Imagine walking into a room filled with complete strangers and being told that in just two weeks you’ll create, rehearse, and perform an entirely original theatrical production on one of Southern California’s premier stages.
That’s exactly the challenge facing the participants of the 2026 Young Artist Project, an annual program presented by Phantom Projects Theatre Group at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Each year, nearly 200 aspiring performers between the ages of 18 and 23 submit applications hoping to earn one of the coveted spots. This year, only 15 young artists were selected, making up the largest cast in the program’s history. Their journey has also become the most international to date, with participants traveling from Italy and Costa Rica, while others journeyed from Colorado, Arizona, New York, Illinois, and throughout California.
For two weeks, the selected artists are immersed in a professional theatre environment unlike any other. They are given access to a 5,000-square-foot rehearsal space, the 1,300-seat La Mirada Theatre, thousands of costumes, props, and set pieces, along with the guidance of professional mentors and the full support of Phantom Projects Theatre Group.
Then the real work begins.
Before the first rehearsal, none of the participants know one another. Within hours, they must begin building trust and developing ideas while creating every aspect of a brand-new production. Nothing can be borrowed.
Every word of dialogue, every lyric, every musical note, every dance movement, every character, and every scene must be created during the 14-day process. Director and Phantom Projects Founder Steve Cisneros, who launched the Young Artist Project in 2007 as part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebration, says the creative chemistry is always the biggest unknown. “Individually, it’s clear we have talented participants. But we never know if there will be good creative chemistry in the group,” said Cisneros. “At the first meeting the cast immediately began bouncing ideas around and we all became enthusiastic about the possibilities. I think audiences are going to experience something that is both innovative and meaningful.” The expectations remain uncompromising. “Our audience must say, ‘Wow, what an incredible show, and I can’t believe they created this in 14 days,'” Cisneros explained. “It’s unacceptable if they walk out saying, ‘What did you expect? They only had 14 days.'”
In fact, midway through the process, Cisneros reviews the production’s progress. If it doesn’t meet the professional standards expected on the La Mirada Theatre stage, he requires the cast to start over completely—leaving them only seven days to create an entirely new production.
The demanding process mirrors the fast-paced creative environments found in productions such as Saturday Night Live and South Park, where writers and performers routinely create new material under intense deadlines.
For many participants, however, the experience becomes one of the most rewarding moments of their lives. “You explain it to someone, and they would be like, ‘Are you nuts!?’,” recalled one former participant. “And to that we would respond, ‘Yes, we are!’ Because all of these things, the sleepless nights and endless hours that sound so awful, have been the best two weeks ever.”
The 2026 Young Artist Project cast includes Giulia Abbondanza, Mya Elizabeth Alvarado, Cadence Barnett, Camille Dawn Beeson, Aisling de Villa, Via Forman, Ella Faye Gibbs, Aerowyn Jones, Kaylin Kenders, Hannah Kobayashi, Emily Loaiza, Eliseo Francisco Payan, Ian Pirotto, Brandon Swartz, and Giovana Grace Watson, representing universities and training programs across the United States and abroad.
After just 14 days of writing, composing, choreographing, rehearsing, and refining, these young artists will present their original production as the final show of Phantom Projects Theatre Group’s 2025–2026 season.
The performance takes place August 6 at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Tickets are available by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at 714-944-9801 or by visiting PhantomProjects.com/YoungArtistProject.
Whether you’re a theatre enthusiast or simply appreciate the power of creativity under pressure, the Young Artist Project offers something rare—the chance to witness not only a performance, but the remarkable achievement of young artists proving what can happen when talent, trust, and determination come together against the clock.
