PVCC student’s “Star Wars” trilogy comes to conclusion despite setbacks

Students at Piedmont Virginia Community College may recall the two Star Wars fan-fiction productions performed over the course of the last two semesters. This semester, director Matthew Browning is bringing the third and final play in his trilogy to the main stage of the V. Earl Dickinson Building.

The new production, entitled “Star Wars: Residious Revenge,” was not easy to make. Browning was faced with the challenge of re-casting some of the lead characters. Filling in the lead role of UC2, previously played by Michael Dickinson Taylor, is Chris Alimenti. “It is not easy to pick up a role that someone else has already played twice. The trick is trying to make the role your own, while remaining faithful to the character,” said Alimenti.

Despite this obstacle, Browning has remained confident in the actors and the performance. “Losing main actors was hard, but it has not slowed us down. The other actors have stepped up to make sure we will be ready. Though some of our characters will not be the same, they will still be great,” said Browning.

Another hardship faced by Browning was condensing the story down to a trilogy. “When I wrote the script, I realized that I could have made a series about these characters. The question became more ‘How do I confine it to a trilogy, and not go to a tetralogy or a pentalogy or more?”

Even though Browning said he could go on writing more fan-fiction dramas, expanding on his characters and the universe, “Residious Revenge” will be his final Star Wars play. “I think it is best if I expand my horizons and that of Masquers.”

The Masquers production of “Star Wars: Residious Revenge” will be performed for free on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. With the day of the show quickly approaching, Browning said, “I take exceptional pride in it. It has been a complete honor to realize the story as it unfolded.”