LOVE TRIANGLE: In a tense and emotional scene, "Sergius," played by Shawn Trimbel, warns "Louka," played by Logan Pedro, never to betray theirrelationship to "Raina," in Eastern Oregon University's 2004 production of "Arms and the Man." (The Observer/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK).

By Jeff Petersen

Staff Writer

You think you have it tough.

Be Shawn Trimble for a day.

The 23-year-old is playing Sergius Saranoff in "Arms and the Man," a show Eastern Oregon University has put on every 25 years since the college opened in 1929.

Trimble’s day starts by working the graveyard shift as a crew manager at Shop ‘n’ Kart from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Then he goes to class at EOU. After that, five times a week, a couple hours a day, he lifts weights. You see, the defending NAIA national outdoor pole-vaulting champion from Elgin is training for the indoor nationals in late March.

Oh yeah, by the way, he then goes to play rehearsal for two to three hours every night.

"I’m getting by on one hour of sleep a day," he says matter-of-factly.

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Once acting gets in your blood, it never leaves.

Just ask Gary Webster. The Mount Glenn-area semi-retired farmer, 68, played Sergius Saranoff in "Arms in the Man" 50 years ago upstairs in the theater in Inlow Hall.

The show will come to McKenzie Theatre for the first time Nov. 11-13.

"(My character) was very full of himself and kind of a snobby, aristocratic, elite, pompous ass fool with an eye for the ladies," Webster recalls.

For the last week or two, Webster has been busy trying to contact cast members from 50 years ago. He’s had remarkable success.

Many of the actors and actresses from previous shows will be on hand the night of Nov. 13 for a dinner, reunion, curtain call and perhaps a brief roundtable discussion on changes in theater over the years.

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George Bernard Shaw’s witty masterpiece "Arms and the Man" combines comedy with social commentary.

First produced on the London stage in 1894, "Arms and the Man" starts with gunfire on a dark street in a small town.

The romantic and willful Raina shelters the handsome fugitive Bluntschli, enemy of her equally handsome fiance, Sergius. The men play the hero-fools of Balkan chivalry, and the women are more than their match.

"The women could see through (my character) certainly," Webster says.

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Melanie Tromp Van Holst, who today lives on a farm near Mount Harris, served as director, producer and set designer of the dinner theater of "Arms and the Man" in 1979.

Today her husband, Maarten, is plant manager at Barenbrug Seed. She works at Grande Ronde Hospital and is on the soil and water conservation district board and on the Union County Planning Commission.

Tromp Van Holst credits Blue Mountain Designers and Craftsman, a loose-knit group of artists that wanted to find venues for art, with spearheading the effort to do a dinner

theater.

The show, in the commons area of the recently built Hoke Center, was done in the summertime

"I remember really clearly that at the Saturday night sold-out performance there was a huge electrical storm. We had no power. We performed the entire third act by candlelight.

"The audience stayed with it and really enjoyed it," she says. "And it was a one-of-a-kind experience for the cast."

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Shawn Trimble previously appeared at EOU as a firefighter in "Hole in the Sky." The award-winning show celebrated the heroic acts in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

During high school, this busy guy had less time for theater. Extracurriculars like martial arts, wrestling and track ate up his spare time.

The senior theater arts major hopes, if he can stay awake that long, to graduate next spring with a bachelor of science degree.

Trimble got involved in "Arms and the Man" when he saw an audition notice on the theater department call board. He needed rehearsal performance credits for his major, and theater professor Ken Bush was directing the show.

"He’s a very good coach. He’s able to pull emotions out of people that you probably couldn’t pull out all on your own."

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Among the actors from 1954 that Webster reached was Jeff Ford of Boise, who played the lead male character of Bluntschli. Ford had a career in education and was associate dean of instruction at Treasure Valley before retiring early and setting up a business helping people improve their careers. As hobbies, Ford raises orchids and follows the red-hot Boise State University football team.

Janie Vickers Elwood, meantime, played the lead ladies’ role of Raina, who nurses Bluntschli to health. Elwood and her husband now live in Dallas, Ore., where she retired after a teaching career.

"They have a motor home and are thrilled to death about getting back for the show," Webster says.

Webster also chatted long distance with Victor Walch, who like Webster was a 1952 La Grande High School graduate.

Walch, who played Nicola the butler, later became a tax lawyer in Los Angeles and now is semi-retired in Wilsonville.

Roberta Miller, who played Louka the house maid, got her teaching degree in 1957. She moved to San Francisco, and her husband is an executive for Hills Bros. Coffee. Her sister, Mary Kay Miller, was head of makeup.

"She (Roberta) was a fantastic actress and had the lead role in couple of other plays as well," Webster recalls. "She was flirtatious in playing (Sergius and Bluntschli) against the middle."

Webster was unable to track down Marlin Stringer, who played Major Petkoff, or Doris Rigney of Nyssa, who played Catherine.

Webster, a sophomore when the play was staged, went on to earn a four-year degree from what was then called Eastern Oregon College of Education. He graduated in 1956 and went into farming. Now semi-retired, he and his wife Bernice go to most of the plays at EOU. Webster served on the La Grande School Board for 12 years.

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After graduation, Trimble wants to pursue a film-acting career in Los Angeles. But first, he wants to chase his pole-vaulting dreams.

Pole vaulters typically reach their prime in their late 20s to early 30s. An injury stopped Trimble’s quest for a 2004 Olympics berth, but he’ll be back.

"At the next Olympics I’ll be 27," he says.

The reputation he gains in athletics could boost his professional acting career.

Trimble’s best pole vault to date is an EOU record 17-feet, 1 3/4-inches. In practice he’s cleared 18 feet.

He’s now in training for the national indoor championships around the end of March. His goal? To break national record of 18-6.

The 2003 outdoor NAIA champion is a six-time all-American.

Trimble says track and acting have similarities. Both require a strong work ethic. Pole vaulting, though, is more an individual sport and acting is a team effort.

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Webster and his wife are now mostly enjoying theater from the audience. Webster, though, in 1990 returned to the Eastern stage to play Uncle Ben in "Death of a Salesman."

"That was a real eye-opener," Webster says. "Kevin Cahill (the lead) had his 1,300 lines all down three weeks before the show opened. I had only 88 lines but had a heck of a time. I decided I’m getting too old, but I enjoyed it thoroughly."

If you go …

Dates: 8 p.m. Nov. 11, 12; 2 and 8 p.m., Nov. 13, McKenzie Theater

Tickets: General admission $7

Students and seniors $4

2004 cast list:

Raina Erin Kinzer

Sergius Shawn Trimble

Bluntschli Alex Mitzimberg

Louka Logan Pedrow

Catherine Neva Sanders

Paul David Sintay

Nicola Daniel Petznick

Russian officer Tony Meda

Bulgarian soldiers Trea Taylor, Jessica Wheeler