Picture an eight-year-old boy acting out his favourite scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy.

Charlie Ross says that might give you an idea of what it鈥檚 like watching him do his on stage at the Cleland Theatre on Dec. 12. Come prepared to laugh.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 take this thing seriously. There are people that love Star Wars enough that they well up with tears, but that鈥檚 because they are like me, they鈥檙e a nerd,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淲hat it is, is me on stage with no costume, no set, no props, just reenacting the trilogy, but it鈥檚 in an hour so there are huge jumps in the timeline.

鈥淚 make all kind of side comments and jokes throughout. Just trying to have the same fun you did when you were a kid, maybe re-enacting whatever your favourite story was.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the original trilogy, the one I grew up watching. In my mind, so far, that鈥檚 the best one.鈥�

Ross developed the show almost two decades ago while working in Barkerville, which is where he also met Paul Crawford, now curator at the Penticton Art Gallery.

鈥淧aul and I have been trying to make this happen for a long time,鈥� said Ross.

The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy and the One-Man Pride & Prejudice on Dec. 13 are fundraisers for the art gallery.

Ross said Barkerville used to be his main acting gig for the year, but that all changed when he developed One-Man Star Wars. He started with small theatre festivals before getting an invitation to do the show in Chicago.

鈥淓verything picked up. I started doing the show in more and more places, and then I went to New York City for six months and did the show at an off-Broadway venue,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淟iterally, right there, it was about 70 feet from Broadway itself.鈥�

Though Ross is a big Star Wars fan, he says there are things in the trilogy that are 鈥渃harmingly annoying.鈥�

鈥淟ike Luke Skywalker. He鈥檚 just the whiniest character ever put to screen,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淚f I just try to honestly be what he was, that is brilliant in itself. He did all the work for you.鈥�

It鈥檚 not just the characters. When Ross said he does the whole trilogy, he means it.

鈥淗ow do I be all the spaceships, how do I be Princess Leia?鈥� joked Ross. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just by using The Force, I guess, and hoping no one gets up and starts leaving.鈥�

One-man Star Wars might be right up nerd alley, but Ross says it鈥檚 really for everyone, all age ranges, all demographics.

After the One-Man Star Wars on Tuesday, Ross switches gears for the next night鈥檚 show, One-Man Pride and Prejudice.

鈥淭he format of every romantic comedy you鈥檝e ever been dragged to in the movie theatre is based on this,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淵ou could almost say that Han and Leia, the format for their adversarial love story, that is Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, they hate each other, but of course, they love each other.鈥�

It鈥檚 a story we all recognize now: Two people meet each other, they overcome misunderstandings and hurdles, they fall in love.

In Jane Austen鈥檚 time, though, it wasn鈥檛 so widespread 鈥� Ross calls her a trailblazer and an 鈥渋ncredibly droll writer鈥� for her subtle takedown of the propertied classes.

Ross worked on the adaptation and the dialogue for Pride and Prejudice with his wife but admits to worrying how it would work on stage, especially with a man playing all the parts, including Lizzie.

鈥淪urprisingly it does. I think it鈥檚 because it is already so ridiculous, people just sort of buy-in,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淵ou know it鈥檚 going to work out, but still they get so totally worked up about it.

The switching roles are key to making it work.

鈥淚 think it is funny when you see a person trying to fall in love with themselves on stage because it鈥檚 a guy being a man and a woman and it鈥檚 a romantic comedy. You鈥檙e trying to build up tension between you and yourself,鈥� said Ross. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really wonderfully ridiculous.鈥�

Tickets to the shows are $20 for adults, $10 for students and available in advance at the Penticton Art Gallery, 199 Marina Way, or by phone at 250-493-2928. Doors open both nights at 6:45 p.m.

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