By Kathy Chouteau
Dorian Lockett works as an accountant by day, but by night the Richmond resident and part-time actor plays the role of murder suspect Colonel Mustard in Center Repertory Company’s production of Clue, opening Nov. 1 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.
The seasoned actor, whose recent work has included voice acting in Disney and Pixar’s Soul as customer, Dorian, in the barbershop scene, is a resident of Richmond’s Coronado neighborhood. He first pursued acting after watching two movies back-to-back about 20 years ago and thinking about the acting, “I can do better than that.”
So off Lockett went to Chabot College to take acting classes while concurrently working as an accountant at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. “I figured if it was good enough for Tom Hanks to go there, it’s gotta be good enough for me.” His first role was in a play called Spunk. Other roles followed, including a part in Netflix’s show 13 Reasons Why, commercials and video game voice work—i.e., The Walking Dead Season 2 and NBA 2K.
Lockett said that his current acting role playing the iconic Colonel Mustard in Center REP’s Clue has been “a blast,” especially given he was a huge fan of the movie as a kid and also enjoyed the board game.
The actor, who is still in rehearsals prior to the play’s opening, shared that Colonel Mustard, is “aloof” and “comes off as a very officious and pompous character.” Lockett added, “He wants to be serious but he’s goofy….like Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther.”
Directed by Nancy Carlin, Clue is described by Center REP as depicting farcical fowl play afoot “as six strangers attend a dinner party at Boddy Manor and become suspects when their host turns up deceased.” Wadsworth the butler leads the way as the guests “race to find the killer as the body count stacks up.”
Lockett and his fellow Center REP actors will perform Clue Oct. 29 to Nov. 20 (opening night is Nov. 1) at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr. in Walnut Creek. Tickets range from $45-$70; for more info, click here or call the box office at (925) 943-7469.
The local resident—who is the father of six sons ranging in age from 14 to 30—has some sage advice for aspiring actors. Cautioning against making other people’s passions your own, Lockett said to “take your time finding your passion…because it takes time…So take your time, find your passion and go after it.”
