'Return to the Forbidden Planet' Musical Featured at SUNY Potsdam's LoKo Festival

SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance and Crane Opera Ensemble Present 'Return to the Forbidden Planet' Musical for 2016 LoKo Festival

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The musical “Return to the Forbidden Planet” will show at SUNY Potsdam during the 2016 LoKo Festival.

POTSDAM, NY (04/22/2016)(readMedia)-- The SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance and the Crane Opera Ensemble are preparing to present the musical, "Return to the Forbidden Planet," for the 2016 Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts.

Bob Carlton's Olivier Award-winning musical version of the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet," the show incorporates rock and rhythm-and-blues of the 1950s and 1960s, with Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and low-budget sci-fi camp.

The musical will be presented as part of the LoKo Festival in the Performing Arts Center Proscenium Theater, with daily evening performances from Thursday, May 5 to Saturday, May 7, and a matinee on Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m.

A rock band, which acts as "mission control," is led by musical director Guy "Chip" Lamson III, an adjunct instructor at The Crane School of Music. Musical numbers include "Good Vibrations" (The Beach Boys), "Great Balls of Fire" (Jerry Lee Lewis), "Teenager in Love" (Dion and the Belmonts) and "Monster Mash" (Bobby Pickett).

The production is directed by Dr. John Bennett. He is a principal lecturer in drama and theatre studies at Liverpool Hope University and is the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Department of Theatre and Dance at SUNY Potsdam this semester. He was last here in 2001 on a faculty exchange, when he introduced the North Country to the popular British playwright John Godber, through a production of an early Godber play, "Educational Priority Area." Bennett teaches across the curriculum, and has directed numerous shows at the university and college level, including contemporary versions of Marlow's "Dr. Faustus," Ibsen's "Peer Gynt" and a musical adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

The acting ensemble includes students from the areas of theatre, dance and music. The choreographer, Dr. Robin Collen, lighting designer Don Borsh and technical director Todd Canedy are all faculty members of the Department of Theatre and Dance. The scenic designer is the local artist William Newman. Jerod Sommerfeldt, the sound designer, is on the faculty of The Crane School of Music. Dan Dullea, video artist, is a retired Clarkson professor.

The "Return to the Forbidden Planet" production is appropriate for all ages. Admission is free, but a ticket is required. Tickets are available at the door only, one hour before show time.

"Return to the Forbidden Planet" is one of many performances and workshops in theatre and dance that will be offered throughout the 2016 Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts, from April 29 to May 8, at SUNY Potsdam.

Other highlights include:

  • Friday, April 29: The Senior Choreography Concert, featuring the work of graduating dance majors, will be offered at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theater.
  • Saturday, April 30: The Senior Choreography Concert will be offered at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the PAC Dance Theater.
  • Sunday, May 1: There will be a spoken word performance by the SUNY Potsdam Performance Poets at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Black Box Theater.
  • Monday, May 2: David Lane will present a puppet workshop at 2 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Design Studio. There will be a workshop on dance and writing at 6 p.m., exploring West African rhythms and movement as a means of entering writing from a different angle, at 6 p.m. in the PAC Dance Theater. This workshop is open to those 15 years of age and older. At 7:30 p.m., "Pioneers of Negro Vaudeville: A Rabbit's Foote Company," a musical reenactment of the 19th century minstrel show highlighting the hardships of being a black entertainer in this era, will be presented in the PAC Black Box Theater.
  • Tuesday, May 3: David Lane will offer a second puppet workshop at 2 p.m. in the PAC Design Studio. At 3 p.m., there will be a workshop and performance by Artists to End Poverty in the Black Box Theater.
  • Wednesday, May 4: David Lane will offer his third puppet workshop at 2 p.m. in the PAC Design Studio, followed by another Artists to End Poverty workshop at 3 p.m. in the Black Box.
  • Thursday, May 5: The fourth David Lane puppet workshop will be offered at 2 p.m. in the PAC Design Studio. The "Return to the Forbidden Planet" musical will open at 7:30 p.m. in the Proscenium Theater.
  • Friday, May 6: The fifth and final David Lane puppet workshop will be offered at 2 p.m. in the PAC Design Studio. "Return to the Forbidden Planet" shows at 7:30 p.m. in the Proscenium Theater.
  • Saturday, May 7: "Return to the Forbidden Planet" shows at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Proscenium Theater.
  • Sunday, May 8: The final matinee performance of "Return to the Forbidden Planet" shows at 2 p.m. in the Proscenium. At 5 p.m., there will be a spoken word performance by Sister Outsider in the Black Box Theater. At 7:30 p.m., there will be a performance of Color in Motion, a performance of cultural diversity and expression, incorporating singing, dancing, acting and poetry, in Dunn Theater.

About the Department of Theatre & Dance:

From directing, choreographing, acting and dancing to designing and technical work, theatre and dance are highly collaborative art forms at SUNY Potsdam. Students and professionals engage in creative problem solving requiring the setting and meeting of long-term goals and the analysis and understanding movement and dramatic literature. The College's newly opened $55 million Performing Arts Center is the home to the Department of Theatre and Dance. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Theatre.

To keep up with the latest, visit www.facebook.com/lokofestival.

North Country Public Radio is the media sponsor for the 2016 Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts at SUNY Potsdam.

For a full schedule and listing of events, visit www.potsdam.edu/loko.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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