Tuesday, February 22, 2022
RECORDS
THe ObserVer — A5
Returning to the stage, finally
Local productions,
theaters returning to
sense of normalcy
after two-year hiatus
By JENNIFER COLTON
For EO Media Group
PENDLETON — When
“The Sound of Music”
closed on March 1, 2020,
Pendleton’s College Com-
munity Theater expected
to open its next produc-
tion in six weeks. Instead,
rehearsals at the Bob Clapp
Theatre would be canceled
for two years.
“Little Women: The
Broadway Musical,” the
first Pendleton-based the-
ater production since the
coronavirus pandemic, runs
the next two weekends, Feb.
24-26 and March 3-5, in the
theater on the campus of
Blue Mountain Community
College.
“When COVID hit, it
was really scary because
nobody knew what to
expect,” said Margaret
Mayer, president of the
CCT board of directors.
“We had no idea it would
be two years, no one knew.
Here we are.”
Almost exactly two
years later (“Sound of
Music” opened Feb. 20,
2020; “Little Women”
opens Feb. 24, 2022), Mayer
was back in the theater as
music director for “Little
Women.” Caitlin Marshall
is directing.
“The last two years have
been really stressful. People
need something that can
take their minds off every-
thing,” Marshall said. “I
really just feel it’s important
to keep some kind of nor-
malcy with all the chaos
going on.”
That idea of normalcy
has prompted shows to
come back this month in
Hermiston and La Grande,
even with COVID-19
impacts. At Hermiston
High School, Jordan Bem-
rose brought together 70
students for performances
of “Beauty and the Beast.”
“The biggest reason we
wanted to jump back into
live theater is mostly to
give these fantastic students
something exciting to look
forward to,” she said.
Bemrose added the per-
forming arts students are
Jennifer Colton/Contributed Photo
Karen Taylor, left, and Carly Elder rehearse for “Little Women: The
Broadway Musical” on Feb. 7, 2022. The Blue Mountain Community
College and Friends of the Elgin Opera House joint production goes
on Feb. 24-26 and March 3-5 at the Bob Clapp Theatre in Pendleton.
alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, FIle
Eastern Oregon University students rehearse “We’ve Got Your Number” on Jan. 26, 2022. After a delay due
to COVID-19 cases among the cast, performances are set for Feb. 25 and 26 at McKenzie Theatre in La Grande.
talented and hardworking
and need opportunities to
shine.
“With online school,
we missed out on so many
performance opportuni-
ties that now, being back in
person, we wanted to make
up for that loss of time,” she
said. “For many students,
singing, acting and playing
their musical instruments is
their whole life and inspi-
ration and what they aspire
to do as careers after high
school.”
With the lingering
impacts of COVID-19,
the Hermiston production
required masks to rehearse
on stage and careful
tracking to avoid quarantine
that could cancel rehearsals
— or performances. That
same fear became a reality
this month for Eastern
Oregon University’s “We’ve
Got Your Number,” a cho-
reographed choral perfor-
mance. Several students
tested positive for COVID-
19, and the show was post-
poned two weeks to Feb. 25
and 26. That delay pushed
“A Gentleman’s Guide to
Love and Murder,” a stage
musical planned to open
March 10, into EOU’s fall
term.
“It’s exciting to be back
and yet it’s frustrating at
the same time. The biggest
problem with bringing the-
ater back is COVID is still
doing everything it can
to prevent it from coming
back,” said Ken Wheeler,
associate professor of the-
ater at EOU. “As much as
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
FRIDAY, FEB. 18
8:57 a.m. — La Grande police responded to the 400 block of
12th street on a report of a subject acting disorderly. The person
voluntarily went to Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande.
3:16 p.m. — La Grande police responded to the 1300 block of
M Avenue on a report of harassment. An officer made contact and
explained options for restraining orders.
4:38 p.m. — A caller reported an assault at a residence on the
2100 block of O Avenue, La Grande. An officer made contact, took
a report and referred the matter to detectives.
5:39 p.m. — The Union County Sheriff’s Office received a
report of animal cruelty on Palmer Junction Road, Elgin. An animal
enforcement officer made contact and will follow up.
6:48 p.m. — Police responded to a disturbance at a residence at
Tamarack Court Apartments, 1613 21st St., La Grande. The parties
separated and agreed to be civil with each other.
SATURDAY, FEB. 19
7:29 a.m. — A caller reported a transient was in the doorway
at the Texaco station at 2614 Island Ave., La Grande. An officer
responded and trespassed one person.
9:22 a.m. — A caller on the 2000 block of Fourth Street, La
Grande, reported a dog bit a person. An animal enforcement offi-
cer responded.
10:14 a.m. — La Grande police responded to C Avenue and Sec-
ond Street on a report of a two-vehicle collision and took a report.
4:04 p.m. — La Grande police responded to a report of a civil
disturbance involving someone experiencing mental or emotional
duress. Police contacted the Center for Human Development.
8:28 p.m. — A resident on the 10100 block of West Fourth
Street, La Grande, reported footprints near a residence. A Union
County sheriff’s deputy will provide an extra patrol.
10:07 p.m. — The Union County Sheriff’s Office received a
report of a dog bite victim at Grande Ronde Hospital, 900 Sunset
Drive, La Grande. A deputy responded and took a report.
10:44 p.m. — A caller reported livestock on the loose in the area
of 70300 Middle Road, Elgin.
SUNDAY, FEB. 20
1:42 a.m. — La Grande police responded to Orchard Motel, 2206
Adams Ave., on a report of an assault. An officer cited a 70-year-old
man for harassment.
4:04 p.m. — A caller reported a vehicle theft at Les Schwab Tire
Center, 2306 Adams Ave., La Grande. An officer made contact and
explained options.
6:43 p.m. — A caller reported the theft of a vehicle on the 59000
block of Foothill Road, La Grande. A Union County sheriff’s deputy
responded and cited Ian Fraser Brooks, 25, for unauthorized entry
of and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
10:13 p.m. — A resident on the 3000 block of Birch Street, La
Grande, reported someone shaking their door earlier this morning.
An officer made contact and will provide an extra patrol.
10:59 p.m. — Union County Sheriff’s Office arrested Waldo Leiva
Monteagudo, 43, for driving under the influence of intoxicants
(drugs), reckless driving and possession of methamphetamine.
things are getting better and
we’re seeing the sun at the
end of the storm, it’s still
affecting it.”
For tickets to “We’ve Got
Your Number,” visit www.
eou.edu/music.
Returning to the stage
during a pandemic requires
flexibility and creativity.
When the pandemic hit,
the Elgin Opera House’s
spring 2020 production of
“Matilda” was only weeks
away from opening. Instead
of opening that March, the
show was postponed for a
year and a half.
In between, the Opera
House tried outdoor pro-
ductions as well as a fully
recorded production of
“High School Musical
Jr.” During this musical,
rehearsed in the winter
of 2021, actors were split
into cohort groups that
rehearsed and recorded on
different days with no live
audience.
“When we announced
we were recording ‘High
School Musical,’ we thought
we’d get just a few people
audition,” said Terry Hale,
Elgin Opera House execu-
tive artistic director. “We
had 70 or 80 kids from five
different counties. That’s
how important this is.”
Hermiston High School
also saw large participation
numbers with “Beauty and
the Beast,” a show they’ve
been rehearsing since the
middle of November.
“(I wish people knew)
how hard these students
work and how much time,
effort and talent are needed
to put a full show together,”
Bemrose said. “It takes
weeks to learn lines, music,
choreography, organize
props and set, and get all of
the moving pieces together,
including the orchestra,
who rehearse separately
and join us during our
dress rehearsal week. We
rehearse at least two hours
after school during our
production months, and
dress rehearsal week we
rehearse after school four
to five hours finalizing
everything.”
Those hundreds of
hours do not include the
extra pandemic struggle of
rehearsing with masks or
returning to the stage after
a two-year hiatus.
“Everyone is out of prac-
tice with the process, but
we’ll work at overcoming
those handicaps just so
we can put the show on,”
Wheeler said. “There’s
nothing that beats a live
shared experience in a dark-
ened theater. That commu-
nication between the actors
and the audience, there’s
nothing that compares to
that. We’re striving to get
back to that as soon as pos-
sible even if we have to take
strange precautions to be
able to do it. It’s worth it.”
In Baker City, Eastern
Oregon Regional The-
atre has presented a few
shows — the children’s
theater presented “Jungle
Book” in the fall of 2021,
and “Pride@Prejudice”
wrapped up a two-weekend
The most valuable and
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run Feb. 20.
“Because theater is
known as collaborative
art, it was one of the few
art forms almost totally
shut down during the pan-
demic,” said Abby Dennis,
EORT artistic director.
“Since our art form requires
being around others, theater
people were completely cut
off from being able to work
through the overwhelming
emotions from the past two
years.”
Bemrose said seeing a
show come together is the
greatest reward of theater,
along with how accom-
plished the cast and crew
feel. Hale said it is the way
the performing arts bring
joy and life to those on and
off the stage.
“As a society, we focused
so much on being afraid of
death (in the pandemic) that
we stopped doing the things
that brought us joy, the
things that made us alive,”
Hale said. “One of the best
ways to celebrate life is
through the arts. If people
keep coming out, we’ll keep
doing it.”
Dennis said returning to
the stage is “bittersweet.”
“I love being able to
entertain my commu-
nity, but it hurts to think of
everything we’ve lost over
the past two years,” she
said.
EORT’s 2022 schedule
includes “Women Playing
Hamlet,” “God of Car-
nage,” and the children’s
theater will present “The
Enchanted Bookshop” and
“Macbeth.”
In Pendleton, tickets are
still available for “Little
Women” for both week-
ends, Feb. 24-26 and March
3-5. For information, go to
www.elginoperahouse.com.
“It’s going to be an
amazing show,” Marshall
said. “Come fall in love
with these sisters and have a
great night of theater again
— finally.”
UPCOMING
LOCAL
SERVICES
Feb. 25 — RUBY WREN: 1 p.m. graveside ser-
vice, Weston Cemetery.
Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 — STEVE HAMBLIN:
Friday, 5-7 p.m. viewing, Loveland Funeral Chapel, La
Grande; Saturday 10 a.m. funeral, Loveland Funeral
Chapel (casual dress preferred), followed by Summer-
ville Cemetery graveside service and potluck.
March 5 — DAVID KENNEDY: noon celebration
of life, Elgin Community Center (potluck dishes may
be dropped off at the center after 10 a.m.).
March 11 — GEORGE RUSH: 10:30 a.m. memo-
rial service, Catherine Creek Community Center,
Union.
March 26 — JUDY HUNT: 3 p.m. celebration of
life, La Grande Seventh-day Adventist Church.
May 19 — ORVA MURRILL: 2 p.m. graveside
service, Union Victorian Cemetery.
Please follow guidelines regarding face coverings
and social distancing at gatherings. Calendar courtesy
of Loveland Funeral Chapel, La Grande.
Ruby Wren
August 20, 1928 - February 3, 2022
lagrandeobserver.com
Stephen ‘Steve’ Craig Hamblin
September 4, 1948 - February 15, 2022
Stephen “Steve” Craig Hamblin,
73, of Richland, Oregon, formerly
of Imbler, Oregon, passed away on
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, at his res-
idence. A viewing will be held at
Loveland Funeral Chapel on Friday,
Feb. 25, 2022, 5-7 p.m. A funeral ser-
vice will be held at Loveland Funeral
Chapel on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022,
at 10 a.m. A graveside service at
Summerville Cemetery will immediately follow the fu-
neral. Casual dress is preferred by the family. A potluck
will immediately follow the graveside service. Meat and
drinks will be provided.
Steve was born on Sept. 4, 1948, in Ogden, Utah, to
George and June (Moore) Hamblin. He resided in Utah,
Wyoming, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. He graduated
from Davis High School in Utah. He served our country
while in the United States Army and received the Pur-
ple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for his service. He
married Lynda Akker and they later divorced. He later
married Cynthia L. Hulse.
Steve was a self-employed rancher and was the super-
intendent for concrete highway construction. He enjoyed
hunting, camping, four-wheeling, traveling and reading.
He loved being in the mountains, desert or at the ocean.
Steve is survived by his wife, Cynthia; children, Julie
Bouee (Jerry) of Logan, Utah, Jake Hamblin (Amy) of
Nibley, Utah, Patty Hamblin-Brown (Christine) of Big
Sky, Montana, Mike Hamblin (Haley) of Preston, Ida-
ho, and Megan Gilbert (Chaz) of Nibley, Utah; stepchil-
dren, Christina Hoskin-Grove (Tina) of Missouri, Casey
Hoskin (Charity) of Parker, Idaho, and Tyrell Cornelius
of Alberton, Montana; brother, Eddie Hamblin of Kays-
ville, Utah; sisters, Donna Blood of Kaysville, Utah, and
Marylin Wilcock of Snowville, Utah; 23 grandchildren;
6 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and neph-
ews. He was preceded in death by his parents, George
and June Hamblin; sister, Shirly Lee; and brothers, Rus-
sel, Robert and Allan.
Online condolences may be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.
Ruby Wren passed away peace-
fully on Feb. 3, 2022. She was a
loving, kind and caring mother
her whole life through, even to the
end. She was born Ruby Geraldine
Nedrow on Aug. 20, 1928 in En-
terprise, Oregon, to Lloyd and Hat-
tie Nedrow. She grew up knowing
hard work and the value of saving.
She married Loren Wren on July 15,
1948. They raised a son, Don, and daughter, Carol. Ruby
worked at Lamb Weston for many years and moved to
Summerville, Oregon, in 1972 to retire.
I thought for a long time how to describe my mother
to everyone and found it best in a poem I wrote for her on
Mother’s Day in 2001. She loved this poem.
Saver Perfection
Her house is small, thus so is mine, and is filled with
this and that, collected over time.
Each piece a special memory too precious to dispose.
Everything from tins & glass & a dusty dried up rose.
There are magazines & paper bags all neatly folded up.
Everything is meant to save, even that chipped teacup.
She is a child of little, saver of lots, always aware of
how much, every little thing must cost.
Born into the great depression, lived through some
comfortable years. But in the back of her mind, the loss
of all, always a constant fear.
She will probably go on saving, down to the very last,
because it is always the present, the future and her past.
- written by Carol Ann Key, May 5, 2001
Ruby was preceded in death by her husband, Loren,
on Sept. 12, 2018. She is survived by her son, Don Wren,
and daughter, Carol Wren Key, and husband, David Key.
Granddaughters, Sarah Key Storrs, husband, Jeremy, and
great-grandsons, Evan and Trevor; Jennifer Key Cleary,
husband, Brandon, and great-grandson, Brayden. Sister,
Betty Banister and family.
The family wishes to thank Heart ‘n Home Hospice in
La Grande, Oregon, for all their loving care of both Ruby
and Loren. The staff at the Grande Ronde Retirement &
Assisted Living Facility in La Grande, Oregon, for their
care and support. Also, Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home
in Milton-Freewater, Oregon.
Graveside services will be held at the Weston Ceme-
tery in Weston, Oregon, on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, at 1 p.m.
To
leave
an
online
condolence
visit
www.munsellerhodes.com.