>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

IN HARM'S WAY: Zacharias gets fitted for his new arm with Scott Johnson, Jennifer Anne paying close attention to detail. (Observer photos/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK).

By Jeff Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

wo of everything. And stick to the budget.

That was the challenge Eastern Oregon University junior Jennifer Anne faced when she went to Boise to buy costumes for "A Hole in the Sky," showing Saturday at McKenzie Theatre.

The show honoring the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks presents a special challenge for a costume designer who needs both before and after looks. And actors portray everything from maintenance people in coveralls to stock traders in three-piece suits.

What's more, the set is black, with lots of spotlights casting direct light. The costumes cannot be black or they would blend in to the background.

Anne is a busy woman. She plays a role in the show, Aliesha, and is also the makeup artist for the show, which presents more challenges.

The role is not without rewards. Anne won a prestigious Kennedy Merit Award for her makeup; Eastern's Alan Arnson won for sound.

The most difficult makeup job is on Stephen Zacharias, a sophomore actor from Pendleton, who has to arrive two hours before show time to get ready. Zacharias plays Blake Eaton, an executive for TransAmerica who suffers extensive burns over the left side of his body.

When Anne and Scott Johnson, a freshman from North Powder, are done with Zacharias' arm, shoulder and face, he looks transformed.

Then comes the hard part. Doing the monologue.

"A show like this is really intense," Zacharias said. "You're playing a real person, and you try to play it as truthfully as possible."

For the arm, the basic piece is a spandex opera glove. Then Johnson fabricates latex pieces to simulate burned flesh. Johnson made all the pieces by hand, burning them separately to the glove.

Johnson has been doing makeup since 1984.

"I got interested in horror movies and the makeup effects," he said. "When this came up, I figured I'd volunteer. It's an experience I wouldn't trade for

anything."

Reliving the 9/11 tragedy is not easy. But it is an event Americans can't afford to forget. Anne said to prepare for her roles, she watched a lot of documentaries and read a lot of newspaper clippings. She also got a chance to talk with the playwright, Reed McColm, who visited when the show was first staged at EOU in November.

"There's a lot of stuff he didn't put in the show that's astounding," she said.

For the audience, the show is less passive entertainment and more active experience.

For Anne, the play really hits her in the emotional bread basket.

"I'm playing a character that jumps (from the tower) at the end, and that adds a different perspective."