The Rocky Horror Show - meet cast member Richard Fiske

Tell us a little bit about your character.

The Narrator provides orientation and context during the show, and provides commentary as the situation devolves.  And he has his own secrets as well... 

What have you learned about yourself in playing this role in The Rocky Horror Show?

First and most importantly, I found that I belong in musicals only in non-singing roles.  Watching the way our cast picked up songs and dances, going from a dead stop to full out, professional execution in a matter of minutes, was astonishing.  Also, my monologues are generally short and with the guidance of director Kristopher Kauff I’ve come to more fully appreciate that delivery is as important as text in creating a picture and mood for the audience. 

What do you want the audience to take away from this show?

I hope that the audience gets caught up in the fun of parodying B-movie science fiction clichés; that they lose themselves in the absurdity of the show and, later, find that maybe they can loosen up a bit themselves in real life. 

How does this show different from other shows you have worked on?

This show differs from other shows in its flat out, exuberant absurdity; its celebration of just letting go and having a good time. 

How long have you been acting and how did you get involved with LTA?

I’m a relative newcomer and have been acting for just over four years.  LTA has a terrific reputation at the top end of community theaters.  It is a well-organized machine and very well resourced in people, facilities, and money.  And it puts on great shows.  I wanted to be a part of that. 

What advice do you have for others wanting to get involved with theatre?

Take classes, go to all the auditions you can, watch good acting – and think about what makes it good acting, and be persistent.  You’re only beat when you quit.  I auditioned at LTA three times before I was cast in Caught in the Net last year. 

Give us some background on your past acting experiences.

I was in several shows (the Monster in Frankenstein and LCDR Queeg in The Caine Mutiny Court-Marshal) many years ago when I was overseas.  This latest incarnation began with background acting in movies (my elbow was featured in Body of Lies) and then, in parallel with a number of classes, transition to the stage.  I’ve done mostly community theater, with some work at smaller professional theaters.  This year I’ve been lucky enough to appear in Look Homeward Angel at Compass Rose in Annapolis, understudy Dr. Freud in Freud’s Last Session at Theater J, have fun with Malvolio in Twelfth Night with Theatre Prometheus, and now the Narrator in Rocky Horror at LTA.  I’ve always been an adrenalin junkie, and theater provides that excitement now.