'Forbidden Planet' visits Corvallis

Robby the Robot from the 1956 classic film “Forbidden Planet” is an iconic creation that appeared in dozens of movies and television shows.

In a live adaptation of the film by Eugene’s Trek Theatre in Corvallis’ Central Park on Sunday, the part was played by a guy with a dressed-up water cooler bottle on his head.

But, said the show’s director Dana Price, the low-budget nature of the production is kind of the point.

“One of the things important to all us is that theater and science fiction is accessible to everyone,” she said.

Science fiction is now dominated by movies with giant budgets, Price said, so it must appeal to as wide an audience as possible to make money. But, she said, by being low-budget, the Trek Theatre company is able to have more freedom to do more unusual stories like “Forbidden Planet.” The story is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” and involves a spaceship being sent to investigate a mysterious, isolated world with only two human occupants.

“(Science fiction) is a way to tell stories that seem too harsh or real if they happen in our own time,” Price said.

Price said she’s heard rumors of movie studios trying to reboot “Forbidden Planet,” but said the projects don’t get far because it’s hard for a studio today to spend money on a movie where the plot is about darkest impulses of a person’s subconscious being made into tangible destructive forces by ancient all-powerful alien technology.

The set for the production featured lots of old furniture spray-painted silver, and most costumes were no more elaborate than a shirt and black pants.

Price said the production uses a lot of recycled materials and stuff the company can get on sale at home improvement stores.

“We find that by doing things with a low budget and inventing things with what we have, we can do some really interesting things,” she said.

Price said she expects Trek Theatre to return to Corvallis next summer, when the company will be doing a production of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode “The Inner Light.” The company also will be doing a yet-to-be-determined production this winter, but the company doesn’t travel much with its winter shows.

“In the winter we have the extra limitation of being inside,” she said. “I think our sound equipment would melt in the rain.”

The company has two remaining performances of “Forbidden Planet,” in Eugene at 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Both performances are at the Amazon Community Center, at 2700 Hilyard Street. Performances are free.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Read Again http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/forbidden-planet-visits-corvallis/article_26d9f707-ddc3-5375-87fe-460d88ba5b08.html

Bagikan Berita Ini