So in anticipation of Burning Man 2011 (which has as its theme Rites of Passage), I was researching the Klingon Rite of Ascension, the memorable ritual in which Worf is tortured by eight of his fellows with pain sticks, a.k.a cattle prods that would kill an elephant, and Worf of course comes through with flying colors. I have always imagined that I would be good at that ritual and was trying to imagine some way to incorporate that into a burning man camp or ritual with some amount of pain (but not enough to kill an elephant).
Strangely enough, this line of searching led me to discover that I just missed in September 2010 the debut in the Hague, Netherlands, of the first Klingon Opera titled “U” that translates into “Universe” and is based on translations of Klingon by the Klingon devotees and study group, the Klingon Terran Research Ensemble. Apparently, if you want the Klingon Opera to cross the ocean and come to a theatre near you- then we all need to let them know by visiting http://www.u-theopera.org/.
Resources for you:
See http://weareaustin.com/fulltext?nxd_id=89485 for a video taste of the opera and see the official site at http://www.u-theopera.org/ to sign up for email updates as you wait in anticipation for the Klingon opera to come to this side of the pond. Another fascinating resource is the Klingon Terran Research Ensemble at http://www.u-theopera.org/. Also, there is a iphone app that that can help you learn to speak the Klingon language.
Brandye Lauren's Critical Mass 