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‘Things Not Seen’

[AUG. 21, 2002]  ^"Things Not Seen." Andrew Clements. Philomel Books, 2002. 251 pages. Grade 6 and up.

Chapter one, page one, entitled "About Me," doesn’t waste any time introducing the reader to the plot of this science fiction novel.

"It’s after the shower. … It’s when I turn on the bathroom light and wipe the fog off the mirror to comb my hair. It’s what I see in the mirror. It’s what I don’t see in the mirror. I’m. Not. There."

This is the story of 15-year-old Bobby Phillips, who wakes up one cold morning in January and finds he has somehow become invisible. Bobby has to tell his parents, but no one else can know until they’ve had time to figure things out. That means no school, no friends, no leaving the house, no life as a normal teen-ager.

The plot is complicated even more when his parents are involved in a car accident and must spend a few days in the hospital. When he gets bored and lonely staying at home all day, Bobby does decide to visit the library. While there he meets Alicia VanDorn, a blind girl. Bobby can’t resist talking to her and eventually tells her his secret. As he and Alicia work together to gather facts and discuss the situation by phone and e-mail, they begin to make some progress in solving the mystery.

The search for more clues becomes even more frantic when the school officials call and then visit the house in search of Bobby. The school officials enlist the help of the police when they suspect Bobby’s parents of foul play. His mother explains his absence by telling them he is in Florida with a relative.

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Bobby discovers that being invisible does have some advantages. He can listen to conversations between his parents and the officials without their knowledge or sneak into places where he needs to go to gather evidence.

After hearing that his parents could be jailed, he becomes more aggressive in his search for answers. When they narrow the information to a possibly defective electric blanket, Bobby and Alicia waste no time in following leads to get their hands on a list of people with the same model blanket as his.

Alicia’s parents have also become involved in trying to find a solution to making Bobby visible again. In the end it’s Bobby who puts everything together and comes up with the answer.

Clements has written a fantasy with humor and suspense that will satisfy fans of his books. He has also written the award-winning "Frindle" and is the author of over 50 books for children.

[Pat Schlough, Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

Jennifer Sydney awarded Steppenwolf internship

[AUG. 20, 2002]  Jennifer Sydney, a graduate of LCHS, Lincoln College and Illinois State University, has been awarded an internship in Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater. She will begin her one-year paid internship immediately.

"I couldn’t be happier," said Jennifer, who appeared in six theater productions at Lincoln College along with the vocal group Express and the college’s dance group. "I’ll get to do a little bit of everything. I’ll be acting in Steppenwolf’s next play, ‘The time of Your Life’ by William Saroyan.

"After that show is over I’ll be an understudy, work in the box office, possibly work backstage. I don’t have any definite assignments yet."

Because many of Steppenwolf’s founders are ISU graduates, the theater company chooses as many as two interns each year from ISU’s theater program. This year 15 students auditioned, and Jennifer and a student from Indiana were chosen.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is an international performing arts institution, which was incorporated in 1976 with nine members, most of them Illinois State University graduates. The company now includes 33 theater artists, whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting and textual adaptation, and has performed more than 200 works.

It has produced a number of nationally known actors, including John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Gary Sinise, who are still members of the theater company and come back from time to time to work in Chicago.

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"Steppenwolf takes interns only from ISU. It’s a kind of tribute," Jennifer said. "ISU has an excellent theater school and has a lot to offer students who are passionate about theater.

"I wouldn’t have gotten where I am now if I hadn’t gone to both schools," she added. "Dan McLaughlin and Jerry Dellinger [theater directors at Lincoln College] have been good directors and good friends. The teachers at ISU are also very supportive and very smart about their craft. They have had professional experience and can prepare students for the world of theater."

Jennifer has also signed up with a talent agency in Chicago. "I did a showcase at the end of my last semester at ISU for theaters and agencies looking for new, young talent. I signed with Stuart Talent, which can provide experience in modeling, acting and making commercials.

"My family is so happy for me. They are very supportive. I couldn’t ask for better parents."

She thinks she’ll probably miss Lincoln, but she’s very excited about this new opportunity.

"This is a big step — the start of the career that I’ve been dreaming of since I was a little girl."

[Joan Crabb]

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, 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.

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"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 box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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