After finding the theater scene in Portland, Ore., a little lackluster, Atomic Arts co-founders Adam and Amy Rosko decided to boldly go where no other theater company had gone before.After much deliberation, and continual viewing of the classic Kirk vs. Spock scene from "Amok Time," the brother-sister team decided to bring classic Star Trek to life in the parks of Portland, Oregon.
When it began, they were uncertain how people would react. The Star Trek fandom is notably huge, and nerds in Portland are particularly vocal when they feel their favorite nerdiverses are being mistreated. However, on the first run in July 2009, when he uttered the first line of the monologue as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Adam says the crowd cheered wildly, and it was then they knew that they had made the right decision.
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| Cast of "Trek in the Park" |
This August, after a five-year run and gaining a cult following, including a quick spot on hit show Portlandia, the bridge crew of the USS Enterprise will take its last voyage in the City of Roses.
When I sat down to speak with Portland's “Captain Kirk,” I asked him why they had decided to end the show after being so well received. Rosko stated that they had always planned on mirroring the five year mission mentioned in the shows prologue and always knew the order in which the shows would go. They also knew that they would end with "The Trouble with Tribbles," one of the most well known episodes in the Trek-verse to viewers and non-viewers alike.
Regarding the finale, Rosko stated, "Every other show we did was a set up for Tribbles; we would be rehearsing and I would think, “Ah, I need to remember this and work on it for Tribbles ... we saved it for last because it's one of the most well known episodes and we really wanted to end on a light-hearted note."
To make their final show even more special, the cast and crew of “Trek in the Park” threw Tribble making parties so that fans could become part of the final show.
While we're sad to see it end, fear not, Atomic Arts is currently working on new, original material. The upcoming project is currently under wraps, but fans can expect to be amazed by their innovative vision in the near future.
In the meantime, make sure to come out and witness the final voyage starting at 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday (August 3rd, running through August 25th) at Cathedral Park. Bonus ...it's completely free! You can also follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.
Set your phasers to FUN!
-Nowal Massari