For Theatre Three’s Young Scrooge, It’s All Just Pretend

His mother says that ever since he was “bitten by the acting bug” at the age of five, Jace Rodrigues from Port Jefferson Station, has been pursuing roles like a pro.

Now a 12-year old, sixth-grader in Comsewogue School District, Jace can be seen this season playing "Scrooge as a Boy" in at , his second year in the role.

Jace started out in a summer camp run by Kids for Kids Productions and according to his mother, Dina Simoes-Rodrigues, he was a natural.

“He was so inspired that he started auditioning for community theatre and got some roles in children's plays at Airport Playhouse,” she said.

Jace then attended the Stony Brook Performing Arts Camp for four years and took classes at Theatre Three and Gateway Playhouse.

The young man’s career is blossoming quickly, already landing gigs doing public service announcements for St. Judes Children's Hospital, the X-Prize Foundation and a commercial for the Univision television station in Spanish, even though he doesn’t speak the language.

Jace got what his mother says was “his big theatre break” at Theatre Three when he was cast as Tiny Tim in 2009. This past summer, he also landed the role of 10-year old Tommy in The Who's Tommy at Gateway Playhouse in Bellport.

“He has jumped at every opportunity to perform,” said Simoes-Rodrigues though she says he’s not concerned about celebrity status. “Jace doesn't have that ‘I've got to be famous’ drive. He really just likes to perform because it makes him happy.”

The actor says that he just likes to do what every other little boy does: play pretend.

“I just like acting because you get to be someone you're not,” Jace said.

Since starting at Theatre Three, he has also been in the annual Festival of One Act Plays, Dracula the Musical and Pinocchio.

In addition to Community Theater, Jace is also a community activist, participating in the Town of Brookhaven Clean Up Day, and West Meadow Beach cleanup and beautification projects through the Port Jefferson Station/ Terryville Civic Association. In school, he is currently working with his teacher who leads a non-profit group, "Wings Over Haiti” that has already built a small school in a desperately poor and impoverished region north of Port-au-Prince. 

This year, he’s in what is called the "Ivy Cast" of A Christmas Carol, one of two children’s casts. (The other one is the “Holly Cast.”) There are nine children in each and according to Simoes-Rodrigues, the director splits the child actors–also called apprentices–because it’s too demanding for one child to play in 50 shows a season.

“In this way, the children perform about 25 shows and will always have a counterpart if there is a schedule conflict or emergency,” she said.

Jace says he doesn’t even think about the fact that he’s in a play when he acts.

"I don't get nervous,” he said. “I kinda just ignore the fact that there's an audience in front of me."

He prepares by going over in his mind all of his lines and what he has to do when he’s getting ready for a performance. At the same time, he’s also aware of the other actors on stage when he’s in the middle of a play to help him get into a role. He was told by his acting teachers to “listen and realize what is going on on-stage.”

For now, Jace is sure he wants to make acting his career but he’s undecided what direction to take just yet.

"I just don't know which one I like better stage or film,” he said. “Probably stage."