Cheap Treks (collaboration)

You may be looking for Cheap Treks, a zine series.

Collaboration
Name:	Cheap Treks
Members:	by Paul Balze, David Keefer, Lance Woods, Tom Chafin, Steve Wilson
Date(s):	1987-
Focus:	skits
Fandoms:	Star Trek, other fandoms
External Links:
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Cheap Treks is a fan collaboration. It started out as "The Not Ready for Paramount Players" and then was absorbed into "The Usual Suspects."

This group started in 1987 where they produced plays for Shore Leave. They also showed their plays at other cons such as Farpoint and Balticon.

They were usually only performed once, unless arrangements were made by another set of fans to recast them and present them at a different con.

These plays ran about 30-60 minutes.

The total output of the group was about 60 plays. Each one involved planning, group writing, directing, performing, producing, promotion, costuming, and video-editing.

the cast of the con skit, "Jupiter 2, Enterprise 0," as printed in CrosSignals #1, artist is Sharon M. Palmer

About Cheap Treks, from the 1994 Shore Leave program book:

Once upon a time, some fans decided that they wanted to put on a show for all their little fannish friends. Soon afterward, Dave Keefer turned to Lance Woods and said, "You want to call us what?" Thus, out of a desperate need to foster the crusade for good parody, Cheap Treks was born. Since that fateful day, Cheap Treks has turned out several well-received plays for Maryland conventions, such as Fandom at the Opera, Trek to the Future and Jupiter 2, Enterprise 0. This time around, the same people who brought you The K-Team and KT2 celebrate their sixth anniversary [at Shore Leave] by presenting Beach Planet Romeos, for the 1994 Shore Leave Showcase.

Very Entwined

The troupe used the names of/was entwined with several groups.

From Steve Wilson:

From 1987 until 2009, I wrote parodies of films and TV shows to be performed at Baltimore-area SF cons. Since I retired, some unknown named Peter David has cornered the market… I directed most of these, and they were produced under the auspices of The Not Ready for Paramount Players, Cheap Treks and The Usual Suspects.

From the 2000 program book for Shore Con:

Satiric Park presents The Not Ready For Paramount Players in 'Trek Fanatic' Baltimore's own parody troupe has produced over thirty shows (lately under almost that many names!), including 'Fandom at the Opera,' 'My Fan Lady,' and 'The Little Half-breed.' Names may change, but the quality never seems to vary. (We didn't say it was good quality, we just said it didn't vary!) This year we present our 33rd convention showcase, one of our most ambitious efforts to date, 'Trek Fanatic'. It seems there's this Trek Cruise ship, which they say is unsinkable, on its maiden voyage. Suddenly, it slams into... well, now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

Some Skits

1987

• "Live Long and Thanks for All the Fish." (Shore Leave)

1988

• "Jupiter 2, Enterprise 0" by Paul Balze, David Keefer, Lance Woods, and Tom Chafin. "Con goers had been told that the play was entitled "Mudd Ado About Nothing." The script was printed in CrosSignals #1. (Shore Leave)

1989

• "Fandom at the Opera" (Shore Leave)

1990

• Trek to the Future ("Holy fuel report, Batman! Will our heroes remember their lines? Yes, this weekend, you get not one but two plays from some of fandom's finest. OktoberTrek welcomes Cheap Treks Productions, the people behind Fandom at the Opera and Bolt Upright: Space Shamus, to our stage. Come watch the magic happen as we answer the question, "How're they gonna get a Delorean on stage?!" Starring Lance Woods, David Keefer and Tom Chafin.") (OktoberTrek)
• "The Adventures of Bolt Upright, Shamus" (also known as "Bolt Upright: Space Shamus") (Shore Leave)
• "The Ghost and Dr. Crusher" ("The Not-Ready-For-Paramount Players present their latest comic smash. Remember Star Trek IV: The Voyage (the hell) Home, and Star Trek V: What the Hell? Yes, it's every bit as gruesome. If you've never been to a convention stage play, find out what you're missing! Learn what happened to Beverly Crusher in her year away from the U.S.S. Enterprise. Susan White Weinstein, Steve Wilson, Paul BaIze and Barbara Thompson star.") (OktoberTrek)
• "Star Trek V: What the Hell? (Fan-Out)

1991

• "Planet of Dark Shadows" ("It begins when Kirk, Spock and McCoy follow mysterious crewman Zebediah Collins to his hometown on earth. There, they find a coffin in a secret room and... well, you know what comes next. Join this renowned fandom comedy troupe for their latest (and possibly silliest) musical comedy.") (OktoberTrek)
• Selected Shorts: “The DataLore Show”, “It’s the Great Bird, Charlie Brown,” “Lace and Dilithium” (Fan-Out)

1992

• "Get a Wonderful Life" ("Ever wondered what fandom would be like without you? One man will discover the horrible answer for himself this weekend, as nationally-renowned fan repertory company Cheap Treks presents its latest parody smash on Sunday afternoon. Be ready to laugh, and make sure to visit the restroom first, 'cause they bolt the doors to keep the audience in! (No, seriously, they're good... would we lie?)." (OktoberFest)

1993

• "Federation's Most Wanted" "This play was "Federation's Most Wanted." Wesley Crusher, captain of a prisoner transport, goes beserk and tries to take over the galaxy. Destroys a Klingon colony and really irritates the Romulans. Captain Worf of the Klingon battlecruiser K'Blamm can't stop him, and Captain Riker of the Enterprise has to call Admiral Picard from his vacation on Raisa (with Dr. Crusher) to intervene. Really maximum funny." (Shore Leave)
• "My Fan Lady" (with David Keefer and TA Chafin) (Vulkon Baltimore, performed again at the 2015 Balticon as "My Fan...Lady" )

1994

• "Beach Planet Romeos" "This last effort was the least entertaining I've ever seen them do, and it was great!! Imagine crossing one of those old beach-blanket-bingo movies with a standard TOS plotline and then adding a few TNG elements. I think I've described it well enough<G> -- (Shore Leave)

1995

• "Starship Blvd." (Shore Leave)
• ? (Farpoint)
• Cheap Treks, perhaps in video form, was shown at August Party

1996

• "The Little Halfbreed" (Shore Leave)
• "Cheap TreX-Files: This Way to the Egress" ("Mulder and Scully are out on assignment Farpoint weekend, but Cheap Treks will do their able best to bring you the X-Files in the way only they can! Hang on to your funnybones.") (Farpoint)

1997

• "Cheap Treks: The Special Editions" (based on the Star Wars Trilogy) (Farpoint)

2000

• "Trek Fanatic" (Shore Leave) "Satiric Park presents The Not Ready For Paramount Players in 'Trek Fanatic' Baltimore's own parody troupe has produced over thirty shows (lately under almost that many names!), including 'Fandom at the Opera,' 'My Fan Lady,' and 'The Little Half-breed.' Names may change, but the quality never seems to vary. (We didn't say it was good quality, we just said it didn't vary!) This year we present our 33rd convention showcase, one of our most ambitious efforts to date, 'Trek Fanatic'. It seems there's this Trek Cruise ship, which they say is unsinkable, on its maiden voyage. Suddenly, it slams into... well, now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" -- from the 2000 program book

2003

• "The Year Without a Star Trek Show" (Shore Leave)

2004

• "A Roddenberry Hoedown: (Segment) “Roddenberry, RFD” (Farpoint)

2005

• "Batsalot" (Farpoint)

2006

• "Kryptonian Idyll" (Farpoint)

2007

• "Da X Code" (Farpoint, Balticon)

2009

• "P for Producer" (Farpoint, Balticon)

• 

  cast from the 1991 skit, "Planet of Dark Shadows," performed at OktoberTrek, printed in the program book

• 

  first page of the script of the con skit, "Jupiter 2, Enterprise 0," as printed in CrosSignals #1

• 

  from the 1993 Shore Leave program book, the skit, "Enterprise's Most Wanted," cast

• 

  cast from the 1994 skit at Shore Leave: "Beach Planet Romeos"

• 

  cast from the 1997 skit at Farpoint: "Cheap Treks: The Special Editions"

• 

  for the 1995 skit at Shore Leave, "Sunset Blvd."

• 

  from the 1996 Shore Leave program book: "The Little Halfbreed"

2015

• "My Fan... Lady?" (first performed at Vulkon Baltimore in 1993 as "My Fan Lady"), performed at Balticon in 2015.