Funding adds fire to Shrek The Musical

Meet Scarlet, the eight metre long, three and a half metre tall, ‘fire’ breathing, soul singing dragon who dropped into the Mary Poppins Festival and then won over audiences when Macabre Theatre Company brought Shrek the Musical to the Brolga Theatre stage in October. 
The performance saw over 50 local actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, technicians, musicians, costume designers, artists and puppeteers work together to entertain spectators with the musical version of the popular DreamWorks film, Shrek.

Scarlet is brought to life on stage by four puppeteers and the voice of Sarah Booker, but the true feat was the construction of the giant puppet. Created by Matthew King, Sonya Cooper and Marjolijn Dudgeon over a period of eight weeks and multiple workshops, Scarlet’s main body is formed with compressed EVA foam with the outside shell created from a calico and glue mixture. She has handmade latex scales and her head, hands and feet were crafted and carved by sculptor Sonya Cooper.

Director of Macabre Theatre Company, Matthew King enjoyed the challenge of creating Scarlet, “We had to develop some skills and some styles of artistry that we’ve never used before,” he said. The team received a Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grant to help finance the education and resources required to bring the giant puppet to life. “We were very fortunate to receive funds to actually pay to create Scarlet.” 

The significance of RADF can never be underestimated. It is a vital program to help develop and support the exceptional artists we have in our community. – Matthew King, Director, Macabre Theatre Company

The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership between Queensland Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council. Applications are now open for RADF funding. You can find out more here.