Phantom Projects Presents 6th Annual YOUNG ARTIST PROJECT Tonight, 8/4

After 172 applications and 60 interviews, 8 young performers have been selected for The 2012 Young Artist Project at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. The 6th annual event brings together seasoned young artists between the ages of 16 and 23 to merge their unique talents – whether writing, directing, acting, singing, dancing, etc. – in a collaborative effort, developing one-acts, musical numbers, film, and other performance pieces.

The event takes place tonight, August 4th, at 7pm. Tickets are $25 (Discounts available for students and groups) and are available by calling 714.994.6310 or 562.944.9801 or via: www.PhantomProjects.com.

The twist? The group has just 14 days from first rehearsal to performance day, to completely create, rehearse, and build the production. The intense process annually includes a Midnight to 8AM rehearsal; this year spanning from late Friday evening July 27 until Sunrise on Saturday July 28th.

The participants are Andy Chan (23, Arcadia), Revel Day (18, Hacienda Heights), BJ Grip (22, Los Angeles), Phillip Jarrell (16, Cypress), Laleh Khorsandi (20, Fullerton), Kelsey Olson (19, Irvine), J.J. Ryder (23, Los Angeles), and Erin Wu (20, Los Angeles).

Audiences can connect with the performers and journey with the cast via daily blogs, photos, and videos created by the participants, and posted exclusively at Facebook.com/PhantomProjects.

The Young Artist Project is the brainchild of Steve Cisneros, Phantom Projects’ Founder and Producing Artistic Director, who launched the program in 2007 as part of his company’s 10th Anniversary. “Audiences lucky enough to have seen our annual Young Artist Project in the past will be the first to agree, this isn’t a ‘talent show.’ This is a full-blown production that just happens to feature young performers and brand new works. They aren’t beginners; at their young age, they are already seasoned pros at their craft,” said Cisneros. “It should be as exciting for the audience as it will be for these future stars to push their talents.”

Each year, Phantom Projects Theatre Group mounts a season of plays at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and touring productions to elementary, middle and high schools through five Southern California Counties.

For more information call 714-690-2900 or visit www.PhantomProjects.com or www.Facebook.com/PhantomProjects.

2012 YOUNG ARTIST PROJECT CAST BIOS

Andy Chan (23, Arcadia) Andy Chan is humbled to be a part of the 2012 Young Artist Project. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Southern California, Andy pursued his higher education at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked with artists from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong including master American playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, John Miyasaki & the hereandnow Theatre Company, and East West Players. Most recently, he starred in the World Premiere of Gotanda's play, I Dream of Chang and Eng at UCBerkeley. He has written, acted, and produced short films for the International 48 Hour Film Festival: Hong Kong; In July, he was a featured dancer at PopCon2012 at the LA Convention Center.

Revel Day (18, Hacienda Heights) Revel Day was born into a family with extensive musical background and started singing at a very early age. Though singing is where it started, he soon discovered a love for other performance elements, leading him to starring roles in such shows as Hairspray, Oklahoma, High School Musical and The Wiz. He began performing professionally at age 13 and has performed with such artists such as Kirk Franklin, Enrique Iglesias, and Deitrick Haddon. Revel will soon transfer to USC as a Music Major

BJ Grip (22, Los Angeles) BJ Grip’s career as a performer started with impromptu Beauty and the Beast performances in his living room. A "Navy Brat," he was exposed to many different cultures through his multiple moves around the world and the many weeks of traveling that accompanied it. Through it all, BJ continued to perform through poetry contests in Camarillo, California; Odyssey of the Mind competitions in Naples, Italy; and finally, high school theater performances in Honolulu, Hawaii. BJ recently graduated from the School of Theatre at the University of Southern California. In the fall semester of his junior year, BJ had one of the best experiences of his life, both personally and artistically, when he studied in London at the British American Drama Academy.

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