Even if you’ve never read the best-selling books or blockbuster movies, you will still get to know Bilbo Baggins well through his onstage adventures in Steel Beam Theatre’s “The Hobbit.”
“If you have never seen ‘The Hobbit,’ you’re going to meet a Hobbit who is neat and used to having things nice and tidy, and is very simple,” Director Lori Holm said. “And he likes it that way.”
But soon, she said, he finds himself drawn into a challenge that is “going to change him for the rest of his life.”
The tale of Bilbo will be told when “The Hobbit” opens Saturday at Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles. The youth stage production runs through Feb. 21. Performances are at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Feb. 13 and 20; 1 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21 and at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19.
In the play, the conservative Bilbo is asked to be chief robber in a quest to recover treasure from the dragon, Smaug. The stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is a condensed version, written by playwright Edward Mast.
“He was a school teacher and he wanted to adapt Tolkien’s work so he could introduce it to students,” Holm said. “It was something that could be used to get the kids into Tolkien.”
The cast features 20 children, ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old.
“It’s very much an ensemble piece,” said Holm. “Many of the actors are playing multiple roles.”
The students, many from throughout the surrounding area, auditioned in December, and began rehearsals in January.
More Top Picks Leau Dissey Pour Homme Issey Miyake For Men
“This is a dynamite group of kids. They’ve done their homework, and there’s been collaboration on their parts,” said Holm, who is also the theatre education coordinator at Steel Beam. “I love being able to collaborate with young people like that because they are able to take ownership in the production.”
While some of the cast members are appearing on stage for the first time, there are others who have “real nice resumes performing throughout the area,” she said.
“It’s really been wonderful to watch some of the older actors with experience to act as mentors to some of our younger kids,” she said.
Because the play is a condensed version of the story, it runs a little more than an hour, with intermission.
“The action moves very quickly,” Holm said.
And while audience members may be familiar with the recent hit movie versions of Tolkien’s story, it won’t be exactly the same. “Some things will be familiar, because we want to pay homage,” said Holm, who is a fan of Tolkien. But Steel Beam is telling the story in its own way to express the story from its perspective, she said.
“Again, that ownership comes into play,” she said. It’s been fun, she said, to create something that’s a little different. Among the ways the production differs is the music used, Holm said.
“The music that I’m tying in, is not what people have been used to,” Holm said. “I’m going with somewhat of a heavy twist.”
There are also a lot of female actors in the play, she said.
“That is a pretty wonderful thing to see,” Holm said. “There are so many young female actors that came out and said ‘I am a fan of the work and I want to be a part of it.’ It’s a delight to have that happen.”
Batavia resident Holm, who is celebrating her ninth anniversary at Steel Beam, said the production is trying a few things to help create the right setting for “The Hobbit.”
“We’re going to make full use of the theater,” Holm said. “That means having actors in costume in the audience at times.” It also includes voice work to help convey the character of Smaug.
“I’m most excited with the fact that we can introduce a dragon on stage in the live theater,” Holm said. “We are not going to have person per se in costume as the dragon.” Instead, the cast and crew are creating a vision of the dragon through some slight tech tricks.
“We’re playing with it,” she said.
The use of movement, the voice work and the sense of the unexpected all come into play, she said.
“His presence will absolutely be known,” she said.
Kathy Cichon is a freelance writer.
‘The Hobbit’
When: Feb. 13-21
Where: Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $15 adults; $10 children under 18
Information: 630-587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com
More Top Picks Irlen Syndrome In Gifted Students Who Hate Reading