The following 16 students have been named as semifinalists for the 2025 Artist of the Year in theater from among 211 nominees. These students were chosen by a panel of teachers based on written statements, performance videos or design portfolios, and artistic résumés.
Students are placed into divisions based on the number of years they have been studying theater. Students with a combination of four years of theater training in middle school, high school and private training are placed into Division 1. Students with less than four years of combined training are placed into Division 2. A minimum of two Division 2 students are guaranteed to be invited to be semifinalists.
Meet the other semifinalists
Dance
Film & TV
Instrumental music
Vocal music
Fine arts
Media arts
During the final round of adjudication, students are interviewed by a panel of distinguished artistic professionals and faculty members from Southern California colleges. Interviews include a live presentation by the student followed by a conversation with the student.
Five top students will be chosen in each discipline — four finalists plus the Artist of the Year. The finalists and Artists of the Year will be announced next Sunday, April 27 online and in print in a special section of The Orange County Register.
On Wednesday, May 7, an awards celebration will be held at Memorial Hall on the campus of Chapman University and is free and open to the public. This event will include performances and presentations by the top students.
This program is generously sponsored by the Chapman University College of Performing Arts and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Arts Orange County and individual donors.
If you would like to support Artist of the Year with a donation, you can contribute here. Donations will be made to Arts Orange County on behalf of Artist of the Year.
If you are interested in helping Artist of the Year grow by becoming a sponsor of this program, send an email to ocartistoftheyear@aoy.scng.com.
Nathan Andreas, junior, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Division 1
“I’m drawn to how storytelling can connect people through shared emotions, helping them feel seen and understood. My goal is to portray characters who tackle identity, struggle, and the pursuit of dreams — topics that are important to me and to many others. In the future, I’d love to take on roles that challenge me both as an actor and as a person. I want to explore complex characters who fight for something bigger than themselves, whether in Broadway shows, regional theater, or new works. Through these roles, I hope to inspire others to push through adversity, just like I’ve had to.”
Taven Blanke, senior, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Division 1
“When I first started musical theatre, I was immediately fascinated by the concept of portraying complex characters with a range of depth and emotion that would allow me to disappear from reality and convey beautiful messages through the art of storytelling. At an early age, I was completely unaware of the emotional connection and overall impact that I was creating. When I discovered that my passion for theatre arts was inspiring other people, especially young boys who I deeply connect with and feel empathy for, I knew that this was something that I wanted to pursue in the future.”
Laurel Penny Brookhyser, senior, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Division 1
“As an artist, nothing I do would have any meaning or purpose without the thoughts behind it. When I sing a song, I’m not just singing words to a written melody, I’m evoking a feeling and giving the lyrics on the page a purpose. All artists do this, whether their art is highly structured or not. To be an artist is to be a dreamer, a creator, a thinker, and a visionary.”
Isabel Calvo, junior, Fullerton Union High School
Division 1
Isabel Calvo of Orange, a junior studying at Fullerton Union High School, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Isabel Calvo)
“Being in theater has taught me to leave everything outside the door, let all the troubles of the day fall away and just BE in that moment. Being in theater has also taught me about humility. I wont’ always get what I want. I may not get the part I thought was best for me, but I will always have an opportunity to learn and grow. Being in theater gives me confidence in other classes and other spaces. I feel comfortable asking for help when I need it, I feel ready to give speeches or make presentations at school. Outside of school, I know I can speak up for myself. I can ask for what I need, and I can be empathetic to the needs of others.”
JD Cavalluzzi, senior, El Dorado High School
Division 1
JD Cavalluzzi of Yorba Linda, a senior studying at El Dorado High School, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Owen Switzer)
“To me, art is as innate as breathing. I grew up amidst a backdrop of after-school-care crafts and piano lessons, musicals and iMovie productions, smudged paintings and coloring pages. I’ve been an artist my entire life, and I’m certain I wouldn’t be who I am today if that weren’t the case. … Through my experience in both film and theatre, I’ve come to deeply value stories and the people behind them. Theater is live, and therefore charged with reality. … Success in finding that reality comes from a deep understanding of yourself and a deeper empathy for others. Great artists listen. Being an artist has changed how I listen to the world around me.”
Kelsie Eckert, senior, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Division 1
“Growing up I was a dancer doing ballet, jazz, tap, and my favorite being hip-hop. It was not until I entered a middle school drama class where I began to use my love for singing and acting as well. Though I learned a lot my first year, it was short lived when Covid hit. It was not until high school when I entered APA Musical Theatre that I would be exposed to the ability to adapt skills and techniques needed for this career. Not only did I receive amazing training but I believe being a dancer allowed me to gain more experience.”
Addison Engelken, junior, Tesoro High School
Division 1
“As I write, I am in the midst of 14-hour days of school, musical rehearsals, and play tech rehearsals. It is grueling, it is demanding, and I am in love. I am in love with the process, I am in love with my castmates, and I am in love with the art. Over the summer, I began to gig with my best friend at a local restaurant — just us and our guitars. We played originals, covers, and any requests the audience threw at us. There, I got the feeling that somehow I was more alive in that moment than any other moment of my life. I got the feeling again during my first rehearsal as Eurydice in ‘Hadestown’ — somehow I am more awake, I thought. Somehow I am more alive.”
Leilah Huttner, senior, Yorba Linda High School
Division 1
“I want to create theater that sticks with people long after they leave the show, the kind that sparks conversations, challenges perspectives and makes someone see the world a little differently. Theater has this incredible way of making people feel seen and connected, and I want to use that to tell stories that do not always get the spotlight. In the future, I see myself performing in productions that bring new voices and perspectives to the stage. I want to experiment with the art of theatre and create something never been done before. Collaborating with artists from different backgrounds, blending movement, music, and storytelling in unexpected ways excites me.”
Jia Igama, senior, John F. Kennedy High School
Division 1
“My life has revolved around the idea of academics being the singular dependable career I could succeed in. However, surrounding myself in the intoxicating realm of performance makes me want to transport myself into such a world for eternity. Performing reverberates my joy, my creativity, and my belief in my worth. In whatever career I pursue whether it be living the dream as an actress or preparing for law school, my years of studying theater have already fulfilled my outlook on prioritizing happiness over anything.”
Isabella Kim, senior, Orange County School of the Arts
Division 1
Isabella Kim of Fullerton, a senior studying at Orange County School of the Arts, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Andy Chung)
“It is never easy to intentionally make space and sometimes I fail to live it out in my own life, but the art of acting continues to encourage me to understand what it means to be human and to be compassionate. Everyone is different, everyone struggles with things no one else sees, and I can not even attempt to be a great artist if I do not approach everything with kindness, empathy, and an open heart. As creatives, we are privileged with the duty to portray all types of stories, and to honor each one, and to truly do it justice. This means that even in everyday life, you encounter people with love and understanding because you never know whose amazing story you will get to bring to life.”
Cosette McCulloch, senior, Yorba Linda High School
Division 1
“My work in theatre has influenced the rest of my life in so many ways. Not only are all of my closest friends people that I met through theatre, but I have also greatly changed as a person and discovered myself through the arts. Growing as an actor has helped me grow as a person. Searching for the innermost depths of a character, forced me to look on the innermost depths of myself and has been able to increase not only my self-awareness but my emotional intelligence.”
Cynthia Montiel-Cruz, senior, Fullerton Union High School
Division 1
Cynthia Montiel-Cruz of Fullerton, a senior studying at Fullerton Union High School, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Joel Garcia)
“To me, being an artist means creating something meaningful out of chaos. My life has been anything but stable—moving from shelter to shelter, balancing school with survival, and navigating a home filled with conflict. I never had a quiet space to think, to dream, or to simply exist without stress. But in lighting design, I found my escape. Art is more than expression; it is control in a life where I had none. Every light I program, every scene I design, is my way of shaping a world where I have power, where beauty comes from darkness.”
Ashley Nava, senior, Fullerton Union High School
Division 1
Ashley Nava of Fullerton, a senior studying at Fullerton Union High School, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Arleen Nava)
“As a sound designer, I use creative vision and technical skill to shape sound in a way that evokes emotion and enhances storytelling. It’s more than just recording or editing; it’s about crafting a unique experience that immerses the audience. Every sound I create has a purpose, whether it’s to build tension, bring warmth to a moment, or transport the audience into another world. Through my work, I make sound that helps people feel the story. My art isn’t just about what’s heard — it’s about making emotions come to life and allowing audiences to experience them in a way they never have before.”
Eden Joye Newcott, junior, Newport Harbor High School
Division 1
“I want to be an actor. I love acting, and I’ve never wanted to do something so badly. Sometimes that’s a scary thing to admit because it’s hard for me, someone who really likes to succeed, to commit to a dream that’s so uncertain. But integrity is matching your outside with what you feel inside, and speaking your dreams aloud pushes you to accomplish them. As an actor (specifically in film), I want to tell stories and make people feel. Most importantly, I want to show little girls that they can have dreams that are big like mine.”
Oliver Tomczak, senior, Beckman High School
Division 2
“Throughout my entire life I have struggled. Honestly, who hasn’t, but I didn’t even know who I was. I didn’t know what I wanted to do and it made me feel like there was no point in doing anything. I felt like I had no purpose and I had no future. During this time I developed a passion for theatre. Theatre gave me a validation of my feelings, even if I still couldn’t talk about how much I was struggling I was able to express myself through my art. Eventually, I was able to address my mental health and a big part of eventually being able to talk about it was being able to explore how I felt through theatre.”
Caitlyn Willoughby, junior, Tesoro High School
Division 2
Caitlyn Willoughby of Laguna Hills, a junior studying at Tesoro High School, is a theater semifinalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Willoughby)
“In the future, as an artist, I want to create something that makes my parents proud. That leaves my teachers bragging about me as their student for years to come. To leave that lasting impression on someone that shapes them as a person. I want the world to know that I gave everything I have in everything I design. That I worked my hardest killing myself to create something extraordinary and unable to be designed by anyone else. That singular talent, to be the only person that can do what I do. In the future I want to live and breathe theatre, it’s my life now and I never want it to stop being my life.”