Tuesday, February 04, 2003

WILMINGTON- UNCW plumbing shop supervisor Sylvester Allen can add actor to his resume. His debut role in the short film Jacob’s Sound airs this month on cable TV’s Showtime.

Writer/director Anna Dudley filmed Jacob’s Sound in Wilmington using a $30,000 grant from Showtime. She won the 2001 Showtime Black Filmmaker’s Showcase for her student film Special Day. Showtime, which is broadcast on Time Warner Cable Channel 18, will air Jacob’s Sound at 10:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 12:30 a.m. Feb. 9, 7:10 p.m. Feb. 20 and 10:30 a.m. Feb. 22.

Making the film “was very cool, especially learning everything involved in the production process,” said Allen. The 15-minute film is the story of a deaf clown named Jacob who falls in love with a woman he sees each year at a circus stop. After hearing about the audition from a friend, Allen decided to take a chance and landed the part of “Lucky,” an older fireman clown who serves as a mentor to Jacob. According to Allen, firemen clowns are integral to all circuses because these clowns are actual firemen who are involved in the show for safety reasons.

After viewing the film, Allen commented that it was somewhat frustrating to realize that the long hours of hard work had been compiled into a 15-minute story. However, he said he was, “extremely hyped about his upcoming debut on Showtime.”

Allen joined UNCW as shop supervisor in 1998, and has been a resident of Wilmington for 13 years. He manages a staff of four, and his department maintains hundreds of miles of underground pipes that comprise the university’s plumbing system.

Allen and his wife, Charlene, who have been married for 20 years, have two teenage daughters. He said artistic aspirations run in the family because his daughters are interested in careers in photojournalism and opera singing.

In addition to his work at UNCW, Allen also serves as associate minister and financial secretary for Antioch United Holy Church in Rocky Mount, where he has also performed in several church plays.