Royal Albert Hall Staff Dress Up and Learn Klingon in Honor of STAR TREK Concert Series

Box Office staff at the Royal Albert Hall have undertaken a crash course in Klingon, ahead of the venue's Star Trek - In Concert and Star Trek Beyond - In Concert events in June.

Employees were asked to take classes in the 'language' after the Hall announced it would give two free tickets to anyone ordering in Klingon*.

The Royal Albert Hall called in one of the world's foremost experts in Klingon, Alex Greene, to help the team master the warrior language.

Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at the Royal Albert Hall, said: "Star Trek is a timeless classic with a huge cult following. We wanted to celebrate it and reward real Trekkies with this opportunity to win free tickets for those booking in Klingon.

"I think the box office probably thought I was joking when we asked them to take Klingon lessons. But now they are chatting regularly in Klingon, I think they realise it's an essential life skill that all should learn."

Mr Greene said: "not Holvam Qatlh charghchu'laH QuchDu' Hab ghajbogh Humanpu'vetlh, 'ach jInmolvam quvvaD, tlhIngan Hol lughojmeH Humanpu', vItIv."**

**("These simple humans with their smooth foreheads will never fully master my complex language, but I'm happy to help them learn enough to run their silly project.")

Mr Greene, from North Wales, is a lifelong Trekker and started learning Klingon in 1986. It took him a year to master the intricate, guttural pronunciations, but he hopes his work and the Star Trek In Concert events might "inspire a few more humans to learn Klingon."

Katarzyna Kuchnicka, Assistant Manager at the Royal Albert Hall box-office, said: "We're used to organising tickets for people from all over the world, but this is the first time I've been required to take a course in an alien language.

"When I first heard Klingon spoken, I thought it sounded a bit like a cat coughing up a fur ball, but there's actually a lot more to the language than you first think. Yes, it's very harsh, but I suppose that sort of fits. Klingons are pretty stern."

The Films in Concert screenings of Star Trek and Star Trek Beyond are two of the centrepiece events in the Royal Albert Hall's much-anticipated Festival of Science: Space, which will be running throughout May and June.

Audiences at the Star Trek weekend in June will see the 2009 and 2016 instalments in this legendary franchise played out on the big screen. The epic scores will be performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ernst Van Tiel.

The soaring and action-packed orchestral music for both performances was written by Oscar-winning composer, Michael Giacchino. With a set of all new themes, but also reprising the beloved title melody from the TV series by Alexander Courage - the music does not just break new ground, but also captures and advances the musical universe of Star Trek.

Lucy Noble said: "The Festival of Science at the Royal Albert Hall has been long in the planning and we are extremely excited by the programme of events coming up over the next few months."

*To enter, simply call the Royal Albert Hall Klingon Box Office on 020 7959 0597 after 10am on Friday, order your tickets in Klingon, but leave your name and phone number in English to be in with a chance of scooping free tickets to Star Trek - In Concert or Star Trek Beyond - In Concert. The first 10 people to book in Klingon will win two tickets each to a screening of their choice.

For more information about the events, go to www.royalalberthall.com/films

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