring throughout the southeastern United States with a PLNU travel band leading worship at churches and camps. The foundation he received through CYT not only developed his musical abilities but also instilled leadership skills and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of the arts in young people’s lives. Professionally, Tim serves as CEO of LHPH Capital, where he leads strategic vision and national operations as a specialty finance lender. With experience overseeing multi-state portfolios and more than $1B in originations, he is known for simplifying complex challenges, strengthening organizations through process and technology improvements, and building high-performing teams. His leadership approach emphasizes clarity, alignment, and a people-first philosophy. Tim reconnected with CYT when his daughter fell in love with the program in 2022, bringing his journey full circle. He joined the CYT board in late 2023 and is passionate about ensuring future generations experience the same confidence, community, and character formation that shaped his own life. He also serves as Chairman of the Board at The Well Community for Women and holds a MBA from PLNU and Master of Arts in Psychology from USD.

Lauren Falconer

Board Member

Lauren is a cultivator of community and connection with more than two decades of experience in vocational ministry, educational administration, and non-profit advancement. An inspiring storyteller and passionate advocate for discipleship, she has spent much of her career helping people grow in faith, leadership, and purpose through communication, teaching, and relational ministry. Lauren has served as a speaker for World Vision, led in Christian leadership, worship, and Bible education, and currently serves as the Central Communications Pastor at Rock Church. A CYT alumnus, Lauren’s time in the program ignited a lifelong love for the performing arts and cultivated the storytelling and communication gifts she now uses in ministry. She believes deeply in the power of the arts to build confidence, character, and creativity while bringing people together in meaningful ways. Now a Christmas Traditions cast member and proud CYT mom of three, Lauren enjoys watching her sons grow within the same character-building and creatively enriching community that played such an important role in shaping her own story.

History Of CYT

Paul and Sheryl Russell were teaching artists at Christian High in San Diego when they began a community theater from their family garage. It was the summer of 1980, and the show was The Sound of Music. The purpose was to provide a vehicle for talented aspiring performers in San Diego’s local churches.

The families involved in this newly-founded organization, Christian Community Theater (CCT), asked Paul and Sheryl to start an after-school theater arts program for their children. Paul and Sheryl, with two small children of their own and another one on the way, founded Christian Youth Theater (CYT). CYT began with 24 students producing the show You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and continued to grow throughout San Diego County.

In 1997 families from San Diego moved to Chicago, IL, and Spokane, WA. Their desire to have CYT in their communities motivated them to start their own local Branches under the CYT umbrella.

CYT has now grown to be the largest children’s theater organization of its kind, with Branches in several states. CYT trains more than 14,000 young people annually.

Each Branch’s yearly calendar is made up of three ten-week sessions: Fall, Winter, and Spring. These sessions involve after-school classes in theater arts and the opportunity to audition and perform in a Broadway-style musical or work behind-the-scenes. Additionally, CYT offers a Summer session consisting of camps, workshops, and performance opportunities.

To learn more about CYT and to find out how to start CYT in your city visit www.cyt.org. 
CYT partners with community leaders, volunteers, donors, and alumni to produce our year-round programming.  Check out the ways we engage the community of San Diego in our mission!
Community is YOU

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CYT San Diego

Mailing Address:
8805 N. Magnolia Avenue
Santee, CA 92071

Phone: 619-588-0206
Office Address:
8805 N. Magnolia Avenue
Santee, CA 92071

Office hours:
office hours vary - reach out for appointment time

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