So how did a little kid with BIG dreams and buttered toast end up helping build a youth theater organization in Ojai?
I remember hiding behind the couch in my mom’s living room, awaiting my entrance.
“Backstage,” I was cramming a piece of buttered toast, anticipating my cue to enter. A scratchy record played "It’s a Hard-Knock Life". In a few moments, I was about to go on as Annie. Red curly wig with crumbs and all. I was completely sincere.
My mom’s house was a place where a kid could be a kid. All the neighborhood kids wanted to be there. We jumped on the couch, built forts, ran barefoot through the yard, sang loud, and made a mess.
There was room to imagine. Without confinement. Without expectations.
Years later, that idea still sits somewhere at the center of what I believe about young people and the arts.
My parents 'discovered' Ojai in the 70's. Making their entrance from L.A. on the back of a motorcycle. They found meditation, Krishnamurti, chickens, and organic gardening. There's something about this place, right?
Jumping ahead.
When the fledgling OYES team was entrusted with the organization in 2015, we understood that we were inheriting something worth protecting—and a responsibility to build something that would last. As I told Ventana Monthly, “We all grew up deeply impacted by theater. But it always came and went. We wanted the program to be something lasting for Ojai’s youth.”
This matters even more to me today.
What began as the youth branch of Theater 150 became, “the heart of our mission.” Fifteen years into youth programming, that heart is still beating because OYES has never belonged to one person or one vision.
I may drive much of the force behind OYES, but I am not the only one with a vision.
OYES is built by a creative team of artists, educators, staff, board members, parents, volunteers, donors, community partners and, increasingly, the young artists themselves. Each brings something to the table. Each pushes the work forward.
This season demonstrates what that collective effort can accomplish. We entered the season without a theater to call home, then built one where there wasn't one, and welcomed more young artists into our programs than ever before. We expanded educational opportunities and continued building an organization capable of meeting the needs of a growing community.
I wholeheartedly believe that our work is not simply to make the next show happen. It is to build an organization strong enough to keep making that space possible. A place where young people can take creative risks. Where genuine artistic work and joyful play can coexist. Where they can find their voices, discover what they are capable of and belong to something larger than themselves.
As we grow into adulthood, there is something powerful about having a piece of yourself anchored to who you were when you were young. A place within you that you can return to when you need it. Even if that place is a quiet moment of confidence, hiding behind the couch with buttered toast, completely believing in yourself and who you are about to become.
Have we made a difference?
I've been reflecting on that question as we prepare to launch our new INSIDE OYES blog series next Wednesday, October 21.
I wanted to share this story first, along with a look at the extraordinary season we've just completed.
To begin answering this question and see how you’ve made a difference, look inside our impact report.
With gratitude,
Daena
Daena Santoyo
Producing Artistic Director | Executive Director
