If you’ve ever wanted to visit Middle Earth, now’s your chance. A theatrical adaptation of The Hobbit is coming to the Yukon Arts Centre this October, just as soon as YAC finds its Bilbo. And its Gandalf, Gollum, Elven King, various trolls, goblins and, well, you get the picture. If you think you’ve also got the chops, YAC is holding auditions for each of these roles on April 17 and 18. What do wizard chops even look like? You, says Katelyn Morishita, who’s stage directing the play and will be on hand for the April auditions.
“Most people in auditions are trying to figure out what the team wants and are tweaking their audition to find out what that is,” says Morishita, who lives in Calgary. “But I actually just want you to bring yourself forward because that’s what I want to work with … be bold and be brave.”
That attitude is why Casey Prescott, CEO of YAC, wanted Morishita for the production.
“We’re not trying to replicate the movies,” says Prescott. “The construct of the story is to be as fluid as possible and to make it its own experience.” At the same time, Prescott recognizes that the world J.R.R. Tolkien built is as much a part of the tale as the dialogue and plot. Every dragon, every beast, every Mirkwoodian tree and giant spider has to do its job in bringing that world to life. Knowing Morishita from her previous work in the North (she directed Anastasia with the Yukon Theatre for Young People in 2025), Prescott believes she has the competence, efficiency, organization and vision to build a complete roadmap that will get the production where it needs to be.
It’s about finding friendship you think you would never find and finding what you need in the moments you least expect it.”
They’re already working with great source material. The play, adapted by Canadian playwright Kim Selody from J.R.R Tolkien’s 1937 novel, will cast eight Yukoners in 26 roles. Each actor, other than those playing Bilbo and Thorin, will take on multiple characters for each performance.
Casting will be gender and race-blind. Part of the reason for this is Prescott doesn’t want to see anyone self-selecting out of getting involved. He says the arts community in the Yukon is already pretty insular. If you spend any time going to plays, you’ll often recognize the people onstage from previous productions you’ve seen.
With The Hobbit, YAC’s first-ever in-house production, the Arts Centre wants to connect with new people in the community. It’s important to always be looking for ways to welcome people into the arts world, Prescott says.
The Hobbit is a great way to do it because the book is hugely popular outside theatre circles and the movies have breathed even more life into it in recent decades. People already know and love this world and these characters. They won’t shy away from it the same way they might with a more classical piece of theatre.
It’s also a universally relatable story, says Morishita.
“It’s about finding friendship you think you would never find and finding what you need in the moments you least expect it,” she says. Sure, you could go off in search of a dragon on your own, but it’ll be a lot harder that way. Wouldn’t it actually be a good thing to ask your friends for help?
Prescott agrees. When you look at the enduring appeal of Tolkien’s work, you get right to the root of what makes a story timeless. This is one of few stories out there that a kid can talk about with a grandparent and both parties have the same wonder, understanding and points of reference. Everyone knows—this is about a journey and this is about kinship.
The deadline to express an interest is April 10. Click HERE for more information and contact info to send resume and headshot.
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