My first visit to the cast of The Hobbit!

Today we discussed some very exciting ideas!

Not only did we discuss the story of the novel and the plot of the production we are working on, but we also talked about J.R.R. Tolkien himself and how The Hobbit came to be! It was very exciting to see how enthusiastic everyone was in helping tell the story of little Bilbo Baggins. Especially so early on in the rehearsal process, I know that such positive energy will be a major key in telling this exciting tale... eventually for an audience!

Near the end of our discussion, we talked about some major themes in The Hobbit. We decided that a theme is an idea or message that we find in the text of the book and/or play; the theme can be a lesson that the author wants to teach, or perhaps just something for a spectator (reader or audience member) to walk away thinking about. There can be many themes in a story -- we certainly found a few! -- and we can assume Tolkien thought about these themes as he wrote The Hobbit.

What were some themes we discussed? Can you remember!?

Well...

1. Size doesn't matter! It doesn't matter how small Bilbo Baggins is compared to his friends, he achieves such amazing things! Often times, he is a hero in our story, and his friends (and maybe even enemies) learn to eventually respect him for his heroicism and huge heart! To directly apply this theme to theatre, we recalled a famous saying, "There are no small parts, only small actors!" This quote accurately reminds us that each and every role in theatre is very important! Each character is integral (very important!) to the plot. Just like Bilbo, no matter how small you feel... you are capable of enormous things!
2. You can't put a price on friendship. We know that Bilbo sometimes has a difficult time earning respect from other characters, particularly the Dwarfs at first. Nevertheless, Bilbo stays true to himself (brave, courageous, kind) and treats other with the respect he feels he deserves. Eventually, Bilbo receives respect and gains valuable friends throughout his journey. At the very end of our story, Tolkien describes how important and valuable friendship is, as Bilbo and Thorin become friends. Bilbo even rejects treasure because it is no compensation for the loss of his friend.

These are the main themes we talked about! Am I missing anything else? You should definitely discuss the exciting happenings of Middle Earth with your families, cast mates, director, and me!

Hopefully I'll see you all soon! Your read through sounded great! I can't wait to see even more when I visit next time!