Artist Spotlight Series: River Knight
We are excited to launch our "Spotlight on Rising Talent" series, a unique initiative aimed at celebrating the remarkable artists at Are We Delicious?. Over the next several days, we invite you to join us as we illuminate the extraordinary individuals who bring their talent, dedication, and passion to our stage. #ArtistryUnveiled
River Knight
ACTOR/WRITER
River Knight is a college graduate from Western Colorado University with a BA in Theatre. This is his first time participating in Are We Delicious. River is currently taking a gap year before applying to grad schools to get an MFA in Acting, and is staying in Wisconsin to be close to family while making connections and improving his skills. Previous roles include Starkey in Peter Pan, Gene in The Author's Voice, and multiple roles in Orlando and Much Ado About Nothing.
What’s your journey been like as an artist?
My theater experience really started in my sophomore year of college. I got into Midsummer Night’s Dream with no guarantees of a part, and I loved it so much, I picked up a minor in Theater. The next semester, I did all the theater classes for the minor and realized that I wouldn’t be able to go through the rest of my life without doing theater. So I changed my entire career path.
Ghosts come in many forms and from various cultural backgrounds. Do you think you will incorporate your culture into your portrayal of different ghostly entities?
I don’t think I have a very good answer for this question, I mostly watched Supernatural as a kid, and was generally superstitious as a child. I’ve had a few ghostly interactions, but as for portraying different ghosts, it would be from pop culture.
Are there artists who have had a significant impact on your creative journey?
The actors around me in college, Jim Carrey who didn’t start out in the film industry and come from poor beginnings, and trans actors like Laverne Cox and Elliot Paige who show that I do have a chance and a space in the film and theater industry.
Are there any specific historical events or haunted locations that have served as inspiration for your piece?
I took inspiration from the different reactions of taxi cab drivers in New Orleans and Japan. In New Orleans they stopped picking up people after dark in certain quarters because a person would get in a cab and ask to go somewhere, and vanish halfway through the trip (and of course, not pay for it). But in Japan, they have a lot of respect for ghosts and ancestors, and after Hiroshima, they would get a lot of ghosts asking for addresses in the middle of completely desolated areas. They would drive the ghost all the way there and open the door for them to get out, since they vanished and might not be able to do it themselves.
What are your thoughts on having only two weeks to write, rehearse, and perform an entire show?
It’s intimidating and the biggest crunch I’ve had, but it’s been a lot of fun so far.
