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Artist of the Year 2025 for theater: Isabella Kim

April 27, 2025

Her name is Isabella Kim.

But that’s not what actor Eric Petersen jotted down in his notes as he watched Kim perform two monologues for the group judging Artist of the Year for Theater.

Petersen, who has appeared in numerous TV series, scribbled the name of a three-time Academy Award winner — along with multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and other acting awards — that he thinks Kim may emulate someday: Meryl Streep.

“She could be like one of the great actors of our time,” Petersen said of Kim, who is 17 and about to graduate from Orange County School of the Arts.

He called her performance “stellar.”

Other descriptors used by judges: “Star.” “Rock star.”

Kim was a finalist in 2024 for Artist of the Year. She was as sure then as she is now that acting is the career for her.

She’s headed to The Juilliard School in New York City, a place where she proclaimed she so wants to be.

Her six years at OCSA, Kim said, have given her direction, and the foundation she needs to grow in her chosen craft.

She revealed in her Artist of the Year statement how a careless remark by a third-grade teacher had made her question the “lively, vibrant and loud” girl she had been. She became insecure.

Isabella Kim of Fullerton, a senior studying at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the theater Artist of the Year for 2025. Kim is shown Isabella Kim of Fullerton, a senior studying at the Orange County School of the Arts, is the theater Artist of the Year for 2025. Kim is shown in the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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But at OCSA, where Kim started in seventh grade, “I stumbled into the world of acting, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something again. With every show and every monologue, I felt the confidence in me reawakened.

“I became relentless, both in my academics and my acting.”

She’s tackled some hefty roles in high school: Ishmael in “Moby Dick.” Ophelia in “Hamlet.” Mother Courage in “Mother Courage and Her Children.” And Annie Sullivan in “The Miracle Worker.”

Kim called herself an introvert who finds release in the characters she portrays and in the connections she makes with other people outside of her performance.

Petersen told her point blank, “You are very good.”

Part of what makes Kim able to be the performer that she is — and is expected to become — is how she feels when she is in what she called “the thrall of acting.”

“Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed, “I love it so much!”

See artist’s video

Theater finalists

In addition to Artist of the Year, the judges selected four finalists from the 16 semifinalists who showcased performing and design.

Addison Engelken of Rancho Santa Margarita, a junior studying at Tesoro High School, is a theater finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Hailey Curtis)

Addison Engelken, Division 1: The Tesoro High junior described in her artist statement how she was putting in 14-hour days between school and rehearsals. Demanding, yes. But she added, “I am in love with the process, I am in love with my castmates, and I am in love with the art.” The judges saw that coming through in the monologue and song Engelken, 17, performed. And in her words on paper. “Your writing is amazing,” said Lisa Petersen, vice president of education at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. “Your writing is a work of art.”

Ashley Nava of Fullerton, a senior studying at Fullerton Union High School, is a theater finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Arleen Nava)

Ashley Nava, Division 1: Nava only became involved in theater as a freshman at Fullerton Union High. Now a senior, she specializes in sound design. At the start of high school, Nava had planned to take honors and AP classes, join clubs, and pursue a college degree in computer science. Then she took an elective and discovered technical theater. Nava, 17, thrives on problem solving; she figured out how to build and attach a tiny microphone to a dancer’s shoe so the audience could hear the tap dance throughout the theater. Nava will continue in theater at DePaul University in Chicago.

See artist’s portfolio

Eden Joye Newcott, Division 1: Her mom is a poet who dealt with repeated rejections from publishers before getting a book of her poems published recently. From watching her mom, Newcott learned this lesson: “Artistry is bravery.” Her mom, she added, “is such a good, constant reminder to do what I love even when it is scary and uncomfortable.” What the junior at Newport Harbor High loves is acting. Oh, and science. She’s been performing on stage since she was 5. Now 16, she plans to find a way to study astrophysics and break into the local TV and film industry.

See artist’s video

Oliver Tomczak of Irvine, a senior studying at Beckman High School, is a theater finalist for Artist of the Year in 2025. (Photo courtesy of Oliver Tomczak)

Oliver Tomczak, Division 2: The self-introduction said a lot about Tomczak. “I’m from Beckman High and I’m an artist. So, yeah.” Then Tomczak, 18, performed two songs: “Screw Loose” from the show “Cry-Baby, The Musical” and “So Big/So Small” from “Dear Evan Hansen.” Tomczak, who prefers male pronouns, has struggled with identity issues. Theater is part of the 17-year-old senior’s self-care and college plan. “When I’m not so trapped in my own emotion and pain,” he said, “I’m able to see something else beautiful. I want to do that for others.”

The judges

Special thanks to the judges who helped evaluate students this year.

The judges who evaluated the 211 theater nominees and chose the 16 semifinalists were:

Sara Blair, Legacy Magnet Academy
Melissa Caldretti, Private Vocal Music Teacher
Sophia Callisto, Homeschool/Private Teacher
Cheryl Des Palmes, Tesoro High School
Michael Despars, Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Cambria Graff, San Juan Hills High School
Kathy Harris, Retired theater teacher
Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Madison Leal, Mater Dei High School
Jenny McClintock, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts
Meghan Minguez-Marshall, Laguna Beach High School
Sarah Portwood, Costa Mesa High School
Jaclyn Stickel, Fullerton Union High School
Kathleen Switzer, El Dorado High School
John Walcutt, Orange County School of the Arts

The judges who interviewed the semifinalists and chose the four finalists and the Artist of the Year were:

Joe Alanes, Director of Education & Outreach, Laguna Playhouse
Drew Chappell, Assistant Professor, Chapman University
Heide Janssen, Executive Producer, Artist of the Year
Jonathon Lamer, Professional Theater and Film Actor
Candice Martinez-Clasby, Professor, Fullerton College
Anne McNiff-Gaeta, Director of Group Services, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Courtney Ozovek, Lecturer, Cal State Fullerton
Eric Petersen, Professional TV and Broadway Actor
Lisa Petersen, Vice President of Education, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Martie Ramm, Performing Arts Chair, Golden West College
Jonathan Vietz, Senior Director of Series Marketing, Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Division 1 students have had more than four years of theater training in school and/or privately. Division 2 students have had less than four years.

Artist of the Year 2025 for theater: Isabella Kim Orange County Register

News Details

Artist of the Year 2025 for theater: Isabella Kim

Theater finalists

The judges

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