The dragon Smaug’s eyes are a master class in upcycling. For Ohio Shakespeare Festival’s “The Hobbit” production from Oct. 2 to 26, resident costume and specialty props designer Marty LaConte layered red bicycle reflectors, starburst-imprinted bottoms of plastic bottles and parts of a clear plastic bulb ornament to create 3D eyes. She finished off the pupils with black Sharpie and acrylic paint and added red Sharpie for bloodshot effects. LaConte wired the eyes for dramatic illumination with red and white lights. It took over two months to plan Smaug’s design and one month just to build his head.
“The pictures she sent me of Smaug reminds me a ton of Tolkien art,” says Tess Burgler, the associate artistic director of the theater company and the director of “The Hobbit.” “It’s very iconic.”
Writer Patricia Gray’s theatrical adaptation of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal novel follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins, 13 dwarves and the wizard Gandalf as they embark on a perilous journey to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from Smaug — encountering trolls and goblins along the way. Uniquely, Ohio Shakespeare Festival’s iteration features original English-Irish folk music by the Rude Sea ensemble, adding instrumentation to Tolkien’s lyrics from the book.
“[There’s] lots of action, stunt stage combat, lots of theatrical, imaginative staging, wonderful visuals,” Burgler says of the production, featuring a 22-person cast.
For costumes, LaConte envisions the goblins as resembling Neanderthals, trolls in raggedy, bulky clothing, the hobbits in 18th-century English attire and the dwarves in rugged Viking furs and leathers. She also made two versions of Gandalf’s staff out of grape vines, branches, pine cones and moss — and wired one with blue light to portray his magical powers.
Large and commanding, Smaug is a puppet operated by two people. To craft Smaug’s head, LaConte mostly used lightweight EVA foam and foam clay for his features — including his 85 teeth, which she painted white and coated with shiny white nail polish. She formed stiff paper covered in foam clay into his larger horns and carved his smaller horns out of expandable foam. LaConte scored a $1 reused bike and used the cables and braking mechanism to make his lower jaw move, along with door hinges and springs. She added pistachio shells for scales and covered the head in black Plasti Dip rubber coating, then painted it shades of red and added gold.
LaConte plans to use lightweight PEX plumbing piping to frame the wings and drape them in fabric. To make the wings move, she aims to use a crutch attached to a spring on both sides, so that puppeteers can move them and display an approximately 16-foot wingspan.
“I’m going to have a wing that protrudes up, so that this dragon can be a very menacing, threatening creature,” LaConte says.
Smaug and other mystical creatures are sure to amaze in the production, which pays homage to the beloved Tolkien book and “Hobbit” movies.
“The magic of being immersed in it ... and seeing it in a new way and seeing things that’s only lived in your imagination or on the silver screen right in front of you — I think that would be super satisfying,” Burgler says.
“It’s thrilling to me to see them come to life onstage,” adds LaConte. “Smaug has gold paint accents so that when the lighting hits it — it’s really going to shine.”
Greystone, 103 S. High St., Sixth floor, Akron, ohioshakespearefestival.com
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
Mal McCrea
