Duluth celebrates Geek Week

How long can you get away with being a geek in Duluth?

How about a week?

Geek Week, Northland’s first weeklong celebration of all things nerdy and geeky, will run July 17-22.

“There’s so much geeky goodness on tap for this week in July that there will be something for everyone, whether you call yourself a geek or not,” said Andy Bennett, the executive director of the Renegade Theater.

The centerpiece of the week is “The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy.” Charles Ross wrote and has performed the show more than 1,200 times in more than 180 cities

spanning across four

continents.

The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy is a 70- to 80 minute performance, in tribute to the original Star Wars. Without the aid of sets, costumes or props, Ross recreates the entire trilogy using vocal impressions and movements.

“Charles Ross boils down the plot and adds his own commentary. It isn’t just him saying all the lines as fast as he can,” Bennett said. “We wanted to have it performed in Duluth because there is such a strong nerd and geek culture in town.”

“He also takes a bunch of loving and hysterical pot shots at the films, the performances and the mythology of the films. It is part love letter, part Mystery Science Theater-style mockery and total nerd heaven,” Crystal Pelkey, Teatro Zuccone marketing director, said in a press release.

“Geek Week was an idea born out of The One Man Star Wars Trilogy written and performed by Charles Ross,” Bennett said. “My wife and I saw it while we lived in Chicago and fell in love with it. We like to think of Geek Week as the Homegrown Music Festival expect for people into sci-fi.” Bennett also books acts for Teatro Zuccone.

Along with The One Man Star Wars Trilogy, Geek Week features many more goings-on. The week is busy with activities each night after all One Man Star Wars shows.

The week kicks off Tuesday with a bracketed video game tournament, covering the oldest systems to the newest, complete with prizes for the winners.

Wednesday is a special edition of Nerd Nites. Teatro Zuccone has featured people presenting on topics that are considered nerdy or geeky in the past. The organizers selected some of the best presentations that have been performed to be completed in a special edition Geek Week show.

Thursday, the sketch comedy group Dink Tank @ the Movies, will be sitting first-row at Zinema 2 making fun of the 1959 sci-fi film “Teenagers from Outer Space.”

Then, on Friday and Saturday, the Renegade Improv group will be performing geek-themed

improv before their

scheduled weekend shows.

“We’ve worked really hard to make this a full week’s worth of entertainment, with something to appeal to everybody,” said Pelkey.

Tickets for The One-Man Star Wars Trilogy are $20. All other events for Geek Week are free with the purchase of the show ticket. With a One-Man Star Wars Trilogy ticket, Saturday and Sunday brunch at Zeitgeist Arts Café will be discounted

10 percent before the

2:00 p.m. matinee shows.

If you want to go to one night’s event, you can come for $5 each night without a One-Man Star Wars ticket.

Tuesday-Sunday, July 17-22: One-Man Star Wars Show at Teatro Zuccone,

8 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday, July 21-22: One-Man Star Wars Show matinees at Teatro Zuccone, 2 p.m.

Tuesday, July 17: Ask questions and interact with Charles Ross after OMSE show, Video Game Tournament at Zinema 2, 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 18: Nerd Nite: Special Edition at Teatro Zuccone,

9:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 19: Dink Tank @ the Movies — Teenagers from Outer Space at Zinema 2,

9:30 p.m.

Friday, July 20: Renegade Theater for the Nerds at Teatro Zuccone, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, July 21-22: Geek Family Brunch at Zeitgeist Arts Café 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

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