When people hear about Charles Ross and his " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy , " they often leap enthusiastically to the same conclusion . Surely he ’s some form of stereotypical uber - nerd who decide to take his obsession on the road . Even " Star Wars geeks , " who might encompass him as one of their own , sometimes wonder whether he ’s take his erotic love of the trilogy too far .
But that premise – that Ross is a gangly , awkward flake who took a party whoremonger on go – could n’t be more amiss . He ’s a eccentric person , but he ’s also an doer . He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance , and putting the show together required the same sort of piece of writing , direction and dry run that all stage play do .
We had an chance to interview Ross while he was in Stone Mountain , Georgia perform the " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy . " We invited him to our office , where he answered all our motion about conceiving , develop and tour with the show . In this clause , you ’ll learn about
Ross , his one - man shows and his love for geeks and " Star Wars . "
Long Ago, in a Frisbee Game Far, Far Away
Charles Ross is sure enough a " Star Wars " fan . He develop to sleep together the movie , specially " A New Hope , as a kid . " If you develop up in a modest township , which I did – it was only 90,000 people – Star Wars played in the movie theater for a class . And it was sold out for at least half a yr , every night it was sold out … We tried to go see it numerous times and could n’t get in . My dada was working on condominium in Waikiki , and every once in a while he ’d take us there , so it was in Waikiki that I first examine ' Star Wars . ' " When the film publicise on television , Ross memorialize it . " We only have three films . We had ' Blue Lagoon , ' ' Shogun ' and ' Star Wars' … I determine ' Blue Lagoon ' a batch of clock time , too , but I do n’t think anybody would hail out to see a one - man ' Blue Lagoon . ' "
In add-on to being a lover of ' Star Wars , ' Ross is an worker . When he was 17 , he give up his business at a 7 - 11 shop to knead as a performer . " I was crap less money than I ’d been make at 7 - 11 , but I was doing Summerstock dramatic art … It was the sweetest check I ever , ever received , and I think , ' If I can do this and make a living at it , then there ’s nothing else in the world for me . ' Nothing compares . "
Ross ’s desire to make a living in the world of theater of operations led him to study functioning at the University of Victoria in British Columbia , Canada . Although he did n’t pen the " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy " until much later , the idea for the show get to work while he was still in college . Conversations and game with fellow student T.J. Dawe eventually produce into the inspiration for the show . While talking about condensing play down to three minutes , a common task in theater schooling auditions , the two talked about foreshorten Star Wars . " Condensing ' Star Wars ' down … do you condense it down to a second ? That was the heart of our conversation ? Can you imagine seek to make ' Star Wars ' into a instant ? What would you leave in there ? What would you take out ? "
The idea for a one - serviceman show also grew , in part , from a Frisbee game . According to Ross :
The conversations and games that eventually grew into the one - man show started in 1994 , about seven years before its first execution . Ross wrote the show , and Dawe became its director . We ’ll look at how the two men pared " Star Wars " down to 58 minutes next .
Always Two There Are … a Director and an Actor
Charles Ross decide to create a one - man show in part because he hoped to find autonomy and success an actor . " As an worker , if people have it off who you are , then you ’re a successful actor . You do n’t have to explain to people who you are or what you do . So I opine I was in the posture of working as an histrion but not really make any gain [ in price of success ] . And I did n’t want to … jump into telly or film because I intend you’re able to kind of get fall back in that . " A one - human show would give Ross independence and ascendancy over the direction of his vocation . " make a one - somebody show was about creating my own work , make my own niche . "
But publish the show was n’t as dim-witted as willy-nilly cut 321 min of material out of the original trilogy . Ross and T.J. Dawe had to work together to create a show that was unretentive , funny and understandable . One person had to be able to perform it alone , without the aid of props , sets or costumes . " The literal feat of doing it is akin to what a tyke would do when they ’re playing , if they ’re acting out ' Star Wars . ' You want to distinguish the narrative , you require to say your favorite part , but you ’re not going to use any expounding . It ’s just go to be lines . You are the character . "
Ross states that when he sit down to write the show , he need to enjoin the story the way a bard might . He imagined performing the show for people who had never seen " Star Wars , " and tried to square off the good way to show them what the trilogy was about . " It was n’t until later that I realized that this is what C-3PO does when he ’s tell the Ewoks the story … you recognize sealed things that he ’s doing , and that , in essence , is what this show is . "
Like most theater piece , the " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy " start with a write handwriting . Ross had a thorough knowledge of the original trilogy already , so " the composition aspect of it take about eight hours [ include revisions ] . " But a script alone was n’t enough . " Eventually I had to get rid of the handwriting and put it on its understructure , because the lines are not enough . It ’s how are you proceed to be capable to act as this out … sort of standardizing a way you play as a tiddler . "
Once Ross had a sense of what to include in the show , he had to figure out how he would do each part . " I had to choreograph the show , and that ’s where T.J. was utterly instrumental , because I could n’t see myself . I was n’t going to do it in front of a mirror , because then [ I ’d ] spend all of [ my ] time watch [ my]self . "
Fortunately , Ross and Dawe did n’t have to start from scratch when they choreographed the show . " It ’s actually entrap up so that things on leg happen the way that they actually happen in the film . So it ’s only a matter of mimicking what ’s already there . But how do you make a transition [ from ] lightsaber fighting to kissing ? You have to make it , or you have to something to bridge those two jumps . "
It require three days of rehearsal , working four to five hours per daytime , to complete the show . Ross do while Dawe gave feedback . The final product hits the highlights of the trilogy , but keeps enough detail for the show to make sense . " [ The show ] does n’t even begin to bear on the elusive things that are there , but I do n’t need to be the film . I intend , the films are going to be what they are … you do n’t want to supervene upon the cinema , you need to emulate it in some way . "
Fifteen hours of rehearsal may not sound like much , but the show is extremely strenuous from start to finish . We ’ll look at what a performance of the show is like next .
A Trilogy at Point Five Past Light Speed
When developing the " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy , " Charles Ross briefly take incorporate airplane propeller and costumes :
In increase , one of his goals was to keep everything childlike . " Why would you encumber yourself with something that you have to ship around when you ’re doing a show that ’s all about paring it down and really just humanise the whole experience ? "
The result is a fast - paced , 58 - hour " foresightful - form notion " of " Star Wars , " " The Empire Strikes Back " and " getting even of the Jedi . " Dressed all in black and wearing knee joint and elbow lodgings , Ross is on the move from the beginning of the show to the conclusion . He break for only a few second between each of the three movie to get a sip of water . He copy all of the characters , the musical score and even the orifice crawl of yellow text using facial expressions , outspoken caricature , gestures and movements . It ’s arduous – Ross function , jump , leaps and rolls from get down to end . When the show is over , he ’s sweaty and exhausted . After a performance in Stone Mountain , Georgia , he enunciate to the hearing , " My blood lettuce ’s always a little low [ after the show ] . It ’s like I ’ve had a stroke . A stroke of dorkiness . "
His impression of some fictional character swear more on his hands than his vox . He transfuse his handwriting over his ears to represent Leia ’s earmuff hairstyle , and he put his paw over his eyes , palms facing out , to hint Admiral Ackbar ’s classifiable eyes . To recreate Nein Numb ’s jowly smell , he force at his cheeks . Others impressions , like Chewbacca and R2 - D2 , sound spookily like their motion-picture show counterparts . " It ’s kind of a live form of ' Mystery Science Theater 3000 , ' or something like that , minus the film itself . "
Although the show has a set script and choreography , Ross does make some adjustment depending on the consultation . " It calls on different things you develop when you ’re an doer . Sometimes you develop a bag of conjuring trick , as they call it , so while you ’re in front of a live interview , when sure thing happen or sealed thing do n’t materialise , you experience how to conform what you ’re doing to compensate for it , to suck up multitude in . If it ’s a group of kids , it ’s go to be unlike than a grouping of elder . "
He also has fun with the audience , taking advantage of opportunity that present themselves during the course of the show . " If somebody ’s cell phone go off or they get up to go to the washroom at the wrong time , I react to it . It also helps … that I ’ve been doing the show for long enough to be able to deal with input other than the stimuli that should be there . It really kind of makes it fun for me , and that ’s the only style I cerebrate I ’ve been able to proceed doing the show for as long as I have . " For example , at the same Stone Mountain performance , a caravan passed by the theater of operations just as R2 - D2 and C-3PO make Jabba ’s castle . Ross quipped , " We could have take the train . "
It ’s a quirky show that simultaneously pays homage to and satirizes the trilogy , particularly its more memorable mo :
Even though the show itself is playful and Ross has merriment while execute , touring with the show is work . Next we ’ll take a look at what happens on term of enlistment .
Being on Tour Ain’t Like Dusting Crops
Charles Ross performed the " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy " for the first time in Toronto , Ontario in January 2001 . Since then , he has spent a muckle of time touring , mainly in the United States and Canada . Ross has elaborate the show a fiddling in that metre and tally a few lines to take advantage of events in the original trilogy that are explained more fully in " Revenge of the Sith . "
The show is immensely portable , but touring with it take a lot of work . In the theaters , Ross works with technical staff to light the level and test the sound . But he also drop a spate of time outside the dramaturgy , doing consultation to publicize the show . On the sidereal day he claver our office , Ross stir up well before dawn for a radio interview . He ’d perform the show the night before , and he had another show to perform that eve , plus other interviews during the day .
performance are fun , but " if the audience is not getting it , it does very quickly become work . Whereas if the audience is getting it , there ’s just nothing like it . " Even when they be given smoothly , the read themselves require a band of physical feat . To stay level-headed while performing , " You do n’t smoke , you do n’t drink … you’ve got to observe what you eat , which is kind of weird . I know my large calorie intake
is very different when I ’m doing the show and when I ’m not . “(Ross runs , dive , jump and intermit throughout the show , much like a somebody does while playingbaseball . Using that compare and tote up the energy used for verbalise and singing , we estimate that he bite a lower limit of 400caloriesduring the show . )
After the show is over , Ross unremarkably goes back to his hotel way to recover . After the show , Ross rests and calls his girlfriend :
Sometimes , his girl is able to tour with him , " and that ’s fantastic , because that ’s a marvelously grounding matter . I signify , she for me is my base . "
But even though it ’s caused some homesickness , touring has also allowed Ross to have some pretty astonishing experiences .
Away Put Your Lawsuit! I Mean You No Harm
Charles Ross ’s show has go from a piece performed mostly at fringe festival to a touring show with sold - out gang and television appearances . He ’s been on NBC ’s " Late Night with Conan O’Brien " and CBS ’s " Late Late Show . " Sir Ian McKellen attended one of his performances of " One Man ' Lord of the Rings ' " and write about it inhis web log , and Ross do the show for Vin Diesel and the quietus of the cast on the set of " The Chronicles of Riddick . "
Ross has also performed the show at enceinte assembly of " Star Wars " fans . He was the emcee and entertainer at the Third Annual " Star Wars " Fan Film Awards at Comic - Con in 2004 . He also performed " One Man ' Star Wars ' Trilogy " at Celebration III , an enormous , official party for fans before the release of " retaliation of the Sith " in 2005 . " That was super rewarding in so many way . That , frankly for me , has been the best experience with this show that I have ever had . And not to take by from all the other shows I ’ve had . It was just from a plain size , 3,500 people … They are just fantastic . "
It may seem unexpended that a one - man sarcasm could end up being execute at an official event . Ross suspected ab initio that Lucasfilm might someday close his show down . But instead of a cease and desist order , Ross received a licence from Lucasfilm to do the show . " If anybody was ever to endeavor to do something like I ’ve done here , I would extremely recommend that you go to the source , the society , the person that own the right wing to it , first of all . I did n’t retrieve this show would be … as successful as it is . And out of success engender the necessary for thing like a licence . "
So far , Ross ’s mind of taking control of a career with one - homo shows has worked – he take a leak his living performing the show . " It all comes down to how much do you really take to get by ? What kind of clobber do you have to give off ? What variety of stuff do you own ? There was a sentence when I was nothing but in the red , and I ’ve been in the black for five years now . And it ’s not just due to the Star Wars show , it ’s just due to I conceive an posture … don’t take on any more than you’re able to handle , even if it means you ’re still taking on a lot . "
Ross contrive to keep tour with his show " until multitude get blase or I develop too old and infirm . " At that point , he might seek permit to distribute the show on DVD . He ’d need additional permit from Lucasfilm to do it .
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