Today I sat down with Josh Dobarganes, who currently appears in FTF's production of The Three Mess-keteers, and asked him my FTF Quick Fire Questions!
Dudley: Hey Josh!
Josh: Dudley!
Dudley: Are you ready for the FTF quick fire?
Josh: I was born ready!
Dudley: I know you were! #1. How did you get cast in this show?
Josh: Well, I went to the auditions that the Fantasy Theatre Factory company was having for all of their shows for the year, and then I was asked to come back again the next week to audition again. Then, I got a phone call from the company saying they had liked my audition, and then they asked me to play the Dirty Duke in “The Three Mess-kateers”. I said yes, of course, and that’s how it happened.
Dudley: What kind of artistic training and experience have you had?
Josh: I have been training in the theatre since the tender age of 10. I took theatre every year of middle school and high school, advancing further and further every year. Going from Drama 101 to intermediate theatre to advanced theatre to magnet theatre to magnet honors theatre to a full ride through college for a BFA degree in theatre from Florida International University. I have performed in over 50 plays, 2 independent short films, and I have also recorded a professional original song.
Dudley: Who are you in this play? Can you tell us more about your characters?
Josh: I play the Dirty Duke and King Compost. Well, King Compost is a very nice man who likes to eat sugar free marshmallows and drink purified water all day long. He is the King of a beautiful environmental paradise called the Kingdom of Clean. He loves everyone and everything…except for the Dirty Duke, his Nasty Knights, and of course POLLUTION! The Dirty Duke is the complete opposite. He is a very mean, sarcastic, and flamboyantly annoying guy who did not get enough hugs as a kid. All he likes to eat is fast food and all he likes to drink is soda. He is overweight and has many cavities. He also cannot get out of the 80’s with that ridiculous mustache he has. He wants to pollute the world and rule over all the garbage in the land. He is bad. He is very bad……bad.
Dudley: Do you enjoy playing the villain of the show? Why?
Josh: Of course I do! There is no more fun an actor can have than playing a bad guy. You see, since people are generally good hearted, they don’t usually say the things and do the things a villain would say or do. So, this gives us actors who are fortunate enough to get these parts a very exciting challenge. We are allowed to be bad on stage in front of people…and we don’t get punished for it. It’s a bunch of fun.
Dudley: This show is about saving the environment. Your character doesn’t care too much about the environment. Do you think of yourself as a “Mess-kateer” or the “Duke” in real life when it comes to saving the environment?
Josh: I used to be more like the “Duke” when I was a kid. Then, when I learned about how important it is to save and preserve our environment, I became more of a “Mess-kateer”.
Dudley: What message do you want your audience to leave with after the show?
Josh: Now that YOU know how important it is, you have no excuse. Reduce. Re-use. Recycle.
Dudley: What is your favorite part of the show? Why?
Josh: My favorite part of the show is when Wandalf casts his “Boogie-oogie octopus” spell on Aramis. I love the song and I love Aramis’ dancing. It makes it all worth-while.
Dudley: How has the show been received by audiences? Have there been any surprise reactions from the audience?
Josh: Everyone seems to really like the show. The kids participate much more than I ever thought they would. I’m just happy that everybody likes it. I’m just happy to be here.
Dudley: How and why did you become an actor?
Josh: Ever since I could speak I have been doing impressions of everyone and everything. I loved watching movies. That’s almost all I did for much of my childhood. I thought the idea of someone changing who they are to play someone else in front of other people was the coolest idea ever. When I saw that I could join a class on it right after elementary school, I signed up right away. Ever since then, I have not gone more than 3 months without acting in a play. I cannot imagine life without it. It is my life. I eat it, drink it, live it everyday of my life. It’s my favorite thing in the whole wide world.
Dudley: When not in theatre, what are you most likely doing?
Josh: Sleeping. Also, exercising, being a waiter, reading, watching movies, watching theatre, visiting New York, and doing my part to save the environment.
Dudley: Well, Josh that was the Quick Fire! Thank you so very much!
Josh: Thank you Dudley!
Dudley: Hey Josh!
Josh: Dudley!
Dudley: Are you ready for the FTF quick fire?
Josh: I was born ready!
Dudley: I know you were! #1. How did you get cast in this show?
Josh: Well, I went to the auditions that the Fantasy Theatre Factory company was having for all of their shows for the year, and then I was asked to come back again the next week to audition again. Then, I got a phone call from the company saying they had liked my audition, and then they asked me to play the Dirty Duke in “The Three Mess-kateers”. I said yes, of course, and that’s how it happened.
Dudley: What kind of artistic training and experience have you had?
Josh: I have been training in the theatre since the tender age of 10. I took theatre every year of middle school and high school, advancing further and further every year. Going from Drama 101 to intermediate theatre to advanced theatre to magnet theatre to magnet honors theatre to a full ride through college for a BFA degree in theatre from Florida International University. I have performed in over 50 plays, 2 independent short films, and I have also recorded a professional original song.
Dudley: Who are you in this play? Can you tell us more about your characters?
Josh: I play the Dirty Duke and King Compost. Well, King Compost is a very nice man who likes to eat sugar free marshmallows and drink purified water all day long. He is the King of a beautiful environmental paradise called the Kingdom of Clean. He loves everyone and everything…except for the Dirty Duke, his Nasty Knights, and of course POLLUTION! The Dirty Duke is the complete opposite. He is a very mean, sarcastic, and flamboyantly annoying guy who did not get enough hugs as a kid. All he likes to eat is fast food and all he likes to drink is soda. He is overweight and has many cavities. He also cannot get out of the 80’s with that ridiculous mustache he has. He wants to pollute the world and rule over all the garbage in the land. He is bad. He is very bad……bad.
Dudley: Do you enjoy playing the villain of the show? Why?
Josh: Of course I do! There is no more fun an actor can have than playing a bad guy. You see, since people are generally good hearted, they don’t usually say the things and do the things a villain would say or do. So, this gives us actors who are fortunate enough to get these parts a very exciting challenge. We are allowed to be bad on stage in front of people…and we don’t get punished for it. It’s a bunch of fun.
Dudley: This show is about saving the environment. Your character doesn’t care too much about the environment. Do you think of yourself as a “Mess-kateer” or the “Duke” in real life when it comes to saving the environment?
Josh: I used to be more like the “Duke” when I was a kid. Then, when I learned about how important it is to save and preserve our environment, I became more of a “Mess-kateer”.
Dudley: What message do you want your audience to leave with after the show?
Josh: Now that YOU know how important it is, you have no excuse. Reduce. Re-use. Recycle.
Dudley: What is your favorite part of the show? Why?
Josh: My favorite part of the show is when Wandalf casts his “Boogie-oogie octopus” spell on Aramis. I love the song and I love Aramis’ dancing. It makes it all worth-while.
Dudley: How has the show been received by audiences? Have there been any surprise reactions from the audience?
Josh: Everyone seems to really like the show. The kids participate much more than I ever thought they would. I’m just happy that everybody likes it. I’m just happy to be here.
Dudley: How and why did you become an actor?
Josh: Ever since I could speak I have been doing impressions of everyone and everything. I loved watching movies. That’s almost all I did for much of my childhood. I thought the idea of someone changing who they are to play someone else in front of other people was the coolest idea ever. When I saw that I could join a class on it right after elementary school, I signed up right away. Ever since then, I have not gone more than 3 months without acting in a play. I cannot imagine life without it. It is my life. I eat it, drink it, live it everyday of my life. It’s my favorite thing in the whole wide world.
Dudley: When not in theatre, what are you most likely doing?
Josh: Sleeping. Also, exercising, being a waiter, reading, watching movies, watching theatre, visiting New York, and doing my part to save the environment.
Dudley: Well, Josh that was the Quick Fire! Thank you so very much!
Josh: Thank you Dudley!
