Escape from video games to world of human interaction

By Jonas Jacobs

LA JOLLA, California — As I grew up, I discovered I loved the theater. I thought that theater was important to people of all ages.  But for me, theater was more than entertainment; it became my dedicated hobby.

I believe many children today don’t have a hobby and instead play video games alone because they are afraid to, or for other reasons, unable to pursue their interests.  I think some fear being bullied, not having enough money or not even knowing where to do a hobby.

I grew up with the same problem. That is, I had interest in theater, felt a talent inside me, but I did not know how to let it out.  I did not want to sit and play video games and be alone, shut off in a closed environment with little social life. I believe children become more social and engaged in the world when they are interacting face-to-face with other children who are their own age and who share similar interests. Fortunately, I found the J Company.

J Company is special to me. J Company is a youth theater company housed at the JCC that creates an environment for everyone to be part of a community, to learn to focus, develop their skills and grow in many ways. The incredible staff teaches the children how to enter a new environment and bring out their talents, talents they may not have known they had.  I’ve discovered and nurtured new talents in my first two shows, Wizard of Oz and Tarzan. I plan to audition for every show next season.

Because it’s given so much to me, for my recent bar mitzvah, I decided to give back to the J Company. For my bar mitzvah “mitzvah project,” I asked my guests to donate to the J Company so that it could continue to bring the art of theater to San Diego children, their families and the entire San Diego community.  Thank you J Company.

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Jacobs is a student at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School and a member of Congregation Beth El