Meet Jacob Dickey, Starring as Sherlock Holmes in “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure”

Q: Where did you grow up? Were there any activities you did as a child that led to your passion for theatre and the arts?
A: I grew up all over the place. My Dad is a Marine so I have moved seven times, lived in eight different homes (9 if you count an intra-city house swapping), and on two continents. I was, however, born in Oceanside, CA, and consider it “where I am from”. As a child, I was mainly involved in soccer until around 5th grade when I got into my church musicals. It really wasn’t until eighth grade, the first year my family was living in Germany on an American base, when I got involved with community theatre. I can honestly say my work with the Kelley Barracks Community Theatre is what cemented my love of theatre and proved to myself that I could make a career out it.

Q: Where did you study theatre?

A: I attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, where I received a BA in Musical Theatre.

Q: Where have you worked previously? What are some of your favorite roles?

A: Besides my university’s summer children’s theatre program, this is my first professional gig! Some of my favorite roles in college, however, include Allen in bobrauschenbergamerica, Hanschen in Spring Awakening, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Paul in Kiss Me, Kate and Harry Brewer in Our Country’s Good.

Q: How did you prepare for playing the iconic role of Sherlock Holmes? Were there any challenges or things that you were excited about with taking on this character?

A: I grew up reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, so I guess I started preparing in seventh grade…that sounds so lame. But it’s true. Most of my “research” happened before I knew I was even going to be cast as Sherlock. I’ve seen the newest movies with Robert Downey, Jr. as well as the BBC version with Benedict Cumberbatch and, having read the stories as a kid, have a pretty strong image of who Sherlock is or, rather, who he should be. My preparedness is, interestingly enough, also where my biggest challenge lay: portraying such an iconic character with a respect for the original, while still maintaining a level of honesty and artistic creativity. Basically everyone loves Sherlock, so I didn’t want to screw it up. Fictional icons, especially those from a literary canon, are subject to any reader’s imagination. Our Sherlock is very close to the original: he is a dandy, a gentlemen, a scholar, and a little bit of an jerk all rolled into one. But he is fiercely loyal to those he cares most about. I hope to portray the many layers of his persona without losing any of Conan Doyle’s vision.

Q: What do you look forward to each performance playing Sherlock Holmes?
A: I love the pace of the show! It is very much like Sherlock’s thought processes in that it seems to fly by and pick up what it needs as it goes along. I hope that audiences will be so caught up in the old-fashioned mystery and style of the show that they get lost in it and allow themselves to be taken back to 19th century Europe for just a little while before walking back out into reality. I can always tell a good show when I don’t want it to end. I only hope they leave wanting more twists and turns. P.S. I’m also excited to smoke on stage. I have never done that. It’s kind of a little dream of mine.

Q: Please share with us your thoughts and experience so far on being a Resident Actor with Charleston Stage.
A: It’s incredible. As a young actor it is such an amazing opportunity. To be able to work, CONSISTENTLY, for ten months in a gorgeous city in a beautiful theatre with amazing people and to be paid for it and to be so appreciated for it and to play killer roles…it is a very, very good feeling and not something that is very common. We RA’s are spoiled and we love it. I know when I leave here I will not only have an incredible list of professional credits to my name, but I will have experience beyond what I bargained for. Teaching kids theatre on top of performing was, honestly, a little daunting before I got here, but now that I am in the thick of it it is such a rewarding feeling that at the end of the day, it is so freaking worth it. In conclusion: I don’t hate it.