Talents of all abilities will take center stage Thursday, June 13, at The Clyde Theatre.

Turnstone is back with their third annual Center Stage talent show, where 10 finalists will vie for a $5,000 grand prize, a jump from the $1,000 prize of previous years.

“We did have more talent submissions than we had last year,” said Lauren Widenhofer, development project manager at Turnstone.

While the winner will take home a nice prize, community members will see a fun show while raising funds for Turnstone and their mission to “empower people with disabilities to achieve their highest potential by providing comprehensive services and programs.”

“It’s a win-win situation,” Widenhofer said.

Returnees and Newbies

Along with pumping the grand prize up to $5,000, organizers also pushed this year’s talent show from early May to June.

“May is a busy time for people with Mother’s Day and college graduations and last-minute trips,” Widenhofer said.

With the changes, more are expected to check out the talent our community has to offer, and it comes in many forms, from singers and bands to dancers. 

Last year’s winner, Sockie Phommachanh, fell under the dance category, and he returns this year to MC the event with Jessica Williams of WANE-TV.

A former client of Turnstone after he was told he would never walk or talk following a home fire as a youth, Phommachanh’s participation in last year’s competition was a way of giving back.

“Anything for Turnstone,” he said after his win.

While Phommachanh won’t be participating this year, there will be returnees, including singer KC Ramone for a third time. Guitarist Willy Booger will also return after competing in 2023.

Among the new acts are the street dance crew I.C.N.H. (Insert Crew Name Here) as well as dancer Bryson Hickman.

Local band Intrepid Cat will also showcase their talent, and Jeffro Da Pyro, a flow artist that spins a dragon staff and poi, should also wow the crowd.

Along with KC Ramone, other vocalists taking part in the competition are Avery Mitchell, Martel Harris, Nyiann Bennett, and Ta’Korei.

“It’s been different each year,” Widenhofer said of the contestants. “We’ve had different pools of talent submit. It seems like some years we have a lot of bands. Some years we have a lot of vocalists.”

This year’s panel of judges that will decide the winner will be the same as last year: dancer Christopher Spalding, professional drummer Nick D’Virgilio of Sweetwater, WBOI-FM’s Julia Meek, and local musician and entrepreneur Alicia Pyle.

Showcase of local talent

Not just anyone who submitted their talent to Turnstone made the cut.

“There’s been a very wide variety of types of talents,” Widenhofer said. “Diverse in ages, demographics, and talent types. It’s been fun to watch the committee sift through the talent and decide who should make it to the final show.”

With plenty of talent to choose from, Turnstone gets a helping hand from fellow creatives in the community.

“We have a diverse committee of artistic people from the community,” Widenhofer said. “They watch all the talent acts and score them. Then the top 10 make it through.”

While just 10 contestants will perform at The Clyde Theatre, the competition is a showcase of all the talent we have in northeast Indiana.

“As a development committee, we realized there was gap in the inclusive display of all the artistic talent we have in this community,” she said. “So, we came up with Center Stage as an inclusive talent show that would allow people with and without disabilities to display their talents.”

By displaying those talents, the contestants are also aiding Turnstone in their mission.

“All funds come back to Turnstone in our mission of empowering children and adults with disabilities,” Widenhofer said.