Lee Jones Mosser rehearses Tuesday for "Leviathan 99" which opens Thursday at the Casper Planetarium. (Tim Kupsick, Star-Tribune)
A Kelly Walsh astronomy student's picture of the Andromeda Nebula is posted on a display at the Casper Planetarium with other students' pictures. (Kerry Huller/Star-Tribune)
Ron Richard (who plays Elijah, Captain of the Ligh Fall and other characters) rehearses Tuesday behind the dome screen of the Planetarium. Audience members won't be able to see the actors until they speak, when they will be illuminated by individual lights. (Tim Kupsick, Star-Tribune)
CASPER: 'Leviathan 99'Travel back to the days of live radio theatre with the seventh annual Halloween collaboration between Stage III Community Theatre and the Casper Planetarium. This year's Theater of the Mind show is "Leviathan 99," a space-going version of Moby Dick, adapted by the dean of American science fiction authors, Ray Bradbury. The audience won't have to rely entirely on their imaginations. As the actors speak from behind the dome, the Planetarium projects visual effects that suggest some of the key images. Student interns have been working since early summer to create computer animations for the show. Live sound effects (“Foley”) and electronic sounds are also key elements of the performance. Although best known for his science fiction, Bradbury was also the screenwriter for the 1956 film version of Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck. After working on the script he was so fascinated by the story that he decided to adapt it to a science fiction setting. The result is the story of a spaceship captain obsessed with a giant white comet, Leviathan, which blinded him 30 years before. Convinced that the comet is returning on a collision course that will destroy the Earth, he sets out to intercept and destroy it. Bradbury wrote the story in two forms – a novella which he published, and a performance script which remained unpublished. The show has been performed only a few times since the early 1970s. "Leviathan 99" is directed by Pat Greiner. The cast includes Bob Price (as the Captain); Troy Howe (Ishmael); Mike Baden (Quell); Dennis Rollins, Walter Hawn and John Leader (three shipmates); and Ron Richard and Lee Jones Mosser each playing several roles. LeAnna Crockett will perform the Foley effects and Corryne Drake creates the electronic sound effects. Suitable for all ages.* When: 7:30 p.m. TODAY and SATURDAY; 2 p.m. SUNDAY* Where: Casper Planetarium* Tickets: $6 per person, available at the Planetarium or by calling 577-0310
Kristen Hite, Randi Garrett and Desirea Jensen, from left, measure the life zones of stars during their astronomy class held at Casper College on Thursday afternoon. The Kelly Walsh students took part in the "Capture the Colorful Cosmos" program, in which they were able to use NASA software and tools to create pictures similar to those from the Hubble Space Telescope. (Kerry Huller/Star-Tribune)
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