Beginning Thursday, and culminating on Saturday, Star Wars: Live! will find Central Oregon actors bringing to life the scripts for the original three Star Wars films: “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”

An array of Central Oregon actors will present live staged readings, with special effects and puppetry by Taylor Morden, a Eugene filmmaker who formerly lived in Bend.

“I’ve had this dream for, like, 10 years,” said Jesse Locke, the producer of six previous installments in the Lights, No Camera, Action series, which features actors performing staged readings of some of Locke’s favorite movies. Past productions have included “Clue,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Die Hard” and “Ghostbusters.”

And for a long time, he’s been wanting to do the three originals in the Star Wars universe.

“It was never really the right time, but this year May 4th falls on a Saturday,” he said, referring to the fact that Saturday is Star Wars Day, which even has its own slogan: “May the Fourth be with you.”

‘Pretty insane’

“I always knew that I wanted it to be a three-day event. The original trilogy is my favorite,” Locke said. “Getting into it has just been wildly fun and exciting.”

“But talking to theater people — like my stage manager, Amber Hanson, she’s like, ‘Yep. Nobody’s really done this before,’” Locke said, erupting into a giggle. “Three different shows in three back-to-back nights. That’s pretty insane.”

Rather than hold open auditions, Locke opts to put on these staged readings with the team he’s established over the years. That includes Hanson, who has been involved with six previous shows with Lights, No Camera, Action, as well as her husband, Todd Hanson, who portrays Han Solo. Comedians Cody Parr and Cody Michael will play the parts of Darth Vader and Lando Calrissian, respectively. Gary Loddo, set builder to the stars and a giant “Star Wars” fan, is Obi Wan Kenobi. Sabrina “Sabs” Cooper will play Luke Skywalker, and Gary Fulkerson will growl out the role of Chewbacca.

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When Locke told Amber Hanson that the role of Princess Leia was hers if she wanted it, she demurred, preferring to stick with co-producing and stage direction.

“I did a couple of acting gigs in Jesse’s other shows, and then when we did ‘Die Hard’ (2019) we found out about halfway through how prop intensive it was going to be, he said, ‘I need a stage manager,’” Hanson recalled. “I had the headset and the ultimate power, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.”

Before we go on, we should probably explain Lights, No Camera, Action’s approach to these staged readings. Some scenes have action and actors have lines memorized. Others, actors are reading from scripts on music stands.

“The way I like to think about (it) because of the madness that is going on, is you have a great story and you want to make a movie, but you have no camera and a small budget, how would you tell your story?” Hanson said. “You take the idea of a staged reading of a new dramatic piece, where actors are just sitting around being in character, and you combine it with fifth graders putting on a school play, I guess is the best way to play it.”

However, there’s also music, video and audience interaction, she added. “We’re basically telling ‘Star Wars,’ but it’s a little tongue in cheek at the same time.”

With all that’s going on, “The stage manager is its own character,” she said. “We’re in black, but we’re not just behind the scenes. When actors have to play more than one character, the stage manager will come out and plop wigs and helmets in real time. We pass off lightsabers. My running joke now is that we are The Force, because we are the ones making things fly through the air and pieces fall from the sky.”

The perfect princess

After she declined the role of Leia, Amber mulled it over with Todd, her husband. Their longtime friend Vanessa Farnsworth came to mind, but she’d moved to Florida a few years ago.

“I’m like, ‘Who is our No. 1 “Star Wars” fan, that already has half the costumes, that already has the bun?’ I’m like, ‘The only person I can see off the top of my head that would be the best Princess Leia, is Vanessa. I wish I could get her here.”

So they pitched it to Farnsworth, asking her back in January if she could be here in early May to play Leia.

“It wasn’t 20 seconds later she’s like, ‘I’m so in. That sounds amazing,’” Janson said.

Rave in the cantina

Thursday night will include a reception, and Saturday night, after the closing ‘Jedi’ performance, will feature a Star Wars-themed rave featuring DJ Jazzy Jedi and a pop-up Mos Eisley cantina built by Loddo. Costumes are encouraged and winners of memorabilia raffles will be announced.

“I’m going straight ‘90s rave vibe,” Locke said. “I’m going techno. I know a lot of people frown on that … but I’m going all the way in.”

Since he brought up the ‘90s, does that mean he wants to do staged readings of “Phantom Menace” and the other subsequent films in the franchise?

“Um, no,” Locke said. But he does plan on presenting more frequent installments of Live, No Camera, Action readings. “Friday the 13th” is coming in October, and frequently requested “Die Hard” may return in December.

“I just want to do fun stuff now,” Locke said, hinting that a future production may include the cult classic “Big Trouble in Little China.”

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What: Lights, No Camera, Action presents Star Wars: Live!

When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (doors open at 7:30); Thursday evening features “Star Wars” and a reception; Friday features “The Empire Strikes Back” and Saturday features “The Return of the Jedi” followed by a 21 and over Star Wars Rave at 10 p.m.

Where: Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave., Bend

Cost: Single show ticket, $25; Star Wars Rave, $20; “Return of the Jedi” and Star Wars Rave, $40; all three shows and rave, $75. Shows are all ages; Star Wars Rave: 21 and over

Contact: bendticket.com