VICTORIA -- A University of Victoria (UVic) alumnus will be livestreaming his popular Star Wars performance to help raise money for the university’s COVID-19 Emergency Bursary, which benefits students who are struggling financially amid the pandemic.
The free, livestreamed performance – a one-man Star Wars trilogy – was written by and stars UVic grad Charles Ross. The show condenses the plots of the first three Star Wars films into a single, hilarious 75-minute re-enactment, complete with Ross playing each character and voicing each sound effect.
The show has been seen by more than one million Star Wars fans in venues like the Sydney Opera House, London’s West End and off-Broadway in New York.
The performance has received official permission from Lucasfilm Ltd. to run, and is described as “fast-paced, funny and suitable for ages six to Yoda,” according to UVic.
While the event will be livestreamed for free, Ross is collecting donations for UVic’s COVID-19 emergency bursary.
The fund goes towards helping both domestic and international students who are facing financial challenges due to the pandemic. Donations will go towards helping students with immediate needs, like rent and groceries, as well as tuition or technology costs required for remote learning.
The bursary also funds mental health services, child care and transportation costs for students.
As of Thursday, more than 2,000 students have applied for funding from the emergency bursary, according to UVic. The university expects that students will need more than $1-million in financial aid throughout the course of the pandemic.
Ross’ performance will be livestreamed from UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium at 5 p.m. on May 4, also known as the annual “May the Fourth be with you” Star Wars day.
The free livestream can be found online here. Donations to UVic’s COVID-19 emergency bursary can be made online here.
