Current Teachers:
Abbey Couch
Abbey is college student who has been apart of 28 full productions (mostly CYT) and has had the opportunity to stage manage, work lights and sound, crew, choreograph, direct, act, sing, dance, and understudy. She loves dancing and teaching and she's excited to get to know you an your kids this next session!
Alisa Wentzel
Alisa has more than 25 years of experience working with children of all ages through schools, churches, camps, and a variety of community programs. A lifelong lover of musical theater, she was actively involved in school productions as a child and teen. She most recently returned to the stage in CCT's Traditions of Christmas last winter. Alisa is passionate about helping young performers build confidence, creativity, and a love for the arts. She enjoys reading, camping and traveling and lives in Santee with her husband and two children.
Angela Lowe
Angela (Nelson) Lowe has been part of the CYT community since the age of 7 and has performed in nearly 25 CYT and CCT productions. A lifelong lover of theater, Angela especially enjoys tap dance—though she has a passion for many styles—and is thrilled to share her love of movement with others. Outside the theater, Angela is a Continuing Lecturer and Research Specialist at UC San Diego, where she teaches courses in statistics and cognitive science and conducts research on human memory. She is deeply grateful for the inspiring community of kids and adults at CYT and is excited to step into the role of teaching artist.
Brittany Horton
Brittany began her CYT career almost 30 years ago as an Our Gang student, was in over 20 CYT productions, and has taught CYT classes. She currently teaches at an Arts school in East County where she directs a show choir, as well as the spring musical. Brittany is thrilled to return to CYT as a teacher after several years. CYT has always held a special place in her heart, and she is looking forward to singing and dancing with amazing CYT students!
Caden MacDermot
Caden is a CYT Alumni who started when he was 4 years old, and has performed on stage over 40 times in San Diego, 24 shows at CYT and some roles include Kristoff in Frozen, Donkey in Shrek, and Mal Beineke in Addams Family. Caden loves Photography and play-writing, and has a huge passion for anything arts and creative related! He can’t wait to meet everyone participating in this season at CYT!
Caleb Cunigan
Caleb is excited to begin teaching his second session with Christian Youth Theater San Diego! A U.S. Navy veteran, Caleb currently serves as the Worship and Production Intern at Sonrise Church, where he enjoys helping create intentional worship experiences through music and production. Caleb grew up in the theater and discovered his love for performing at a young age, playing Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast Jr. in 4th grade. Since then, he has appeared in a variety of productions, including Prince Dauntless in Once Upon a Mattress, Horton the Elephant in Seussical the Musical, Ren McCormack in Footloose, and Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Caleb is passionate about helping students reach their potential, both on and off stage, by building confidence, creativity, and teamwork in every student. He is thrilled to share his love of both Christ and the stage with the next generation of performers.
Christine Callaway
Christine Callaway loves musical theatre and has directed and performed in over 50 productions. She is no stranger to the classroom as this is her 11th year teaching. She has taught all different age ranges from kindergarten to high school but currently is the Middle School theatre teacher at La Mesa Arts Academy. Some of her favorite productions she has directed have included Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Moana Jr, A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Emerson Powell
Emerson loves leading students to experience the joy of being on stage! She’s been on stage since she was 12 and has loved every second of it. She’s excited to help grow student’s confidence on and off stage! She loves having a class full of love, laughter, and shining the Lord’s light!
Jenny Kvaternik
Jenny Kvaternik is a singer, pianist, worship leader and songwriter. She fell in love with singing at a young age and started performing on stage at age 10! She loved being a part of CYT in middle and high school, participating in 14 CYT and 2 CCT productions. She studied education at UCSD and has a Masters in Teaching from Point Loma Nazarene. She has served her local church by playing keyboard and singing for the last 15 years and served as a worship leader and music director for 5 years. She is a wife, homemaker and mom to three wonderful children! She is passionate about encouraging children to use their gifts to glorify God!
Jonathan Albert
Jonny found musical theater and CYT at the age of 17, and he absolutely loves it! He has performed in 3 CYT shows with the role of Gomez Addams being his favorite! But most of all he loves the wonderful friendships and the outstanding community at CYT, and that’s why he is super excited to continue investing in the next generation!
Joseph Albert
A lifelong music lover, Joseph began playing guitar at 12 years old, and since 16 has been leading worship in a variety of local churches and worship ministries. When not on stage playing guitar, he can be found behind the soundboard at his home church or working at his day job building world class guitars at the Taylor Guitars factory in El Cajon, as well as leading factory tours that educate the public on Taylor Guitars' efforts towards sustainable manufacturing in the guitar industry!
Lissa Gray
Lissa Gray holds a B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre from California Baptist University. She values the art of storytelling through a flashy dance number or a moving ballad, and dedicates her creativity to the ultimate Creator. She has been performing since she was 5, and CYT was a big part of her theatre journey! She is eager to help each young performer find their own voice and bring their unique story to any character they perform.
Olivia Pietila
Hi I’m Olivia! I have been a part of CYT for many years now, participating in shows, and now teaching for almost 3 years! Theatre has always been a passion of mine- I love seeing and helping children find that same passion, and use it to glorify Jesus! I have always wanted to be a dance teacher, and I absolutely love being able to do so at my most favorite place!! Can’t wait to meet you!🫶🏼
Sarah Larson
Sarah is excited to join CYT, where she can combine her love for the arts with her passion for children. With a rich background in community theater, choir, show choir, dance, and scenic art, she has always been deeply immersed in the performing arts. Sarah has taught in various classroom settings, bringing valuable teaching skills and a love for creativity to her theater classes. Sarah believes that art, music, and theater are gifts from a beautiful and creative God, and through these arts, we get to experience a glimpse of His character. She is passionate about creating a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment where all students can more fully step into the creative person God has designed them to be.