So, as expected, Trek in the Park got off to a rousing start this weekend, packing the little amphitheater and surrounding meadow at Woodlawn Park with a few hundred giggling, cat-calling nerds dressed up, in varying degrees, with official Starfleet regalia. (Maybe that was just me? And, no, people aren’t lying when they tell you to show up three hours early to get good seats.)
Anyway, there was a bit of a surprise before the inaugural run of this year’s episode, “Mirror, Mirror.” Mayor Sam Adams showed up to cozy up to the geeks and solemnly read an official proclamation that forevermore designates July in Portland as Star Trek (in the Park) Month. Which puts the hallowed franchise on a par with comics, dining, and also black history. (Yay, Portland?)
The mayor got props for his comeback when someone heckled his salutation of “Hello, fellow nerds!”…”What kind of show do you think this is?” But then he lost them when he mistakenly said January instead of July. Read the text of the official proclamation below. And go see the damned show this weekend, or any other weekend in July.
Whereas, Trek
in the Park, over the last 3 years has recruited and gathered the most
enthusiastic artisans, musicians, and actors to produce an annual
intergalactic journey for their audience, in their own backyard.Whereas, Trek
in the Park is more than willing to passionately, and unapologetically,
express their love for the stories they tell and are proud to do
perform in a city where the people are just as diverse as the characters
in they play (Mirror Universe included) and attempt to share the same
messages of unity and understanding that Star Trek conveys.Whereas, Trek
in the Park has broken new ground not only in theatre, but in the
celebration of pop culture and made it’s home, Portland, Oregon, an
Enterprise for entertainment in the Northwest and across the country.Whereas, Trek
in the Park encourages the people of Portland to not only look to the
stars, but to also celebrate and explore the city around them and all
she has to offer.Whereas, Trek
in the Park, along with its parent, Atomic Arts, will continue to serve
the fine city they call home and will energize audiences for the years
to come, and wherever they go next, they will Boldly Go.Now, therefore, I,
Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,”
do hereby proclaim the month of July to be Star Trek (in the Park) Month
in Portland. I am, and always shall be, your friend. And I encourage
you to observe this month as you see fit. Live Long, and Prosper.
How packed was it? You had to get there, like WAY early to get a seat last year, so I was kind of disappointed when they didn’t change the location this year.
I know, I really want to see it this summer but waiting in crowds gives me the heebie jeebies. They should have moved it to the Rose Garden Amphitheater.
I went to a concert at Fernhill Park, right down the road from where they have this at Woodlawn Park, and there’s a huge bowl there. They could have a thousand people, with clear sightlines and everything!
Denis looked ravishing.
Next year I totally dare someone to attend dressed as a Jedi.
The Rose Garden Amphitheater is an excellent performance space, but it’s a bitch to get to. Also, the garden itself is sometimes booked for weddings and private events, and that could turn the whole thing into a logistical clusterfuck.
The biggest obstacle is budget. I believe Woodlawn Park doesn’t charge them to perform there, or if they do, the fee is nominal at best. Nearly everywhere else would charge quite a bit. Renting out The Rose Garden Amphitheater for 4 straight weekends in July would increase their current production budget by somewhere around 10x at least, I’d imagine.
Considering they don’t charge (and really, CAN’T charge considering it’s Paramount’s intellectual property) moving it from Woodlawn would likely end Trek in the Park entirely.
You guys realize you’re complaining about having to spend an afternoon in a nice park in order to see a free show that you’ll enjoy.
Atomic just won Comment of the Week right there.
Well EXCUUUUSE me. I think we all can agree that a bigger venue would suit the event better. Since Sam Adams proclaimed “Star Trek Month” maybe the city could subsidize a larger amphitheater? Rose Garden was just the first one that came to mind.
I dunno atomic, I kind of feel like revolution might be brewing in that back field. I think it’s potentially damaging to their “brand” or whatever to set up a situation in which people who really want to see your show, and who get there on time by the standards of any other event, end up having to sit for an in hour the direct late afternoon sunlight unable to see or hear.
If cost is an issue and they can’t move, treating it more like theater in the round would help.
But yes, I got there at 2:30 and had a picnic and played games and it was a perfectly pleasant afternoon.
Or even some sort of shade-maker would make a huge difference. Take care of the audience!
Oooh! And an ice cream truck. And a taco truck. And a booze truck.
Too many were Asses. I think Sam was thinking about Twilight or Vampire Chronicles.
Alison: A shade maker is a good idea. As Fatboy said, a lot of that stuff boils down to what’s practical, feasible and safe to do in a public and crowded space.
This year they had porta potties in addition to the park bathrooms! So there’s that.
Adam Rosko here, director of the show and I also play Captain Kirk. A little late to this discussion but I can’t help but explain a little bit our feelings and how we want to make sure everyone who comes to Trek in the Park has a pleasant time.
We’re in our 3rd year now of Trek in the Park and in our first year our goal was to fill the “bowl” section of the Woodlawn amphitheater and we surprisingly were able to do so. Towards the end, people started to sit in the back lawn area. It was never our intention to perform that direction because honestly, we didn’t think we’d get that big a crowd. On year 2, it started to fill up more and more back there and we attempted to make last minute fixes and tweaks to address them and play to them so they would never feel ignored or unappreciated.
As we approached year 3, we assumed there would be an overflow audience from the “bowl” to the back area, so we looked into several options on amplifying the sound so dialogue could be heard no matter where people sat. These efforts proved to be not practical with the set up of the stage, the front audience, the music and incredibly high risk of feedback as well as several other complications. Additionally, it was far too expensive if we wanted to have actors have actual mic’s on their bodies, and with the very physical fight scenes, would be a huge liability. Sound companies were unable to sponsor that, and there was no way we could afford it.
We have to offer a free production because of the nature that it is “Star Trek” and we obviously do not own it. We do however, with the help of a few that sponsor us as much as they can and with the money out of our own pocket, we pay for the park fees, insurance for everyone, and port-o-johns. These things are not cheap, we look for deals and stretch every penny. That also doesn’t account for the costs of costume and prop materials, all of which are handmade and the hands that make them do it for free. As well as all the actors’ time, which they give for free as well. They do it out of love for the material, our goals with it, and to make our audiences really happy.
Sure, we would love a bigger space and while massive spaces like Mt. Tabor or Washington Park would be great, Woodlawn Park is our current home. Possibly in the future with Trek 4 and beyond we can move somewhere else that is more accommodating, but for “Mirror, Mirror”, Woodlawn is Trek in the Park. We love it for a variety of reasons and the majority of our audience seems to enjoy the hell out of it too. Also, the local businesses see us as a great addition to the neighborhood and we are honored to bring business to them they would otherwise not have had. The Woodlawn neighborhood is a place seldom explored and really has a lot to offer. We are more than happy to bring more exposure to it.
Don’t think for a second that we do not understand people’s frustrations with having to be in the back lawn area. This year, we worked as hard as we could to include that area more than ever in our performance, it’s not a perfect circle in the round, but we are performing with them always in mind as well as the main seating area in the amphitheater. After this opening weekend, we will continue to make more tweaks here and there to accommodate them. We are projecting as far as we possibly can, and I personally, blew my voice out after Sunday’s performance trying to be heard by the back audience as well as the main audience in the “bowl”.
We have a free show that has to remain free, and we have always encouraged making a day out of it in your visit with us. Our performances have so far “sold out”, and after a certain time the ideal spots are most likely taken, and our crew tirelessly moves the audience in the “bowl” more and more inward all the way up to the start of the show to create more spaces for people.
However, it is painful to me personally to hear people thinking we don’t care or aren’t trying to make it work to accommodate everyone, that’s not what Trek in the Park is or will ever be. This show is about fun in the summertime, with cool stories and performances we hope make people smile. We appreciate our audience’s support more than they will ever know and we never take any of what they give us for granted.
Thanks for your time and your support,
Adam
3rd yr trek in the park vet – Would hate to see it move away from the small venue. That is a large part of the appeal.
You guys do an excellent job. Don’t let the commenters get you down! We nitpick everything.
@ Rosko, Don’t let Fruit Cup tell you what to do, he’s just a commenter.
Move to Washington Park, and replace the Trek uniforms with polo shirts featuring ads for local and national businesses. Then, if you just replace the material with something else kinda similar but with a different name, you can charge for it, dum dums!
Long live Kitchen Fresh Chicken Presents “A Space Play in a Park!”
In closing, you’re welcome.
But I don’t understand why moving down the road to the big bowl in Fernhill Park would cost so much more money? It’s the same dang neighborhood, and then everyone could sit on the same side of the performance, so no need for fancy body mics…
Nerds! nerds!neeeerrrddsss!,and yes,you are. Good to see the Mayor you elected “doing his job” . Sarcasm fully intended
If Shatner himself cameo’d people would complain Nimoy wasn’t there. I love the venue, it is part of the experience; like nerd tailgating you show up a few hours before the event and make an afternoon of it.
Thank you everyone involved in putting this on!