Culturally phenomenal films like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings relied heavily on special effects -- but when Charles Ross tells the same stories, he performs the entire trilogies single-handedly.
The one-man shows have been impressing audiences since 2001. His Star Wars script is licensed by Lucasfilm, and he was even invited to perform on Late Night with Conan O鈥橞rien in 2005.
It was a bold endeavour by Ross.
鈥淚 knew I鈥檇 be relying on people to use their imaginations and meet me halfway; imagining me being what you see in the films,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if that part would work 鈥 but happily, people met me more than halfway.鈥
From beloved robots like R2D2 and C-3P0 to wretched characters like Gollum 鈥 Ross sinks his whole heart into each distinct impression as he retells the iconic tales.
While Star Wars is sci-fi and LOTR is fantasy, Ross sees a unifying theme in both worlds 鈥 evil empires getting dismantled by the character whosa国际传媒 least powerful, be it Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins.
鈥淭heir situation in life is zero, and yet they are called upon to go on these crazy-long adventures, and strike at the heart of the impressive power in their universe.鈥
Both heroes were called upon by sage-like mentors, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gandalf, revealing the hidden abilities within.
鈥淓ven though we don鈥檛 feel very powerful in the world, audiences like to feel like maybe theresa国际传媒 a chance we have that hidden potential, to do better than expectations.鈥
Ross remembers feeling overwhelmed by the task of turning giant Hollywood franchises into 75-minute shows. One particular voice that was tricky for him to nail down was Yoda. But he learned that voices don鈥檛 have to be spot-on for the audiences to embrace them.
鈥淭o audience 鈥 it becomes my Yoda. Itsa国际传媒 a mind over matter thing, just like Yoda teaches to Luke.鈥
鈥淚 was also worried about Gollum initially, but now I think itsa国际传媒 one of the best voices I do.鈥
And no matter how many times Ross performs his show 鈥 he still enjoys rewatching the trilogies, which hesa国际传媒 already seen hundreds of times each.
鈥淚 like how I can cordon it off 鈥 the plot lines can make me think about things that trouble me in real life, while still feeling comforted by the movie. Watching really big obstacles being overcome by these characters makes my problems seem achievable.鈥
He also wrote one-man shows for One Man Stranger Things, One Man Avengers, and One Man Pride & Prejudice.
Ross is performing twice this weekend as part of Ignite The Arts Festival. On Saturday from 2 to 3 p.m. upstairs at the Elks Club, he鈥檒l be doing something for the first time ever 鈥 allowing the audience to choose which story he performs.
With no way of knowing which show will be chosen, 鈥淚鈥檒l need to have sex hours of material ready to go,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his will potentially be the only time I鈥檒l ever do it. Only with Paul (Crawford, festival co-ordinator) do I have the opportunity to do something this whacky. Hesa国际传媒 been a wonderful friend, a total kindred spirit.鈥
The only story the crowd can鈥檛 demand on Saturday is Lord of the Rings, as Ross will be performing it from 5 to 6 p.m. on Sunday Night at Tempest Theatre.鈥
To see the festival’s full schedule and get your weekend passes, go to .
