Hello Troops, Well - it sounds like CBS and Star Trek, along with Mad Science are working on something very similar to the experience we offer at the Space Center. We all knew it was just a matter of time before our unique interactive simulation was adapted for wide distribution. I'm curious how it will work and how the audience will interact. Lots of information missing from the article but enough to be real interesting. Mr. Williamson
CBS Announces New ‘Star Trek Live’ Theme Park Show
by Anthony Pascale
Star Trek Live!
Star Trek Live is a touring interactive stage show that will be appearing at theme parks and performing arts centers across America, starting in 2010. TrekMovie has a first look at the official brochure (below), which promises:
Audience members join Starfleet Academy only to be unexpectedly whisked into an adventure steeped in the grand tradition of Star Trek itself. STAR TREK LIVE combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction, and cool science to create an exhilaration and unforgettable theatrical experience.
The 60 minute show will have audience members playing the parts of Starfleet cadets, who are learning from Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, when the Enterprise is attacked and you set off on an adventure that will combine Star Trek fun with real science. CBS is working with Mad Science Group, a company that specializes in educational entertainment, and the brochure promises the show correlates with a number of national science education standards. No word yet on what footage and imagery the show will use, but the brochure (below) does include a shot of the Enterprise from JJ Abrams new Star Trek movie.
Here is the marketing brochure:
Front (click to enlarge)
Back (click to enlarge)
Press Release
CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND MAD SCIENCE TO CREATE NEW LIVE STAGE SHOW BASED ON STAR TREK
Interactive show slated to debut in 2010
NEW YORK October 23, 2009 – CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, and Mad Science®, have united to launch an interactive stage show — STAR TREK LIVE.
Targeted for a run in theme parks and performing arts centers across the country, the show takes audiences of all ages on an exhilarating journey with Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan science officer Spock. The show combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction and an exploration of real space-age technology.
"The STAR TREK brand continues to offer entertainment and education through this multifaceted live stage show," says Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products. "STAR TREK LIVE allows fans to experience Starfleet Academy firsthand and follow in the footsteps of STAR TREK’s iconic heroes."
Mad Science’s Managing Director and producer Leonard Lipes added, "So much of the STAR TREK technology once considered science fiction has become a reality. STAR TREK LIVE is going to explore many of these technologies as well as other sciences for a truly memorable experience resonating to audiences of all ages.
Combining science with entertainment, STAR TREK LIVE sparks a world of discovery by teaching and encouraging scientific literacy. Audience members will leave the attraction with an understanding of the different elements of science and technology.
STAR TREK LIVE will debut in 2010 and travel throughout the United States and Canada.
About STAR TREK LIVE
Eager to learn from Starfleet’s best and brightest, Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan science officer Spock, our cadets assemble, anxious to prepare for their first day at the Academy and an exploration of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise. As we are introduced to the proud legacy of the most powerful and most advanced ship in the fleet, the Enterprise and Earth itself come under attack from alien forces, leaving the fate of the Federation in the hands of our cadets. Our cadets will have to quickly learn the intricacies of living and working in space, modern space travel and the latest in communication and technology as they draw on the achievements of science in the 21st century. It will require all our knowledge, ingenuity, logic and an exploration of science to discover what is happening and how to set things right before it’s too late!
About CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles. Additionally, the group oversees the CBS Retail Store and online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.CBS.com.
About The Mad Science Group®
Mad Science® is the world’s leading science enrichment provider sparking the imagination and curiosity of children around the world. With live performances conducted in schools, camps, homes and theme parks, the Mad Science Group has developed over 2,000 hours of original content, with thousands of unique interactive activities! The company delivers its brand of fun science through an extensive network of 200+ franchised locations in 29 countries, and through its own award-winning large-venue touring production unit, Mad Science Productions®. This year, the company will conduct 250,000 live presentations in 13,000 public and private schools in North America, reaching over 7 million families. For more information, visit www.madscience.org.
I'm thinking it's going to be more like Star Trek: The Experience than the space center. First of all the time element would make the space center's level of interactivity near-impossible to attain. Secondly, the description really leans more towards an experience where the action happens around you, as opposed to happening to you.
ReplyDeleteThe Space Center's brand of storytelling really revolves around an un-scripted script. Sure there's a basic story, but it's really up to the campers to tell it. This type of Hollywoodized experience will be much more tightly controlled script-wise, and won't have anywhere near the same feeling of peril that we strive to instill in our visitors.
I think it still sounds like fun, but we don't really have much to worry about competition-wise.
You'll just have to send me to the first performance to check it out. Then I can give you a first hand account.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we need to worry about competition. I've been to a MadScience demonstration before. They just put some glitz on basic chemistry. The kids really don't get to do much.
I don't think a national franchise can do what we do cheap enough to make a profit. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers who work for chocolate, we can produce a very personal experience. Most flights, we have one staff member for every 2-3 campers. That allows us to really tell a story with the crew. No one else would give up that much control.
Besides, the only way they could really duplicate what we do is to clone Mr. Williamson. Long live the space center!
Space Center is a lot cooler. You should sue them so we could get some money.
ReplyDelete