Ospreys Journey to Middle Earth in Troupe 1096’s The Hobbit
Rilee Lytle ‘25, Animas Quill
Durango High School's Troupe 1096 opens its season today, Friday, November 3 with The Hobbit, a reimagined stage version of JRR Tolkien’s classic book. This one is a must-see for the AHS community, as three AHS Ospreys have lead roles in the play. Juniors Savannah Rickerman and Cecil Hutt are playing two of the dwarves at the center of the adventure, and our very own sophomore Luca Sandoval McCallum is featured as the central character, hobbit Bilbo Baggins.
The Hobbit is set in the fantasy world of Middle Earth, live on stage, as our protagonist Bilbo takes the audience on an epic, magical adventure. The story starts when Bilbo is summoned by the wizard Gandalf to leave his home along with a band of dwarves on a quest to recover their stolen treasure. He encounters many obstacles along the way culminating in the legendary battle with the evil dragon, Smaug.
These Ospreys have taken lots of time to perfect their characters and find what works for them. Luca, who has been doing theatre since 4th grade, is finding great joy in playing a hobbit, a role that comes pretty naturally to him. He shared how his character relates to him: “Lots of people but mainly my mom was the first person to tell me that I pretty much look like a hobbit. So I look like the character but he also really loves food. And I really love food. So we have certain attributes that we share. And also I love the story of The Hobbit.”
Cecil Hutt, who started theatre more recently when they joined Troupe 1096 as a freshperson, is playing the confident dwarf Gloin in the show. They explained, “My strength would definitely be connecting with the characters and actually being able to have fun on stage as I don’t get typical stage fright. My adrenaline comes from stage excitement. But my weaknesses are definitely embodying the character. I can connect to them but actually embodying them is harder for me.” Despite the challenge, Cecil is thriving in the role: “I feel like the character sort of is like me in the way of they’re trying their best to stay alive and try to deal with situations competently.”
Junior Savannah Rickerman, who transferred to AHS just this year, is playing the dwarf Bofur. Savannah has been part of Troupe 1096 since ninth grade. She reflected on her connection with her role: “My character is definitely a guy but he has chronically girly behavior. And [he] never knows what’s happening [and] I am always making people laugh which is like a thing I like to do. I'm very comedic and I enjoy making people laugh and smile.”
These Ospreys have taken a lot of time out of their personal lives to make the show a reality. They travel between schools to be a part of this play and have to balance their work and extracurricular lives to make it a reality. Luca explained, “The transport between DHS and here, that’s a difficult part sometimes to find a ride really quickly. But other than that, I’m friends with a lot of people between both schools, so it’s never been too difficult to balance. I mean it’s always been easy to balance because it’s comfortable here and comfortable there. It’s like another home.”
Audiences can expect a fun, heartwarming, and adventure-filled show. Tickets are on sale now on the Troupe 1096 website. Break some legs, Ospreys!
Showtimes:
Friday, November 3, 2023 - 07:00 PM MDT
Saturday, November 4, 2023 - 02:00 PM MDT
Saturday, November 4, 2023 - 07:00 PM MDT
Thursday, November 9, 2023 - 07:00 PM MDT
Friday, November 10, 2023 - 07:00 PM MDT
Saturday, November 11, 2023 - 02:00 PM MDT
Saturday, November 11, 2023 - 07:00 PM MDT
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