Faces of DYPAC: Dr. Noel Jackson

Dr. Jackson is the Founding President of the Downriver Youth Performing Arts Center.

Bio

Dr. Jackson has been a dentist for more than 30 years and has spent more than 25 years living in the Trenton area. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Michigan State University.

What did you want to be growing up?

At one point, I was talking about being a dentist, then a history teacher, and then decided upon being a dentist.

When did you get involved with DYPAC?

1998. Initially, a number of us participated in youth theater, but we found there wasn’t enough emphasis on producing high-level ideas because most youth theater productions were produced on a cheap budget. We wanted to take it to another level. I look at myself as the producer for the center. I make sure people with artistic vision can be supported properly behind the scenes.

How does DYPAC fulfill you?

When you see a kid go from timid to developing confidence, it’s a magical transformation. We have a tool in place that does that. If you have a tool that can help a child for the rest of their life, you have to use it.

How does DYPAC benefit the community?

It benefits the community on so many different levels. It brings a quality of life in the form of evenings spent with family. It brings families together. During one show, we had grandparents from Indiana and Kentucky come see their grandchildren perform. To bring together family like that…that sense of pride is amazing.

It also draws in other community members, like seamstresses who help out, but don’t have kids in the performances. It’s a family atmosphere.

Overall, art in a vacuum is useless. It’s what you do with the art that counts. It helps raise spirits. It raises mental health. It’s so important to the community.

Art is the icing on the cake.