Jesters Theatre is a safe place to love theatre.
Jesters Theatre is a charitable program of Youth Unlimited with the aim to develop kids and youth in all areas of their lives through the joy of theatre.
Since 2011, we have been working with kids and teens from Mission and throughout the Fraser Valley, providing a community that supports their creative development and God-given talents. We run multiple programs through the year that have included Summer Camps, Dance Classes, Writing Workshops, Leadership Development Training, and an annual, full scale Production for which we pull out all the stops.
Since its inception, Jesters has raised tens of thousands of dollars for organizations such as the Food Bank, Mission Youth House, Food for the Hungry, Cherub’s Inn, The Elevation Project, Operation Christmas Child, and more. One of our goals is to inspire a passion in our youth for helping their neighbours, and showing love in the same way Christ loves us.
All skill and interest levels are welcome here. No matter which path these youth take in their future, at the end of the day, the self confidence and strength of identity that comes from engaging in the Jesters Theatre community produces positive, transferable skills that benefit our kids in all areas of their lives.
Feel free to click around on our site to find out about our various activities. We are a part of the Youth Unlimited family. Find out more at YOUTH UNLIMITED
Who do we serve?
We serve kids and youth grades 3-12 in our Summer camps and
accept students in grades 4-12 for our Main Stage (Fall/Winter) program.
Spring programs are rotated annually and are available to specific age groups of youth.
With programs like Spring Improv and Writing Club designed for grades 7-12.
What are our Goals?
To provide a safe place…
…to learn about and experience the love of Christ
…for developing leaders to grow
…for personal expression through the performing arts
…to engage in and give back to the broader community
…to belong and be celebrated
You have questions, we’d love to answer them. Please fill out this form and we will get back to you ASAP.
Our Staff
Ryan is a husband, a father, and comes from a background in professional acting and youth leadership. He is thrilled to head up the Jesters team, where he gets to combine these two big passions in his life. Ryan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts and also completed the apprenticeship program at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver. He loves helping youth see their own inherent value, and believes the performing arts is one of the best tools in which to do that. He believes no one is alive by mistake, and fostering the creative sense inside of yourself will help anyone value what they can uniquely offer the world. Ryan is also an avid board gamer and enjoys throwing down the gauntlet to all would-be challengers.
Michelle is a mother of three and one daughter-in-law, and wife to her best friend Pat. She is a self-proclaimed extroverted-introvert who loves comical surprises, Aha moments and seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Despite having two left feet herself, she grew up loving the ballet and theatre scene and is at Jesters because of the inclusiveness that it promotes regardless of ability. She enjoys sharing God-stories with young people and watching them grow by helping create opportunities for them to understand how specially they have been created. Occasionally, she engages in her geo-caching pastime but Muggles beware as she’ll disappear before you can witness her discovery!
Tehya Wiebe – Program Manager (on maternity leave)
Tehya is married to Rahul. She grew up in Indonesia, right near Australia. She loves drinking pickle juice, crying at the end of movies, and running around barefoot. This is her first year working at Jesters, and she is excited to learn!
Abbye is a homeschooled theater kid at heart, and is currently completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts from UFV. Abbye is passionate about all things watercolor, broadway, dance, art history and loves a good romantic fantasy novel. With over 10 years of dance and theater experience Abbye is thrilled to be part of the Jesters team and pass along her knowledge, passion, and skills to inspire the new generation of theater kids. She hopes to continue teaching and pursuing her passion of musical theater after post secondary.
Aidan Rettich – Outreach Coordinator
Aidan is a people-oriented theatre-loving youth-working tune-singing son of the King, completely convinced that Jesters is where God has placed him. After participating in Jesters programs throughout high school, Aidan graduated from Lifeteams: School of Youth Outreach and has returned to Jesters as the Outreach Coordinator. Aidan has a deep, abiding love of this ministry and the people it serves—teaching young people how to act (and do everything else theatre requires) is, for him, a source of great joy. Aidan spends his spare time being an amateur musician and playing Super Smash Brothers.