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
Program Director, Teaching Artist, Actress, Director, Collective Member
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Since joining the San Francisco Mime Troupe in 2004, Lisa Hori-Garcia has been a dedicated member of the Youth Theater Project (YTP) team, helping guide its growth into the vibrant, activist-centered program it is today. As Program Director, she is especially proud of how YTP cultivates a supportive, inclusive environment where professional theater artists engage with young people to explore theater as a tool for self-expression and social change.
Lisa holds a BA from Smith College and an MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California. As a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, she brings years of professional performance and directing experience to her teaching practice. Learn more at: www.LisaHoriGarciaArtist.com
Here’s to many more years of YTP helping youth speak truth to power!
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ELLEN CALLAS
Managing 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
Playwright Educator-in-Residence (Balboa “Plays For Change” Residency - Spring 2026)
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Christian Wilburn is a biracial writer and educator who’s spent his life 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, who has received too world premieres, and whose plays have been performed around the country. His novel, Basketball Chronicles received a one-of-a-kind fellowship from the University of San Francisco.
Photo Courtesy Stephanie Trapp/TRAPPFOTO
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NOGA WIND
Lead Teaching Artist (Spring PlayLab 2026)
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Noga Wind (she/they) is a professional actor, director, clown, educator, culture maker, and a social justice organizer with a BFA in acting from CalArts. Her multi-disciplined artistic practice explores our relationship to community as a conduit for social change. They moved two years ago to Oakland from Los Angeles where they co-founded the first all inclusive Queer management agency in Hollywood for queer artists. Through management, consulting and now faculty at Stella Adler, Noga is proud of helping hundreds of artists launch their careers. She has worked behind the camera on major projects, including casting KING OF DRAG the first drag king reality competition show, streaming worldwide. Previous acting credits include Matlock (CBS/Paramount+), The Flight Attendant (HBO MAX), Dave (FX/Hulu), voice-over work, video games, and theater, including touring her original solo show Red and Boiling in the U.S and abroad. Noga is a theater maker at heart and can't wait to collaborate and be inspired by the artists at YTP. She is thrilled to help cultivate the next generation of curious clowns, dreamers, and culture makers who are excited to make art that reshapes the world.
Photo Courtesy Brandon Tabiob
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JAYCE ROSS
Teaching Assistant (Spring PlayLab 2026)
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Jayce is a movement artist, actor, director, and educator new to SF, and is thrilled to be working with the SF Mime Troupe for the Spring 2026 season of YTP. She is a recent graduate from Boston University's School of Theatre with a BFA in Theatre Arts, concentrating in choreography and movement. Her love for theatre stems from her own life-changing experience at a fully funded physical theatre program in her home state of New Mexico, making her especially grateful for this full circle moment in life serving as an educator for an essential arts program in SF. Her work has a primary focus on the intersection of environmental justice and social justice through the connection of the body to nature, self-expression, and somatic healing. Jayce most recently worked on FUSION Theatre Company's fall 2025 production of One Flea Spare playing Morse. When not dancing, creating, or teaching, she can be found working towards her yoga certification, taking circus classes, going to the beach, hiking, or learning about herbalism and botany.
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Photo Courtesy Portraits By Lune
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L SPORLEDER
Production and Teaching Assistant (Spring PlayLab 2026)
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L (they/them) is excited to be joining San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Youth Theatre Project as the Production/Teaching Assistant. They are thrilled to collaborate with this new generation of theatre makers and share their joy of the arts. Born and raised here in San Francisco on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land, Lindsay is passionate about storytelling and building community. They hope to foster a safe space for our youth to be seen, heard and let their creativity shine. Lindsay is a queer, multi-racial, multi-hyphenate artivist dreaming up new worlds and new ways to exist in an ever-changing landscape. Outside of work, they are a professional cat whisperer and silly goose. Hear them croon at jazz bars across the Bay Area. Let’s learn together as stewards of the world to support, uplift, and empower one another.
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Photo Courtesy Carla D.A. Photography
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PHIL WONG
Nourishment Coordinator "YTP Chef" (Spring PlayLab 2026)
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Phil Wong is an award-winning theatre artist from The City of Oakland. He has been creating and teaching art in the Bay Area since he was very young and is so excited to start engaging with his community through nourishment. Phil has been a practicing home chef since his mother first put a pan in his hand and showed him how to cook his own eggs, and has been working to integrate his passion for cooking into his heart work by feeding his neighbors and meal prepping for his fellow theatre workers. He believes firmly in setting a big table, making more than enough, and providing ample tupperware.
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Photo Courtesy Gabrielle Genovieve
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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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ATUSA ASSADI
Production Assistant (Spring PlayLab 2026), Stage Manager (ENOUGH! 2025)
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Atusa Assadi is an Iranian American stage manager, writer, and activist from the Bay Area. She’s very excited to be back at the Mime Troupe as a production assistant/stage manager for the Fall 2025 season of YTP. While not running around the city working on various theater productions, Atusa is a film student at San Francisco State University. Recent theater credits include: Golden Thread Productions’ 2024 New Threads Staged Reading Series, The Tutor at NCTC in collaboration with Golden Thread, Rent at Berkeley Playhouse, ReOrient Festival of Short Plays 2023 at Golden Thread, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Summer ‘24, ‘23 and ‘22 touring productions.
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
Support Staff, Collective Member
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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
Support Staff, Collective Member
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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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