Meet Luke Peckinpaugh, playing the role of Randal Patrick McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
Luke Peckinpaugh spent his first twenty years in Northern California, where he began his college education. He soon realized that he had no clue as to what he wanted to pursue. In 2004 Luke moved to Colorado and began working as a ranch hand, a line of work which he continues to follow. In 2008, Luke decided the time had come to return to college, and on a whim, entered the theater program at CSU, having no previous acting experience. Luke now feels very fortunate to be part of such a wonderful department, and is incredibly grateful to the staff and his fellow pupils for their instant embrace. To date, Luke’s theatrical performances include the roles of Rich in “The Distance From Here”, Theseus in “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, Eddie in “Fool For Love”, as well as various scene work. Luke considers his role as McMurphy in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” to be his largest yet.
For audience members who have read the book or seen the movie, what will the live experience be like? The live performance of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” will be a blast, whether audience members have read the book, seen the movie, or neither. The cast and crew are top notch, as well as the direction of Laura Jones. The set is incredible, and will draw the audience into the world of the play before the characters even set foot on stage.
What type of preparation have you done to portray your character? I have drawn inspiration from several of my friends and acquaintances for the development of Randle P. McMurphy’s character. One such individual is a ferrier and a long time friend named Kelly Reins, who has a very unique manner of speaking. Kelly was informed of his contribution through a mutual friend, at which point he revealed a bit of shockingly coincidental information. As strange as it may be, Kelly is cousin to the late Ken Kesey, author of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, the Novel.
What have you enjoyed most about being in this production? I have very much enjoyed the kinship between the cast and crew of this performance. Everyone is very supportive of one another, and I believe that this wonderful chemistry will be evident in the performance.