Oregon Children's Theatre Presents DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

Oregon Children's Theatre (OCT), Oregon's largest non-profit professional theater for young audiences, will start the year off strong with Dragons Love Tacos, opening in January 2020 at the Newmark Theatre.

Based on the New York Times best-selling children's book by Adam Rubin, the story tells a simple tale of a young boy and his dog who encounter a quartet of dancing dragons. Each one has its own unique style and personality, but they all have one thing in common: they're hungry! This hilarious, dance-filled journey into the field of "Dragonology" is equal parts ridiculous and delicious, and has all the ingredients for a fantastic time.

"This show is going to be a blast," says Marcella Crowson, Interim Artistic Director at OCT. "The book has long been a huge hit with families, and the artistic team has come up with some ingenious solutions to the challenge of bringing four taco-loving dragons to life on stage."

Costume designer Sydney Dufka has used her creative ingenuity to rethink the dragon costumes, working closely with artists Shannon Cramer and Harlan Whitman from Skilled Artists Support Services (SASS) in the fabrication process. The scale of the dragons will be supersized and innovative, including a creative design that is compatible with one of the actors who will perform in their wheelchair. "As a team, we wanted to stay true to the original illustrations while adding some wild unique creature details," Dufka explains, "so I focused on taking advantage of the shapes in ways that our actors would be able to use on stage. For example, when I first started sketching ideas on paper, I realized the sheer size of the Red Dragon would determine the scale of all the costumes. When you look at the book illustrations, you notice the length and long neck of the Red Dragon. This meant we had to determine a way to translate my sketches into a lightweight costume that extended well past the size of a typical human! It was exciting to work with our team to determine how to build a costume of that size that did not inhibit the actor's movement."

The performance features two child performers-Luke Alden and Phillip Wells-rotating in the leading role of the Boy. His canine companion Leroy is portrayed by Ashley Mellinger. The dragon ensemble includes Celia Castillo-Torres, Peyton McCandless, Tess Raunig, and Raphael Likes. Justin Charles portrays the "Man in the Suit," a mysterious character who introduces the boy to the field of Dragonology and sets the story into motion.

The creative team includes Jessica Wallenfels (Director), Maria Tucker (Choreographer), Emily Trimble (Stage Manager), Emily Wilken (Scenic Designer), Sydney Dufka (Costume Designer), Shannon Cramer (Props Master), Jennifer Lin (Lighting Designer), Rory Breshears (Sound Designer), and Ian Anderson-Priddy (Production Electrician).

Tickets are on sale now, starting at $15 with group rates available. To purchase or learn more, call the box office at 503-228-9571 or visit www.octc.org