Bob Asmussen | Centennial senior joins select company on All-State stage
Jan. 11—If all goes as Champaign's Lin Gilbertz hopes, we will someday see her on Broadway or London's West End.
"That's the dream," Lin said.
The Centennial senior's career is off to a good start. She plays Lilith in the prestigious Illinois High School Theatre Festival All-State production of "She Kills Monsters."
The play is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Braden Auditorium on the Illinois State University campus in Normal.
The building seats more than 3,400. Lin will have a cheering section led by her mom, Amy, and a pack of family friends.
"I'm excited," said Amy, a faculty member in the University of Illinois Department of Special Education and the current associate provost for faculty development. She has been at the school since 1997.
Lin auditioned in May in Bloomington-Normal and had her call-back in June in Bolingbrook. Lin learned she had the part in July.
"She Kills Monsters" wasn't new to Lin. Centennial performed the play the year before she started high school and she attended.
"I got the benefit of seeing the show and being pretty familiar with the material," Lin said.
While Lin is the only one from C-U in the on-stage cast, she is joined in the production by two Urbana High School students: Phia Marino plays bass, and Stazi Showerman is part of the scenery crew.
The total production numbers 80 to 100 students.
Rehearsals started in August in Bolingbrook. Once a month on the weekends. Long days that lasted eight to 12 hours. The rehearsals just moved to Bloomington-Normal this month.
Lin, who turned 18 in December, tried out for All-State in 2023, but wasn't selected for the production of "Shrek." Showing the get-back-up attitude that will serve her well in the business, she tried again.
"To me, it's a game of resilience," Amy said.
Good timing
In the spring, Lin did a master class with stage and screen legend Ben Vereen, who was visiting Champaign-Urbana.
Vereen won a Tony Award for the lead role in "Pippin." Folks my age know him better as "Chicken George" from the classic television miniseries "Roots."
How did the meeting happen? It started with Lin's dance teacher Christine Rich, who asked Lin to sing for Vereen at her studio in Savoy.
"I spent about 30 minutes with him, and it was a surreal experience," Lin said.
Vereen listened to her perform, then gave her notes.
Origin story
Lin's interest in musicals started with her family. Specifically, her grandmother, who she calls "Lola Baby." Lola is grandmother in Tagalog, the basis for the language of the Philippines. Her actual name is Mila. She lives in Manila and celebrated her 90th birthday in August.
"She was really into the MGM musicals," Lin said. "I grew up watching them with her. It was kind of like our bonding activity.
"We loved 'The Sound of Music.'"
Lin started attending live theater at age 5 with her parents, Amy and Steve. "She has seen "The Lion King," "Mary Poppins," "Hamilton," "Cinderella," "The King and I," "Mean Girls" and many other productions.
"Every year, I would gift her with an experience, so I always tried to find a show," Amy said.
They went to performances on the UI campus, the Virginia Theatre, Springfield, Chicago, Indianapolis and Broadway.
But the early exposure to the boards didn't lead her to an immediate move to the stage.
"I didn't really get into performing until high school," Lin said.
She had other interests, including swimming. She gave up the sport this year because of her time commitment to All-State.
"Being part of a theater ensemble is a lot like being a part of a sports team," Lin said. "We all need to work together for us to have a great performance."
Lin's first time on stage at Centennial was in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," when she played "Rona" in 2022. Next came "Sandy Dumbrowski" in "Grease."
Amy wasn't surprised by Lin's smooth transition to the stage.
"She's had a good ear for singing and for languages," Amy said. "I have all these videos of her singing when she was little and she could always carry a tune."
Her language skills came in handy in high school German classes.
She also played piano from a young age and later took up clarinet.
Inspiring influence
Lin lost her dad, Steve, in October 2022. Steve and Amy always supported her interests.
"He was more like 'I love that you are happy,'" Lin said.
"He appreciated it," Amy said. "We would go as a family. He would enjoy most of it. He was definitely very supportive of Lin. Always there to make sure that she knew."
He passed away just before Lin's lead performance in Centennial's production of "Grease."
Steve's T-shirts were used by actors playing the "T-Birds," the gang led by "Danny Zuko."
Planning ahead
Lin is auditioning for bachelor of fine arts programs at colleges across the East and Midwest to "continue to pursue music theatre."
"I don't have anything locked down yet. I am looking at a few options," Lin said.
There is an audition process to get into the programs, which are limited in how many students they will accept.
Lin has cast a wide net, applying to 13 schools.
It's the next step toward her ultimate goal of performing on stage. She understands it won't be an overnight trip.
"It's going to be very much a game of luck and fit and a lot of hard work," she said.