A whole new world
Don’t you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath ó it gets better
I’m like a shooting star
I’ve come so far
I can’t go back to where I used to be
By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
Tommie Estes and Haily Weddington wowed Rowan County United Way staff and volunteers Wednesday with their voices.
The spirited group was uncharacteristically quiet as the two leads from the recent Piedmont Players Theater youth production, “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.,” sang “A Whole New World.”
Light from the showroom windows was too bright for most to see a slide show accompanying the performance, but most seemed too enraptured to notice.
Estes and Weddington received loud applause and standing ovations from several at the end of the song.
Karen South Carpenter, executive director of Rowan Youth Services Bureau ó a Rowan United Way agency that provides services for at-risk youths and their families ó said both gave phenomenal performances in the musical production.
What most people don’t know, Carpenter said, is that Estes might not have even tried out for the production had it not been for the United Way. The West Rowan High School student has been a part of Rowan Youth Services for several years, she said, and attended the Piedmont Players’ annual drama camp this summer through a scholarship from the theater group and United Way donations.
Estes was joined by another youth in the program, Terry Brockington, who also attends West Rowan High. “They loved it,” South said. “They took to it like ducks to water.”
Liz Tennent, program director for Rowan Youth Services’ Times Two Mentoring, said both were nervous about fitting in when she picked them up for the first day of the camp.
“The second day, it was as if they had an extended family,” she said. “They discovered, thanks to the instructors there, that they did have talent and they did fit in.”
A month or so after the camp, Estes and Brockington auditioned for “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” Estes captured one of the two leads, and Brockington played “the prince formerly known as the artist.”
Appearing in the 19 performances increased their self-esteem even more, Tennent said, and gave them confidence and experience with the community. Estes and Brockington have also realized their potential to be mentors.
“Other children now see them as role models that they would like to be like,” she said. “I think for any young person not only in our program, but in this community, what better compliment to now see people looking up to you and admiring you for your gifts and talents.”
Of course, “with that comes great responsibility,” Tennent said, “and we’ve talked about that, too.”
Estes and Brockington are now able to envision studying drama at a college or the N.C. School of the Arts, she said, something they would have probably never been able to do before. “It’s been an amazing journey,” she said.
Carpenter said after Wednesday’s performance by Estes and Weddington, a student at Salisbury High School, that “there is no telling where this young man and this young lady will go.”
“So your United Way dollars do have an impact,” she said. “Thanks to all your hard work, we’re trying to create ‘A Whole New World’ in Rowan County.”