WHAT:

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to announce the production of The Hobbit, based on the beloved novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, running from March 12 through April 14, 2019, adapted for the stage and directed by Greg Banks, with music by Thomas Johnson. The cast for this new, nimble ensemble play includes Joy Dolo (Gandalf, Bombur, Troll, Gollum, Elven King, Ensemble), H. Adam Harris (Kili, Troll, Smaug, Ensemble), Becca Hart (Balin, Troll, Bard, Ensemble), Acting Company member Dean Holt (Bilbo Baggins), and Acting Company Member Reed Sigmund (Dwalin, Thorin, Spider, Ensemble) with Victor Zupanc and Bill Olson as the onstage musicians. Multiple special event nights are listed below.

ABOUT:

Our unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, would much rather be sitting in his cozy Hobbit Hole with a cup of tea and a plate of bacon and eggs. However, he somehow finds himself on a magically mystical adventure. Staged with speed and surprises, you’ll be delighted as things change before your very eyes. Discover what happens as Bilbo travels on an epic journey over freezing mountains and a frightening forest, meeting all sorts of fierce creatures—some who want to eat him, others who turn into dear friends. This production is proudly sponsored by Delta Air Lines. Additional support provided by Piper Jaffray.

“My particular challenge in adapting the story has been to capture the vast scale of the adventure they embark upon in order to find justice and to reclaim what is rightfully theirs,” stated Playwright/Director Greg Banks. “The Hobbit speaks of issues that have enormous resonance today. Bilbo Baggins, our reluctant hero, is encouraged to step outside of his comfortable life in order to help others who have lost everything. To lead a band of Dwarves who have had their homeland, their way of life, and their wealth, taken from them—this is a scenario that we see echoed around the world today. I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I have, whilst adapting and directing this extraordinary story.”

“The Hobbit is about finding the love of adventure and the hero within yourself,” stated CTC Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius. “We see what it means for Bilbo Baggins to go from a nice quiet comfortable life to finding that courage to lead an expedition to fight a dragon and restore what is rightfully another’s. Equally critical is learning how once you have won that fight and recaptured the treasure to have greed and selfishness take over. It asks us what it means to be true to our core values.”

THEMES:

Heroism; adventure; greed; leaving your comfort zone to help others; fantasy; literature; music.

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC)

CTC is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire for more than 295,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony® nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC’s engagement and learning programs annually serve more than 93,000 young people and their communities through Theatre Arts Training, student matinees, Neighborhood Bridges, and early childhood arts education programs. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org