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[MAY 29, 2002]  ^"A Single Shard." Linda Sue Park. Clarion, 2001. 152 pages. Grades 5-8.

This 2001 Newbery Medal winner takes us back to 12th-century Korea to the small village of Ch’ulp’o, known for its pottery. Tree-ear, an orphan, received his name from a mushroom that grows on trees without benefit of a parent seed. He lives under a bridge and spends his days foraging in rubbish heaps for food for himself and Crane-man, a lame straw weaver.

While wandering the village streets, Tree-ear has had plenty of time to view all the pottery, but he especially admires the work of Min. Unable to resist picking up one of the pots for a closer look, Tree-ear drops it and offers to work for Min to pay off the debt. He finds the work of digging clay and hauling it to the work site much harder than he had imagined, but he volunteers to stay on after his debt is paid because he dreams of creating beautiful pottery himself.

The beauty of Park’s story lies in the descriptions of life in Korea and in the character development. Min the potter is a slow-working, short-tempered perfectionist. Min’s wife is kind, and wise Crane-man guides Tree-ear with his thoughtful sayings. Most of all it is the determination of Tree-ear we admire. He has a goal and will do whatever it takes to see it to completion. Anyone else would have quit working for grumpy Min after an hour, but not Tree-ear. He rinses the clay more than required, spies on other potters and eventually takes the trip that will change his life forever.

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After a pottery-viewing visit from the royal emissary, Tree-ear volunteers to take two of Min’s best and improved vessels to the palace for Emissary Kim to see. He is sure if the emissary sees this example of Min’s work, he will be awarded a royal commission to design and make the vessels used in the palace for special occasions. After much preparation to keep the vessels safe on the six-day trip, Tree-ear sets out by foot with his precious cargo, a bedroll, a few rice cakes and a small amount of money. Along the way he has to find food and a place to sleep, outsmart a fox, and fight robbers. Arriving at the palace hungry and tired, but with a shard from one of Min’s pots, he has to convince the guard to let him go in and personally show the pottery shard to Emissary Kim.

This story has adventure and suspense along with a very satisfying ending. Linda Sue Park has also written "The Kite Fighters" and "Seesaw Girl."

[Pat Schlough, Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

LCT box office opens

[JUNE 5, 2002]  The Lincoln Community Theatre box office opened for the summer season on Monday, June 3. Season ticket holders may begin making reservations for any of the three summer productions by calling 735-2614 or visiting the box office from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The box office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

General admission tickets for performances are offered one week before the opening of each show, at $9 for adults and $6 for students through eighth grade. The first production of the season, "Hello, Dolly!" opens on Friday, June 14.

Season tickets for the summer, which include the June musical production of "Hello, Dolly!" the July comedy "Dearly Departed" and the August musical production of "The King and I" are still available. Send check or money order ($20 for adult; $12 for children through eighth grade) to LCT, Box 374, Lincoln 62656.

For more information on season membership, call (217) 732-4763 or (217) 732-2640 or visit the LCT website, http://www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[LCT news release]

Cast selected for LCT’s ‘Hello, Dolly!’

Lincoln Community Theatre has chosen cast members for the local June 14-22 production of "Hello, Dolly!"

Cast as the ever-meddling Dolly Levi is Jill Nessler of Sherman, who has previously appeared on the Lincoln stage as Miss Hannigan in LCT’s summer 2000 production of "Annie" and as Lucy in last summer’s opening show, "You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown."

The role of millionaire Horace Vandergelder will be played by Roger Boss of Lincoln. Boss has appeared in numerous LCT productions, most recently as part of the barbershop quartet featured throughout the 1999 production of "The Music Man."

Other players featured in this June production are Marilyn Willmert of Lincoln as Mrs. Malloy, Deb VanDeVoort of Springfield as Minnie Fae, Andy VanDeVoort of Springfield as Cornelius, Kyle Pepperell of New Holland as Barnaby, Josh Twente of Lincoln as Ambrose, Alison Maske of Mount Pulaski as Ermengarde, Brian Welter of Lincoln as the policeman/judge, and Nancy Schaub of Lincoln as Mrs. Rose.

Chorus members include Tina Mayer and Brian Willmert of Lincoln, Ann Opferman of Petersburg, and Abby and Heidi VanDeVoort of Springfield.

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The play is directed by Dan Bailey of Lincoln, who will also design and oversee construction of the set. Jan Mikelson of Hartsburg will serve as accompanist; Jeff Kindred of Atlanta will direct vocals; and Miranda Stone of Lincoln will serve as light and sound director.

All performances are at Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College and are at 8 p.m. with the exception of the Sunday, June 16, performance, which is a 2 p.m. matinee.

For information regarding tickets, contact LCT, Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656. The LCT box office opens on June 3. For information regarding season tickets, call 732-2640 or go to the LCT website, http://www.geocities.com/
lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Movie classics

Logan County Arts Association upcoming films

All upcoming monthly features in the Logan County Arts Association series of classic films will start at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Cinemas, 215 S. Kickapoo.

Thursday, June 13

Alfred Hitchcock’s "Rear Window" (1954)

Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Thursday, July 11

"Top Hat" (1935)

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers

Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace’s hotel, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain, and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for Horace.

Thursday, Aug. 8

John Ford’s "Fort Apache" (1948)

John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen

In John Ford’s somber exploration of "Custer’s last stand" and the mythologizing of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday, who sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honor which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, Thursday attempts to destroy the Indian warrior Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico.

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Thursday, Sept. 12

"Breakfast at Tiffany’s" (1961)

Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Buddy Ebsen, Patricia Neal

Based on Truman Capote’s novel, this is the story of a young jet-setting woman in New York City who meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building.

Thursday, Oct. 10

Horror/sci-fi double feature

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1931)

Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins

Based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men: a good and an evil side. He faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that changes him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951)

Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe

An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) lands their spacecraft on cold-war Earth just after the end of World War II. He tells the people of Earth that we must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Tickets will be available at Serendipity Stitches, 129 S. Kickapoo; the Lincoln Public Library Annex; at the door; or by calling (217) 732-4298. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2.50 for children 13 and under. These features are one show only, with limited seating.

[Logan County Arts Association ]

Lincoln Community Theatre’s website is at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.  The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656.  E-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

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