TFIG - Stage III
TFIG - Stage III
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I am what some would call a sci-fi geek. I read a lot of weird books about odd characters on strange planets. While I know I am not alone in my literary tastes, I've never really knew anybody who actually took their love for these stories to the next level.

Enter Pat Greiner.

A coworker of mine with a PhD from Ohio State, Pat has written the majority of all commercials you've heard on our air waves for...well, if I told you how long she's been doing it, she would probably stat giving me scripts with words too big for my vocabulary (which is anything with more than 4 letters, if you must know.) Pat has also spent years entrenched in the Stage III community, writing, directing, and acting in countless plays.

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the first show of her new "play", 'T.F.I.G.:  Thank Flebster It’s Grunyak'

While the name suggests something weird, the play is actually...well, weird. But in a good way! It's funny, insightful, and well written. It's also a throwback to the old theater-of-the-mind days of radio. The actors read the script while others are making sound effects, and images are shown on the planetarium dome.

Overall, it's a great way for the entire family to spend an hour and a half together, and worth much more than the $6 fee. Complete info is below:


Stage III Community Theatre and the Casper Planetarium will present their 11th annual Theatre of the Mind production opening on October 31.    T.F.I.G.:  Thank Flebster It’s Grunyak is a science fiction comedy written and directed by Pat Greiner.    What if … every time any author wrote a science fiction story, that world became a reality somewhere?  How would you know whether you were living in a good science fiction story, or a bad one?  Join a human, an alien, and their emergency guide robot as they wrestle with that question while making their way through a landscape filled with giant animated springs, explosive fruit, incontinent birds, acid-oozing beetles, and random aliens with lasers.

The Theatre of the Mind productions mix old-time radio with 21st century digital technology.   The voice actors and sound effects (Foley) are done as they were in live radio broadcasts of the 1930’s.  The Planetarium enhances the experience with original digital imagery, both still and animated.  

The cast includes voice actors Corryne Drake, Karen Hucklefdt, Pamela RW Kandt, Becky Lincoln, Ron Richard, Cal Strand, and Trevor T. Trujillo, and Foley artists Danelle Gunderson and Jim Gunderson.   Graphics were created by Rod Kennedy and the student interns at the Planetarium, Alan Hatlestadt, Ian Moffett, Zach Whipps, Shae Aagard, and Connor Bergman.

The show runs approximately an hour and ten minutes, and is suitable for the whole family.   Performances are October 31 and November 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 3, at 2 p.m. at the Casper Planetarium, 904 North Poplar.  Tickets are $6 per person, available at the door or in advance at the Planetarium.


What if … every time any author wrote a science fiction story, the world he or she imagined became a reality somewhere in the universe?    Some of those authors may be brilliant, but there are bound to be a few clunkers in the mix.  Which leaves the characters who live in those worlds to wonder, “Am I in a good science fiction story, or a bad one?”  In “TFIG: Thank Flebster It’s Grunyak,” a human, an alien, and their emergency guide robot wrestle with that question as they make their way through a landscape filled with giant animated springs, explosive fruit, incontinent birds, acid-oozing beetles, and random aliens with lasers.

“TFIG” is the 11th annual co-production for Stage III Community Theatre and the Casper Planetarium.   Mixing the voice acting and live sound effects ("Foley”) of old-time radio theatre with 21st century digital graphics, these shows are a unique form of theatre.   This year’s production breaks the mold by venturing into comedy, with a script that borrows the tongue-in-cheek style of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”  Sci-fi fans will recognize lots of references to movies and tv, from Marvin the Martian to 2001. 

The show is written and directed by Pat Greiner.  The cast includes voice actors Corryne Drake, Karen Hucklefdt, Pamela RW Kandt, Becky Lincoln, Ron Richard, Cal Strand, and Trevor T. Trujillo, and Foley artists Danelle Gunderson and Jim Gunderson.   Rod Kennedy and the student interns at the Casper Planetarium created the visuals that appear on the dome. 

 “TFIG: Thank Flebster It’s Grunyak” runs approximately one hour and 10 minutes, and is appropriate for all ages.  Performances are Oct. 31, November 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, November 3, at 2 p.m. at the Casper Planetarium, 904 N. Poplar.  Tickets are $6, available at the door, or in advance from the Planetarium. 

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