The wrestling style

ide This Article

1.

Introduction to How the One Man Star Wars Trilogy Works

2.

Always Two There Are...A Director and an Actor

3.

A Trilogy at Point Five Past Light Speed

4.

Being on Tour Ain't Like Dusting Crops

5.

Away Put Your Lawsuit! I Mean You No Harm.

6.

Lots More Information

7.

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Photo courtesy PKF Productions

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 sort of stereotypical uber-nerd who decided to take his obsession on the road. Even "Star Wars geeks," who might embrace him as one of their own, sometimes wonder whether he's taking his love of the trilogy too far.

But that assumption -- that Ross is a gangly, awkward geek who took a party trick on tour -- couldn't be more wrong. He's a geek, but he's also an actor. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in performance, and putting the show together required the same sort of writing, direction and rehearsal that all stage plays do.

We had an opportunity to interview Ross while he was in Stone Mountain, Georgia performing the "One Man 'Star Wars' Trilogy." We invited him to our office, where he answered all our questions about conceiving, developing and touring with the show. In this article, you'll learn about
Ross, his one-man shows and his love for geeks and "Star Wars."

Thank You Thanks to Charles Ross for his assistance with this article.

Long Ago, in a Frisbee Game Far, Far Away

Charles Ross in Action Want to see Charles Ross in action? Watch this clip from a performance of "One Man 'Star Wars' Trilogy."

Charles Ross is certainly a "Star Wars" fan. He grew to love the films, particularly "A New Hope, as a child. "If you grew up in a smaller town, which I did -- it was only 90,000 people -- Star Wars played in the movie theater for a year. And it was sold out for at least half a year, every night it was sold out...We tried to go see it numerous times and couldn't get in. My dad was working on condominiums in Waikiki, and every once in a while he'd take us there, so it was in Waikiki that I first saw 'Star Wars.'" When the film aired on television, Ross recorded it. "We only owned three films. We had 'Blue Lagoon,' 'Shogun' and 'Star Wars'...I watched 'Blue Lagoon' a lot of times, too, but I don't think anybody would come out to see a one-man 'Blue Lagoon.'"

In addition to being a lover of 'Star Wars,' Ross is an actor. When he was 17, he quit his job at a 7-11 store to work as a performer. "I was making less money than I'd been making at 7-11, but I was doing Summerstock theater...It was the sweetest check I ever, ever received, and I thought, '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 led him to study performance at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Although he didn't write the "One Man 'Star Wars' Trilogy" until much later, the idea for the show began to form while he was still in college. Conversations and games with fellow student T.J. Dawe eventually grew into the inspiration for the show. While talking about condensing plays down to three minutes, a common task in theater school auditions, the two talked about abridging Star Wars. "Condensing 'Star Wars' down...do you condense it down to a minute? That was the gist of our conversation… Can you imagine trying to make 'Star Wars' into a minute? What would you leave in there? What would you take out?"

More of the Show To see more of Charles Ross in "One Man 'Star Wars' Trilogy," check out this performance clip.

The idea for a one-man show also grew, in part, from a Frisbee game. According to Ross:

I think we were trying to add different elements to the game...what we decided we were going to do is...say a line from "Star Wars" and throw the Frisbee. And the next person had to be saying the next line that follows in the film [while] catching the Frisbee. And we played and did this for a long time. Enough so that we realized that, man, we really know this film well.

The conversations and games that eventually grew into the one-man show started in 1994, about seven years before its first performance. 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.

Charles Ross vs. Lando Dr Pepper

HowStuffWorks' intrepid journalist Lando Dr Pepper has a one-on-one with Charles Ross -- One Man Star Wars. Things don't go so well...certain challenges are issued...and well, the result is a whole new take on the "Star Wars" trilogy.