Creator of Klingon Language Attends Commedia Beauregard's A KLINGON CHRISTMAS CAROL Today

Commedia Beauregard, a Chicago-based non-profit theater company, has announced that Dr. Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon Language, will be attending today's December 15 (4pm) showing of A Klingon Christmas Carol at Raven Theatre.

Dr. Okrand, a renowned philologist, is recognized for his work with Native American languages, as well as his work with the first closed-captioning system for hearing-impaired viewers. He was hired by Paramount Pictures to develop tlhIngan Hol (Klingon) as a fully functional language. Since then, the Klingon language has become an integral part of the Star Trek universe. It has been featured in the various Star Trek television series, in several movies, as well as in numerous novels associated with the franchise. Dr. Okrand has also written a Klingon dictionary, and other books about the Klingon language and Klingon culture.

Some vocabulary created by Dr. Okrand has been used for the first time ever in A Klingon Christmas Carol. Scenes added for the Chicago production in 2010 required the addition of new words to the Klingon lexicon. Dr. Okrand specifically created these new words for use in the show.

In Commedia Beauregard's hilarious yet heart-warming melding of Charles Dickens' morality tale with the Klingon language and culture, SQuja' (Scrooge) has neither honor nor courage and is in peril of suffering eternal torment if he is not brought into line with his culture's values. He is aided by visits from three spirits who work to guide him to fulfill his true potential and save Tiny Tim from a horrible fate.

The first full-length play ever to be produced entirely in the Klingon language, A Klingon Christmas Carol is in its third year of production in Chicago, after a four-year stint in Minneapolis/St Paul.

"Knowing Dr. Okrand will be attending the play is both thrilling and a bit nerve wracking," confessed Director Eric Van Tassell. "I've met him before and know he is not likely to be overly critical of the performances these actors have worked so exceedingly hard on, but we still want to impress him with how accurate we are. We want to honor his language even as he honors us by attending our show."

According to Commedia Beauregard's Artistic Director, Christopher Kidder-Mostrom, A Klingon Christmas Carol is one of a number of productions each year that fulfill Commedia Beauregard's mission "...to translate the universal human experience to the stage; to expand our horizons and share knowledge of all cultures, translating between languages and between arts to create theater that is beautiful in expression."

"The cast is really excited to meet the man responsible for the unique challenge of learning, not to mention pronouncing, lines in Klingon," said Kidder-Mostrom. "They can't wait to give him a hearty Klingon 'thank you.'"

A Klingon Christmas Carol is a co-production of Commedia Beauregard and the IKV Spirit of Honor of the Klingon Assault Group. Directed by Eric Van Tassell. Written by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom and Sasha Walloch. Translated by: Laura Thurston, Bill Hedrick, and Christopher Kidder-Mostrom. Additional Content and Translation by Chris Lipscombe. Lyrics to qu'wI' by Terrence Donnelly.

Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 30, 2012:

Thu, Dec 6: 7:30pm
Fri, Dec 7: 7:30pm
Sat, Dec 8: 7:30pm
Sun, Dec 9: 3:00pm
Thu, Dec 13: 7:30pm
Fri, Dec 14: 10:30pm
Sat, Dec 15: 4:00pm
Sun, Dec 16: 7:30pm
Thu, Dec 20: 7:30pm
Fri, Dec 21: 10:30pm
Sat, Dec 22: 4:00pm
Sun, Dec 23: 7:30pm
Thu, Dec 27: 7:30pm
Fri, Dec 28: 10:30pm
Sat, Dec 29: 4:00pm
Sun, Dec 30: 7:30pm

Raven Theatre is located at 6157 N Clark St (at Granville Ave), Chicago, Ill. $20-28 tickets are available at 800.838.3006 or CBTheatre.org.

Founded in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1999, Commedia Beauregard is a non-profit theatre company with a mission to translate the universal human experience to the stage; to expand our horizons and share knowledge of all cultures, translating between languages and between arts to create theater that is beautiful in expression. Today, Commedia Beauregard is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and is producing exciting theatre in translation throughout the Midwest.

Founded in 1983, Raven Theatre is dedicated to breathing new life into American classics and
exploring other works that illuminate the American experience. In addition to its three play season, Raven produces a Workshop Series of new and experimental productions, as well as teaching partnerships with various Chicago Public Schools, summer youth classes and original children's shows performed at Raven Theatre. For more, visit RavenTheatre.com.