OCC Theater Dept. Brings "The Hobbit" to Life with Puppets, Live Action

Orange Coast College’s department of theatre arts will stage of production of JRR Tolkien’s classic tale “The Hobbit” on July 15–17 and 22–24. Performances will take place in the College’s Drama Lab Theatre, with Friday and Saturday showings at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinee shows at 2:30 p.m.

OCC’s production will employ the use of live action and puppets to tell the tale of Bilbo Baggins and his journey through Middle Earth. Student actors Joey Hobby and Preston McFadden will play Gandalf and Bilbo, respectively. Characters, such as the powerful dragon Smaug and the eight-foot-tall trolls, will be portrayed using shadow puppets, and the mysterious creature Gollum will be played by student actor Brian Soto, who will use a bunraku puppet, similar to puppets seen in productions of “The Lion King.”

“Gollum is a bunraku puppet where the puppeteer is visible to the audience and standing behind the puppet,” explains Director David Scaglione. “ Parts of [The Hobbit] were off limits to theatre for a long time because the actions in the book are too hard to portray on stage, but using puppets has liberated that part of the book for stage.”

The play is geared toward people of all ages, and Scaglione encourages parents to bring their children. “ I think this type of storytelling is very interesting to watch and offers a unique experience for the whole family this summer,” he says.

Campus parking is free on weekends and theatre-goers are encouraged to park in Lots C or D off Fairview Road and Arlington Way. Presale tickets for “The Hobbit” are $7 and can be purchased by visiting www.occtickets.com or calling (714) 432-5880. Tickets also are available at the door for $9. Tickets for students, seniors and children are $5 in advance and $7 at the door.