Christian Youth Theater Phoenix

Christian Youth Theater Phoenix offers after-school theater arts training that includes drama, voice, and dance classes, as well as behind-the-scenes training in makeup, costumes, and tech. Students participate in Broadway-style musical performances and can also attend summer camps, summer workshops, and summer performance opportunities. Each session includes a high-energy showcase where students demonstrate to family, friends, and fellow students the skills they have learned.

• Ages: 4–18 years old
• Schedule: Classes meet for two hours once a week in ten-week Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions, with an additional Summer session of camps, workshops, and performance opportunities

Christian Youth Theater (CYT) was founded in 1980 and has grown to be the largest youth theater program in the nation, with branches across the country training thousands of students a year. CYT is described as the largest children’s theater organization of its kind, with branches in several states and training more than 14,000 young people annually. The organization’s mission statement is that Christian Youth Theater develops character and creativity through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting Jesus. CYT identifies its values as Character over Competition, People over Programs, Service over Spotlight, and Excellence over Ego, and states that it stands in the forefront in its commitment to the highest ethical, moral, technical, and artistic standards of excellence. Instructors are described as professionals, qualified in teaching and/or performing, who understand the mission statement, values, objectives, and goals.

One parent, Kayla Proano, states, “I appreciate my daughter having an opportunity to explore the arts through a Christian worldview. It is a safe place for her to learn about & express who she is without pressure to socially compromise. We find the offerings to be vast, but this breadth doesn’t diminish the depth of the class or the detail & skill the kids learn.” Another parent, Kevin Huff, says, “Seeing leaders help influence our girls in ways we sometimes can’t as their parents. It is so important to us to have a place like CYT where we know there are leaders who love the Lord and love our girls.” A high school choir director named Laura comments, “The most memorable part, for me, was the quality of the vocal training, which can be inadequate in youth theaters. It was obvious these young singers have been trained properly and given a priceless foundation for their voices to grow and mature. Bravo!”

Last updated January 10, 2026.