# Shrek Dragon



## ScenicKatie (Jan 19, 2021)

Hey everyone, 
I am looking to rent the dragon puppet for Shrek the Musical. I have found some really amazing options but in the interest of our budget and shipping I am hoping to find one in or near Illinois. If anyone has any Midwest dragon info I would really appreciate it!


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## What Rigger? (Jan 19, 2021)

@ScenicKatie, you might try dropping a line to Tracy Nunnally at NIU. I don't know if he has said dragon, but he might know if someone does. DeKalb is near-ish to you, yeah?


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## What Rigger? (Jan 19, 2021)

Here's the designer for the one used by Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Maybe you can contact her, or CST and see where it might be?





Dragon for Shrek, Chicago Shakes — Chelsea M. Warren





www.chelseamwarren.com


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## ScenicKatie (Jan 20, 2021)

Excellent thank you! I will be reaching out today.


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## jtweigandt (Jan 20, 2021)

we had one, the designer builder didn't believe me in the save/dont save discussions.. not sure of the outcome, but am checking with him.
A picture with my budding actress grand daughter on a backstage tour


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## jtweigandt (Jan 21, 2021)

Darn.. I checked the shop and storage today.. the Dragon is no more.


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## ScenicKatie (Jan 22, 2021)

jtweigandt said:


> Darn.. I checked the shop and storage today.. the Dragon is no more.


Thank you for checking!


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## gafftaper (Jan 24, 2021)

In situations like this I Google the title of the show and my city to find past productions in my area. I've had some pretty amazing luck doing this.


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## JonCarter (Jan 25, 2021)

Google. Amazing. This kind of thing used to be hours of the prop people on the phone to all their friends within an xx mile radius.


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## ScenicKatie (Jan 27, 2021)

JonCarter said:


> Google. Amazing. This kind of thing used to be hours of the prop people on the phone to all their friends within an xx mile radius.


Definitely! I have of course exhausted all Google options before posting here. Thanks!


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## gafftaper (Jan 27, 2021)

ScenicKatie said:


> Hey everyone, I am looking to rent the dragon puppet for Shrek the Musical. I have found some really amazing options but in the interest of our budget and shipping I am hoping to find one in or near Illinois. If anyone has any Midwest dragon info I would really appreciate it!



Is this a school version of the show? I did a middle school production and our dragon was a well made head and then the arms, wings and body were essentially just a loose structure of plastic pipes that were wired together. Then the whole thing was draped with a bunch of gauzy and shimmery fabric. Each section had sticks to control it and we had half a dozen kids walking under it making the giant puppet fly. The whole thing was built for less than $250 in a weekend by a group of parents. We put the kids in black and it was great.


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## Keith Duster (Jan 28, 2021)

I have a couple of options in Eastern Iowa if that helps.

You can message me if you are interested.


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## JohnD (Jan 29, 2021)

gafftaper said:


> Is this a school version of the show? I did a middle school production and our dragon was a well made head and then the arms, wings and body were essentially just a loose structure of plastic pipes that were wired together. Then the whole thing was draped with a bunch of gauzy and shimmery fabric. Each section had sticks to control it and we had half a dozen kids walking under it making the giant puppet fly. The whole thing was built for less than $250 in a weekend by a group of parents. We put the kids in black and it was great.


WOW! a fearless ninja dragon team. That actually sounds fun, and a great way to build team spirit and interest.


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## aeh20s (Jan 29, 2021)

gafftaper said:


> I did a middle school production and our dragon was a well made head and then the arms, wings and body were essentially just a loose structure of plastic pipes that were wired together. Then the whole thing was draped with a bunch of gauzy and shimmery fabric. Each section had sticks to control it and we had half a dozen kids walking under it making the giant puppet fly. The whole thing was built for less than $250 in a weekend by a group of parents. We put the kids in black and it was great.



My middle school did pretty much the same thing to make Smaug in a produciton of The Hobbit. It was a great scene.


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## gafftaper (Jan 29, 2021)

JohnD said:


> WOW! a fearless ninja dragon team. That actually sounds fun, and a great way to build team spirit and interest.


Yeah, one thing I've learned in educational theater is that sometimes we as the production staff get hung up on the details. We let the details get in the way of the show. The audience on the other hand is perfectly happy to suspend belief and just enjoy the students creating the imaginative art of the show. In fact if you do it right, they are thrilled to see the sausage being made. We did Peter Pan with flying (hired a professional flying effects company). It was a very small stage and word got out that if you sat in the extreme house right seats you could see the parents pulling the ropes to make the kids fly. It quickly became a thing for people to return to see the show and line up early to get the worst seats so they could see how it worked!


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## RonHebbard (Jan 29, 2021)

gafftaper said:


> Yeah, one thing I've learned in educational theater is that sometimes we as the production staff get hung up on the details. We let the details get in the way of the show. The audience on the other hand is perfectly happy to suspend belief and just enjoy the students creating the imaginative art of the show. In fact if you do it right, they are thrilled to see the sausage being made. We did Peter Pan with flying (hired a professional flying effects company). It was a very small stage and word got out that if you sat in the extreme house right seats you could see the parents pulling the ropes to make the kids fly. It quickly became a thing for people to return to see the show and line up early to get the worst seats so they could see how it worked!


AND purchase more tickets / spend more money / raise more funds; many plusses. 
Toodleoo! 
Ron Hebbard


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## What Rigger? (Jan 29, 2021)

gafftaper said:


> Yeah, one thing I've learned in educational theater is that sometimes we as the production staff get hung up on the details. We let the details get in the way of the show. The audience on the other hand is perfectly happy to suspend belief and just enjoy the students creating the imaginative art of the show. In fact if you do it right, they are thrilled to see the sausage being made. We did Peter Pan with flying (hired a professional flying effects company). It was a very small stage and word got out that if you sat in the extreme house right seats you could see the parents pulling the ropes to make the kids fly. It quickly became a thing for people to return to see the show and line up early to get the worst seats so they could see how it worked!


Why don't I remember hearing about this? I'm prone to believe it's just me forgetting...but you did tell me, right?


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## TimMc (Jan 29, 2021)

What Rigger? said:


> Why don't I remember hearing about this? I'm prone to believe it's just me forgetting...but you did tell me, right?


Sometimes the fuzzy memories are better, trust me.


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## Ben Stiegler (Jan 30, 2021)

JohnD said:


> WOW! a fearless ninja dragon team. That actually sounds fun, and a great way to build team spirit and interest.


Covid distancing ... lets not put 6 kids inside a giant costume all together just yet


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## gafftaper (Jan 30, 2021)

What Rigger? said:


> Why don't I remember hearing about this? I'm prone to believe it's just me forgetting...but you did tell me, right?


I would imagine that I told you about it, but my 11th grader was in Kindergarten at the time... So ehhh what? Were you talking to me?


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## Catherder (Jan 30, 2021)

gafftaper said:


> I would imagine that I told you about it, but my 11th grader was in Kindergarten at the time... So ehhh what? Were you talking to me?


You did post about it at least. https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/flying-peter-pan.18712/#post-171188


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## What Rigger? (Feb 7, 2021)

Catherder said:


> You did post about it at least. https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/flying-peter-pan.18712/#post-171188


I forgot how long ago that was, too. Whoa.


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