While Hall had been spending 4 to 5 hours a night in his shop building Dragon, his wife, Lynda, managed to find a sponsor to help with the cost. “It’s going to take some practice,” he said.ĭragon is made from plastic foam, wood, cardboard, bike cables, fabric, acrylic coating and a plastic bag which works as the lung for the stage smoke she breathes. Hall said operating a 75-pound dragon will require a lot of upper-body strength and choreography. In the Broadway production, the dragon needed four operators, but his needs five. Hall, an architect, said the design came from looking at pictures of both the Broadway production of the play and the original movie. Her tail can wrap around Donkey’s shoulders. She can flap her wings, which have a 16-foot span, and rotate them like human arms. “Torey Routson will never be seen as the dragon, but her voice is unforgettable,” Green said. Drama director Briane Green said a senior will provide her voice. It will take five students to operate Dragon, not including her voice. She can lift her head up and down, and she can talk. “When her eyes are flowing red, it’s pretty intense,” Hall said.
Rustin Hall said they are red when she is upset, yellow normally and “green when she’s feeling love for Donkey.” Since May, she’s been a labor of love for Rustin Hall, who built Dragon with the help of his son, Joseph, a drama student his wife, Lynda and another parent, Will Mellick.ĭragon can blink and wink, and her eyes change color depending on her mood – thanks to wiring by Mellick. When University High School presents the Broadway musical of “Shrek” in December, the dragon will be one of the many highlights.
She’s the perfect woman for a talking donkey. She’s 24 feet long, weighs 75 pounds and breathes smoke.