The Lord of the Rings on the stage

The approach taken to create Orcs for a stage production was very different to that for the original films. Although influences and references were taken from the films, set and costume designer Rob Howell had very strong ideas about how he wanted the characters to look.

Another very important consideration when creating a character for stage is the type of materials used that will be comfortable and work for purpose. In this instance the costume department made the potentially unusual decision to create prosthetic facial masks using leather! The reasons for this decision was that it kept its shape whilst still giving some flexibility, as it was a natural material it had some permeability and was breathable and comfortable for the actor to wear. Rob Howell commented,

"Using these materials also means that when we repeat-mould the face masks we can get an almost infinite number of variations out of just three or four different face moulds, merely by laying the leather in with different creases and twists and stitching it together in different ways."

Rob also made the decision to give all of the Orc characters a steel mouth brace that would pull their mouths back to reveal bright yellow teeth and blackened gums. They also wore body suits that were built up at the shoulders to give them their distinctive shape. All of the Orcs had helmets, armour and weaponry that was all cast out of urethane in order for it to remain lightweight and easy for the cast to perform in.