About
CYT Sacramento offers week-long musical theater day camps where students take part in acting, singing, and dancing, along with team games, team competitions, and creative theater activities. Camps and classes include theater workshops and rotations through drama, dance, and music workshops, as well as specialty theatrical workshops and behind-the-scenes training in makeup, costumes, and tech. Many camps include daily character-building lessons, pirate-themed games in A Pirates Camp: X Marks the Stage, and a showcase performance where every camper performs on stage for family and friends free of charge.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Three ten-week after-school sessions in Fall, Winter, and Spring with classes held once a week for two hours, plus a Summer session of week-long day camps and additional workshops and performance opportunities
• Price: Launch rate saves $25 until May 31; HYPE yearlong program registration fee is $150 divided into three payments for fall, winter, and spring
CYT Sacramento is part of Christian Youth Theater, which 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 Sacramento was co-founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Wendy Hoover, who works alongside Managing Director Shelly Tuck, Marketing Director Rachael Durling, Programs Director Jinnae Stuckey, Storage Coordinator Christina (Tina) MacNeill, and Folsom Show Coordinator Bonny Verner. The mission of Christian Youth Theater is to develop character and creativity through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting Jesus.
Camp staff includes local teaching-artists, CYT Production Artistic Teams, and theater specialists who are described as high energy, experienced, and loving working with kids. All CYT staff and volunteers are background checked and adhere to the CYT Mission and Values, and CYT states that it stands in the forefront in its commitment to the highest ethical, moral, technical, and artistic standards of excellence. CYT values include Character over Competition, People over Programs, Service over Spotlight, and Excellence over Ego, and the Safety Scene program is a CYT National initiative that goes beyond background checks to prevent, detect, and respond to physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse in CYT programming, supported by Kidpower resources on topics such as abuse reporting and suicide prevention.
Instructors are professionals qualified in teaching and/or performing who understand CYT’s mission statement, values, objectives, and goals. Staff examples include Programs Director Jinnae Stuckey, who holds a BA in theatre from California Baptist University and an MA in Education from the University of Southern California and has created and taught theater and dance programs in multiple schools and organizations, and Christina (Tina) MacNeill, who is classically trained in Broadway and opera, holds a BA in Music from William Jessup University, and has experience teaching vocal performance, stage managing CYT productions, and performing with the CCT Choir and in CCT productions. Artistic Director Wendy Hoover has worked professionally as a singer, actor, and violinist, studied violin from age four, earned a degree in Music with an emphasis in voice from the University of New Mexico, and has experience in dinner theater, cabaret, musical theater, opera, and roles in theater, television, and film, and is a principal artist with The Classic Theatre in Placer County.
Beyond camps and classes, CYT Sacramento participates in broader CYT programs such as the CYT National EXPO for students ages 12–18 and hosts this event at Jessup University. The HYPE yearlong program is available by application for high school youth involved in CYT to develop their leadership capacity and to serve the community around them, with bi-weekly meetings and a $150 registration fee divided into three payments. CYT@school is a low-cost after-school program in public and private schools that consists of eight 2-hour classes including drama, voice, and dance training and weekly “Find Your Character” lessons, with all participating students performing in an end-of-session Showcase featuring highlights from a recognizable family-friendly show, led by Teaching Artists described as enthusiastic, positive role models.
The CYT Decathlon Award recognizes exceptional CYT students ages 16–18 who have completed a well-rounded theater arts education and demonstrated character consistent with CYT values, based on requirements listed in the CYT National Decathlon Award Document. A CYT Sacramento student, Savannah Cunningham, states that she is constantly reminded of how loved she is and that CYT fosters a community of support and encouragement shaped by its people and their effort to reflect the message of Jesus.
Last updated June 8, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Three ten-week after-school sessions in Fall, Winter, and Spring with classes held once a week for two hours, plus a Summer session of week-long day camps and additional workshops and performance opportunities
• Price: Launch rate saves $25 until May 31; HYPE yearlong program registration fee is $150 divided into three payments for fall, winter, and spring
CYT Sacramento is part of Christian Youth Theater, which 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 Sacramento was co-founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Wendy Hoover, who works alongside Managing Director Shelly Tuck, Marketing Director Rachael Durling, Programs Director Jinnae Stuckey, Storage Coordinator Christina (Tina) MacNeill, and Folsom Show Coordinator Bonny Verner. The mission of Christian Youth Theater is to develop character and creativity through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting Jesus.
Camp staff includes local teaching-artists, CYT Production Artistic Teams, and theater specialists who are described as high energy, experienced, and loving working with kids. All CYT staff and volunteers are background checked and adhere to the CYT Mission and Values, and CYT states that it stands in the forefront in its commitment to the highest ethical, moral, technical, and artistic standards of excellence. CYT values include Character over Competition, People over Programs, Service over Spotlight, and Excellence over Ego, and the Safety Scene program is a CYT National initiative that goes beyond background checks to prevent, detect, and respond to physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse in CYT programming, supported by Kidpower resources on topics such as abuse reporting and suicide prevention.
Instructors are professionals qualified in teaching and/or performing who understand CYT’s mission statement, values, objectives, and goals. Staff examples include Programs Director Jinnae Stuckey, who holds a BA in theatre from California Baptist University and an MA in Education from the University of Southern California and has created and taught theater and dance programs in multiple schools and organizations, and Christina (Tina) MacNeill, who is classically trained in Broadway and opera, holds a BA in Music from William Jessup University, and has experience teaching vocal performance, stage managing CYT productions, and performing with the CCT Choir and in CCT productions. Artistic Director Wendy Hoover has worked professionally as a singer, actor, and violinist, studied violin from age four, earned a degree in Music with an emphasis in voice from the University of New Mexico, and has experience in dinner theater, cabaret, musical theater, opera, and roles in theater, television, and film, and is a principal artist with The Classic Theatre in Placer County.
Beyond camps and classes, CYT Sacramento participates in broader CYT programs such as the CYT National EXPO for students ages 12–18 and hosts this event at Jessup University. The HYPE yearlong program is available by application for high school youth involved in CYT to develop their leadership capacity and to serve the community around them, with bi-weekly meetings and a $150 registration fee divided into three payments. CYT@school is a low-cost after-school program in public and private schools that consists of eight 2-hour classes including drama, voice, and dance training and weekly “Find Your Character” lessons, with all participating students performing in an end-of-session Showcase featuring highlights from a recognizable family-friendly show, led by Teaching Artists described as enthusiastic, positive role models.
The CYT Decathlon Award recognizes exceptional CYT students ages 16–18 who have completed a well-rounded theater arts education and demonstrated character consistent with CYT values, based on requirements listed in the CYT National Decathlon Award Document. A CYT Sacramento student, Savannah Cunningham, states that she is constantly reminded of how loved she is and that CYT fosters a community of support and encouragement shaped by its people and their effort to reflect the message of Jesus.
Last updated June 8, 2026.
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