Mentor Recalls Youth Of Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter

By DONNA RENFROE

SUN CITY CENTER - When MTV producers were planning a new show involving Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, their research led them to one of his former theater mentors in Sun City Center.

The retirement community is home to Yvonne Rice, a songwriter, television producer, drama teacher and mentor to Carter when he was a young boy in her Clubhouse Kids theater program.

``Nick was an extremely talented, precious young boy who was always willing to learn his lines, his songs and to take the lead, yet caring about the talents of all the other children,'' Rice said.

Rice said that although she has not seen Carter since he was a little boy, ``I know in my heart he has an incredible destiny he has only just begun to realize.''

Last month, MTV flew Rice to Los Angeles to be on a new show, ``Who Knows the Band?''

``They treated me like a star, but best of all, they treated me like a best friend,'' Rice said.

The show is scheduled to premiere Sept. 24. The segment with Rice does not have an exact air date yet, according to the show's producers.

Carter, who grew up in southern Hillsborough County, was 10 when he enrolled in Rice's Brandon class in 1989. He was in her class for about two years, she said. He had leading roles in the productions of ``Griswald the Turkey'' and ``The Clubhouse Kids.''

In a book about her famous son, ``The Heart and Soul of Nick Carter,'' Jane Carter credits Rice with being one of his most talented, hardworking mentors.

``The Clubhouse Kids'' episodes turned out to be the best education in show business Nick and I had had,'' Jane Carter wrote.

Rice has taught Clubhouse Kids workshops in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Chesapeake, Va.

In the past three years, after moving back to the Tampa Bay area, Rice has produced seven shows in Brandon and three in the Carrollwood area. Some of her classes are held at Limona Village Chapel in Brandon.

Under a new partnership with Hillsborough schools, Rice will teach her Clubhouse Kids classes after school to children ages 3 to 12 at Gaither and Brandon high schools.

She set up the vocational program with James McManus, the school district's administrator of community education.

McManus said she will be a part-time vocational instructor paid by the school system.

Community education offers classes in art, painting and sculpture, but opening a drama class intrigued him, McManus said.

``A lot of children do not have the opportunity to perform unless they're in Blake Performing Arts School,'' he said.

Children need a positive message, particularly after school, McManus said.

Rice said she will produce her December show, ``Bah, No Humbug! It's a Clubhouse Christmas'' at Brandon High School on Dec. 14.

The public schools will offer the best facilities for shows and classes for ``the kids who need it,'' Rice said.