Our 2021 BITY Instructors
Julia Nichols – is an honour roll student who recently moved to Delta from Hamilton, Ontario. Julia has been taking singing lessons and musical theatre for six years. Some of her recent musical theatre roles include: Rosie (“Mamma Mia!”), The Baker’s Wife (“Into the Woods”) and Jovie (“Elf, Jr.”). Other productions include “Pippin”, “Suessical the Musical”, and “James and the Giant Peach.” Can you name each show below?
Julia was also an Assistant Instructor for Hamilton’s Theatre Ancaster’s production of “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” reinforcing singing harmonies and dance choreography with children ages 10-13. Julia has also been a French and English tutor, has achieved RCM Voice Level 6 and RCM Theory Level 7 & 8.
We’re excited to have Julia join Bard in the Yard 2021 and share her many talents with our students.
Tom Schultes – is a prolific and sought-after performer. His easy-going manner coupled with his professionalism is appreciated by directors and fellow cast members alike. Tom is an alumnus of Delta Secondary School (DSS, 2019) and currently attends Capilano University (CU) in the Musical Theatre program. He has been with Bard in the Yard since 2018.
Tom has appeared in five Delta Youth Theatre productions in the past few years: Elf, Jr. (“Walter Hobbs”), Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (“Lumiere”), Willy Wonka, Jr. (“Mr. Bucket/Candy Man”), Annie, Jr. (“Drake/Ensemble”), and Mary Poppins, Jr. (“Bert”). He has also appeared in four DSS productions: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (“Peter Quince”), Aladdin (“Ensemble”), Urinetown (“Officer Barrel”), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (“William Barfee”). For Studio West Dance he has been seen in Shrek, Jr. (“Shrek”), and Seussical, the Musical, Jr. (“Mr. Mayor”).
Tom also featured in Arts Umbrella’s Theatre Summer Intensive as “Chip Tolentino” in their 2018 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Besides his second-year courses in the Capilano University Musical Theatre program, Tom was seen in this year’s Capilano production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown appearing as the loveable “Snoppy.” Tom has also been involved in CU’s dance classes, the Arts Club’s Musical Theatre Summer Stage program, and vocal lessons from Sanders Whiting and Jordan Field.
Awards: Artful Dodger Scholarship Award from Delta Secondary School (2019), Peak Invitational Spirit Award (2019), Dance Power “The Entertainer” Award (2013).
Tom was scheduled to perform with TUTS last summer until all shows were cancelled due to Covid-19 and instead worked on “Music Man, Jr.” for DYT.
Jim Martens is a retired Drama, English and Special Education teacher, Principal and Assistant Superintendent of Schools (Richmond). He holds a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) degree from the University of British Columbia and a Masters of Education (Special Education) degree from Western Washington University.
Currently, he spends his time acting, directing and writing. He is also the father of three children and grandfather of eight grandkids (soon to be nine!).
Jim is a member of Local Color Talent Agency. His recent background work has been on TV shows Resident Alien, Big Sky (with wife, Nena), and Superman and Lois. Other work during the past year was on the indie film Soft-Spoken Weepy Cult Child and auditioning for commercials.
Jim has appeared as Santa in Delta Youth Theatre’s production of Elf, Jr. (Metro, 2016). He is the lead Santa Claus on Grouse Mountain (Santa’s Workshop, 2017, 2018, 2019). He has appeared as Maurice in Delta Youth Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (Genesis, 2018). Due to Covid restrictions, Jim worked remotely as Santa for The North Pole Picture Company in November and December 2020. All indicators suggest Santa will be back on the mountain top in 2021.
Jim has directed dozens of high school productions at Palmer, Richmond High and McNair/Woodward as well as major community productions like The Miracle Worker and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for South Delta Baptist Church.
Jim has been shortlisted by The Word Guild of Canada awards for both his publication of John W. Martens’ The Gospel Of Mark and for his blog entry Marcus Story in Haiti.
In the past few years, Jim has performed in two of his own one-act scripts in local churches, Hope for All (at SDBC) and The Bridge (at Maple Ridge Baptist for the FEBC Conference) which was commissioned for their Convention.
Jim is currently on the Board of Directors at Pacific Theatre in Vancouver (Secretary), on the Board of the BC Children’s Art and Literacy Centre and a past Board member of Gateway Theatre in Richmond from 2000 – 2004. He also held the Fine Arts Portfolio for 11 years while serving as an Assistant Superintendent of Schools in the Richmond School District.
Jim has written five books: Christmas Companion: Your Holiday Helper and Memory Maker; I Was A Teenage Mennonite: And Other Stories My Father Doesn’t Want Me To Tell; Homespun: How To Save Your Family Memories Through Short Story Writing; Sweet Sound: The Teo Repel Story; and The Lemonade Kid: My Adventures as an Invisible Super Spy.
Jim has also published the works of other Canadian authors and is currently ghostwriting with two others.
Michael Kirk – is a fellow alumnus, with Tom Schultes, of DSS (2019), many DYT productions, and Studio West Dance. He’s been part of Bard in the Yard since its inception in 2018. Micael brings an infectious can-do attitude and wonderful improvisation style to each one of our camps. (You won’t want to miss his impersonations of sea life at the aquarium!)
Michael appeared in Music Man last summer for DYT. Other productions for DYT, DSS, and Studio West Dance have been: Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (“Gaston”), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Aladdin, Willy Wonka, Jr., Shrek, Jr., Urinetown, Annie, Jr., The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Mary Poppins, Jr.
Michael is currently working on Moana, Jr. for DYT which will be streamed online in June. Michael is currently a student at Vancouver Film School.
FAQs
How old do you have to be to register for Bard in the Yard? Students have to have completed Grade 4.
How many students can attend a Bard in the Yard day camp? Maximum 16 students with 4 instructors.
What are the weeks for Bard in the Yard 2021? This year July 12-16 and August 16-20. (More weeks could be added if both camps reach their maximum capacities.)
What are the hours for Bard in the Yard? During the specified weeks, the hours are 10 AM to 1:00 PM plus a one-hour performance on the final day called “Friday Night Live!” (Parents are invited to watch in an outdoor setting)
What is the location for Bard in the Yard? 5281 Belair Crescent, Tsawwassen, BC V4M 2E5. Parents can make arrangements to come to see the facility if they wish by sending a note through the “Contact Us” link in the Menu. (We will also have an optional drop-in on the Friday before camp —July 9th and August 13th—for anyone who wants to visit the day camp location prior to camp or to pick up their T-shirt early.)
What are the colours of the camp shirts? White or Black. The white shirts have our logo in black, the black shirts have our logo in white.
What if I don’t want a T-shirt? We want every camper to have a new shirt as it’s our costume throughout the week and at the Friday Night Live presentation. (NB. The earlier you register for camp, the more likely we will have your camp T-shirt by the start of your camp week.)
What should a student bring each day for Bard in the Yard? A willingness to have fun while learning and to work hard with others plus . . . a water bottle to stay hydrated, a snack or lunch for our break, and a hat and/or sunscreen if it’s sunny. All other supplies will be provided.
What kinds of activities do students do at Bard in the Yard? The activities are varied: warm-up exercises, multiple drama games, improvisations, monologues (your own or scripts provided), group scenes, comedic commercials, some theatre history, visits from professional actors (via Zoom last year), and many other fun activities that help you grow as a person and performer.
Why is the camp called Bard in the Yard; Is it all about Shakespeare? No, it’s not all about Shakespeare although we will touch on some of the most famous Bard’s contributions to the world of theatre. The reason for the name comes from three places: 1. it’s a catchy title that’s not easily forgotten, 2. it does take place in a yard built for youth theatre camps, and 3. our camp provides a chance for students to find their own voice through writing monologues that are important to them as an individual and then sharing them through performances if they wish. In essence, they become a bard —or writer like Shakespeare—themselves. (It’s a great treat to hear and experience the students’ monologues at Friday Night Live whether they have written them or are performing someone else’s work.)
Why do students who attend both the July and August camps get a $25.00 discount? The reason for the discount is that we only provide one T-shirt for both camps so we deduct the T-shirt cost for the second camp.
What if I don’t see my question here? Please send a note through the “Contact Us” link in the Menu or text 604-218-2219 with your question. If it’s a question and answer that we think others may benefit from, we’ll add it to this list. Thanks.