We’re almost halfway through the rehearsal process! Now that we’ve started the blocking and language work of scenes that I’m in, it’s been exciting to see my fellow actors breathe life into their characters and dive into telling this story. Ali (our producer) mentioned at the beginning of rehearsal that combining the language, physicality and trying to remember to act at the same time is an incredibly difficult balancing act, especially for those new to the language. Despite this, I still had my secret hopes that it would be easier than she made it sound. Remember that “desperately, profoundly, emphatically wrong” thing from the first blog? It remains continuously applicable.
However, this has given me all the more respect and appreciation for the awesome cast of actors I’m fortunate enough to work with. I wanted to talk to some of the KCC veterans to hear more about their experience and how they approached their characters. I was able to chat with Phil Zimmermann (SQuja’) and discuss his process for playing this iconic role.
CSV: So, you’re playing SQuja’ (Scrooge) in this year’s production of KCC. That’s a pretty massive role that puts you onstage (and speaking Klingon) for almost the entire show and involved in nearly every rehearsal throughout the two-month process. I could imagine that being a little overwhelming. After hearing you were cast, how did you prepare?
PZ: I got in touch with Ali and Chris and requested a copy of the script shortly after accepting the role. I had a lot of time before rehearsals started which was lucky and so I read the original Dickens story a couple of times as well as watch A Muppet Christmas Carol, Scrooged with Bill Murray and and the 1951 “Scrooge” with Alistair Sims that Catie recommended. My summer got very Christmassy before it got Klingon. After immersing myself in the story and learning as much as I could about the character of Scrooge I started to back translate my lines from Klingon to English.
CSV: With so many different versions of A Christmas Carol and portrayals of Scrooge, did you have any particular versions that you used most for inspiration?
PZ: The Muppet Christmas Carol has always been one of my favorites, and I think it has some interesting parallels to the Klingon Christmas Carol. In that movie they had the challenge of telling this story in a new way, from the perspective of non-human (muppet) characters, and while they still speak English the movie communicates a lot through movement and the shapes of the puppets. So when I started thinking about SQuja’s physicality and voice a part of me thought “What would be a good muppet here?”.
CSV: Totally. And you bring up one of the biggest questions I’ve heard from people who will be seeing KCC for the first time this year. Assuming you’re not a Klingon speaker, what is the experience of seeing the show like? Do you need to be a Star Trek fan to get it?
PZ: Out of the five years Klingon Christmas Carol has been in Chicago, I’ve only actually gotten to see it once, last year. There’s not another show like this in Chicago. The Klingon is fascinating to listen to, and it’s easy to follow along with the super titles if you want to know what’s being said in English. You don’t have to be a Trekkie to enjoy the show, but if you are you’re going to get a lot of additional enjoyment out of it. There’s references from every era of Star Trek, from the original series to the current JJ Abrams movies. But the story of Scrooge’s transformation is so universal that anyone can see this play and connect to it.
CSV: You’ve been in KCC in previous years, right?
PZ: I played Kahless Present from 2010-2012 in the Chicago productions.
CSV: What was it like to stay with the same show at the same theatre through multiple years and casts? Is it weird to be currently playing SQuja’ in a cast with fellow actors who have played the role in previous productions?
PZ: Working as closely as I did with Kevin Alves for those first three years, it’s hard not to think about his portrayal, but his biggest influence on me is that I remember a lot of the queue lines he had for me and it’s helped in memorizing the script. Working with Clark Bender who played the role last year is always a treat, he’s a really fantastic guy and a real natural performer. It’s nice to have someone who’s been where you’re going on something like this. And there’s Christina who’s been in the show for all five years. It’s great having that connection to back when I first moved to Chicago and the show was just getting started here, too. That said it’s also really nice having so many people around who either I haven’t worked with before or are entirely new to KCC. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and new choices being made that keep the whole thing fresh.
CSV: Alright, last question. This year is KCC’s final production in Chicago. During the last five years that it’s been performing, the show has become a beloved part of the holiday season, especially in the Star Trek and theatre communities. Is there anything in particular you’d like to leave Chicago audiences with as they celebrate this tradition in its final year?
PZ: I moved to Chicago to perform in this show in it’s first year here, and it’s been a huge part of my life since then. I’ve made good friends, found a great job, met a ton of amazing people and performed at an honest to goodness Star Trek convention all directly because of my involvement with this show. This show means a lot of different things to me and my hope would be that it means something to everyone who comes to see it and that they remember it as long as I will, which will be forever.
Huge thanks to our Phil for sharing his thoughts and wisdom. Visit his twitter page where he will be tweeting in character as SQuja’ throughout the show. Check back here this weekend for more behind-the-scenes Klingon mischief as told by our other KCC blogger, Timothy!
Caity-Shea
This is Klingon Christmas Carol’s 5th and FINAL year in Chicago, so tickets will be going quickly! Guarantee your spot by getting tickets in advance at: http://www.tinyurl.com/Klingontickets-2014