Text on the centre-right says "Schulich Children's Plays The Hobbit". On the left, Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf stand together as they look out over the mountainous landscape before them. Bilbo is wearing a brown travelling cloak and holding a walking stick. Gandalf is wearing a tattered grey robe, large wizard's hat and is hold a large wooden staff.

Richard Lee and Tim Campbell. Photo: Dariane Sanche.

Avon Theatre

April 21 – October 23 |

Opens May 30

Family

THE HOBBIT

Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien

Adapted by Kim Selody

Licensed by Middle Earth Enterprises

Directed by Pablo Felices-Luna

Trolls, treasure and true courage

Bilbo Baggins is reluctantly swept from his cozy hobbit hole into a perilous quest across Middle-earth to help a band of dwarves reclaim their home, Lonely Mountain, from a deadly dragon. Faced with trolls, goblins and a mysterious magic ring, he discovers that true courage often lies in the most unlikely of hearts.

MEIGHEN FORUM EVENTS

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST

(he/him/il)

2026: Bilbo in The Hobbit and appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tao of the World. Second season. Stratford: Nibs in Peter Pan. Elsewhere: Bing in WIGHTS (Crow's Theatre); Ensemble in Snow in Midsummer (Shaw Festival/NAC); Orphan of Chao (Shaw Festival); Leontes in The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare in the Ruff); Richard in The Humans (Citadel Theatre/Canadian Stage); Falkor in The Neverending Story (Roseneath Theatre); Kai in acquiesce (Factory Theatre/fu-GEN Theatre). Film/TV: Law & Order Toronto: CI; Kim's Convenience; and SHORTY, a light-hearted short about being "short" in a basketball world. Awards: Dora Award Recipient - Sultans of the Street, Cinderella: A RATical Retelling (YPT); paper SERIES (Cahoots Theatre). Online: @RichardTheArtistLee. Et cetera: Richard is also a fight and movement designer, educator, and emerging filmmaker. His passion for storytelling in all forms led to the creation of Monday Nights (Theatre Centre/6th Man Collective), an interactive and immersive basketball theatre show.

2026: Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gandalf in The Hobbit and Trevor Flynn in The Tao of the World. 14th season. Stratford (selected): Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables, John Proctor in The Crucible, Chris Keller in All My Sons, Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Alcibiades in Timon of Athens, Horatio in Hamlet, Buckingham in Henry VIII. Elsewhere (selected): James Piper in Fall on your Knees (Canadian Stage/NAC/Neptune/Grand); Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C.); Victor in Private Lives (Chicago Shakespeare); Hap Loman in Death of a Salesman (Soulpepper); Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Soulpepper). Film/TV (selected): High Commander Reynolds in The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), Dave Holm in Fellow Travellers (Showtime), Leconte Bascomb in Under the Banner of Heaven (FX). Awards: Dora Award, Best Ensemble (Twelve Angry Men); recipient of the Dora Mavor Moore Guthrie Award (for outstanding contribution to the Stratford Festival).

(she/ her)

2026: Snout in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Old Took in The Hobbit and Eleanor Marwood in The Tao of the World. Sixth season. Stratford: Muriel Eubanks in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dindon in La Cage, Smee in Wendy & Peter, Annie, Man of La Mancha, A Little Night Music, Private Lives. Elsewhere: Miss Stacy in Anne, Tanya in Mamma Mia! (Charlottetown Festival); 5 Villains in the Ross Petty Pantos; Myth of the Ostrich, Take Care (Here For Now); Kate in The Wild Party, Charlotte in Falsettos (Musical Stage); Mary in Mary Poppins, Fantine in Les Mis, Original Canadian Alison in Fun Home (Arts Club); Baker's Wife in Into the Woods (Neptune); Velma in Chicago (Mayfield); Rona in Spelling Bee (Belfry); (Drayton). Online: @sjhosie. Et cetera: Check out SJ's new venture The Leonor on George Street. @theleonorongeorge.

2026: Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Thorin in The Hobbit and understudy in The Tao of the World. Fifth season. Stratford: Jaques in As You Like It, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Homecoming, Twelfth Night and Henry in Henry V. Broadway: The Lehman Trilogy, The Height of the Storm, Summer, Cabaret, Macbeth, The Farnsworth Invention, The Coast of Utopia, Julius Caesar, Henry IV, The Invention of Love. West End: The Lehman Trilogy. Off-Broadway: Coriolanus (Red Bull); Clive (the New Group). Regional: Theatre Royal Sydney, ACT, La Jolla Playhouse, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Westport, Hartford Stage, TUTS, ASF, The Old Globe. Sam Mendes's The Bridge Project. Film/TV: Fosse/Verdon; I Love You… But I Lied; Boardwalk Empire; Law & Order: SVU; Welcome to New York. Training: MFA, The Old Globe Theatre. Online: @aaronckrohn. Et cetera: Check out his band, Notes From Underground, and their EP, Rock, Pith & Brevity wherever you listen to music.

Birmingham Conservatory, 2003

2026: Second Waiter in Death of a Salesman and understudy in The Hobbit. 13th season.

(she/her)

Birmingham Conservatory, 2004/2005

2026: First Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream and understudy in The Hobbit. 18th season.
Stratford (selected): Miss Hannigan (Annie), Malvolio (Twelfth Night), Pauline (Casey and Diana), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein Revived), Emelia (Othello), Irene Malloy (Matchmaker), Mistress Page (Merry Wives of Windsor), Mrs. Darling (Peter Pan), Ashley (Virgin Trial), Chrysothemis (Elektra), Helena (Midsummer Night's…), Audrey (As You Like It), Chorus Leader (Bakkhai). Elsewhere (selected): A Doll's House (Canadian Stage); Fifteen Dogs (Mirvish/Crow's); Madam Minister (Talk Is Free); Fun Home (Mirvish/Musical Stage); A Delicate Balance, Idomeneus, The Heidi Chronicles, The Crucible, The Norman Conquests (Soulpepper); An Enemy of the People, Sextet (Tarragon); Chimerica (Canadian Stage/MTC); THIS (Canadian Stage); Top Girls (Segal Centre); 4:48 Psychosis (Necessary Angel). Awards: Dora nominee/winner; two-time Toronto Theatre Critics award winner. Film/TV: The Players (dir. Sarah Galea-Davis), The Lake, Nurses, Murdoch Mysteries, others. Et Cetera: Thank you, Bryan. Hi Jnr.

2026: Fili in The Hobbit, Millicent Tan in The Tao of the World and appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (The Citadel/Theatre Calgary); Amy in Little Women (Theatre Calgary); Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bard on the Beach); Mustard (The Arts Club/Belfry); The Brothers Paranormal, Peril in the Alps, Murder on the Links (Vertigo Theatre); Please Return to Empire Video (Lunchbox Theatre); New Canadian Kid (Green Thumb Theatre). Film/TV: Grandma Lee's Dress (CBC Gem). Video games: Melody in 1000xResist (Sunset Visitor), motion capture for K/DA at the 2020 League of Legends Opening Ceremony. Training: UBC BFA Acting, FDC Intermediate Actor Combatant. Awards: 2x Betty Mitchell Award Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble, Wesbrook Scholar, recipient of the HSBC Undergraduate Award and Stephen Woodhouse Memorial Prize. Online: @heidi.damayo. Et cetera: For all my loved ones.

Birmingham Conservatory, 2015/2016

2026: Hippolyta inA Midsummer Night's Dream and Bombur in The Hobbit. 10th season. Stratford: Psamathe, Circe in Ransacking Troy, Mattie in Wedding Band, Co-Host of Showstarters, Tituba in The Crucible, Les Belles-Soeurs, Death and the King's Horseman, The Neverending Story, As You Like It, Love's Labour's Lost, Hay Fever. Elsewhere:Ruby and the Reindeer (Here For Now); Death and the King's Horseman Radio Play (Soulpepper); Romeo & Juliet (Spontaneous Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick); five seasons with the Shaw Festival including Major Barbara, Ragtime, Born Yesterday; Binti's Journey (Theatre Direct); The Aftermath (Nightwood Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Canadian Stage). Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries, Hamlet (2022), Death and the King's Horseman, Love's Labour's Lost, Hamlet, Macbeth, Timon of Athens (STRATFEST@HOME). Training: Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre; BFA, University of Windsor. Et cetera: To my loves J, Z and S.

(he/ him)

2026: Devan Pillay in The Tao of the World and understudy in Death of a Salesman and The Hobbit. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Don John and the Sexton in Much Ado About Nothing, Sir Eglamour in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Lucio and Kevin in Measure for Measure, the Courtesan and the Second Merchant in The Comedy of Errors, Bardolph and the Dauphin in Henry V (Bard on the Beach); Ensemble and understudy in Mahabharata (Why Not Theatre); Rexy and Jason in The Legend of Georgia McBride (Arts Club Theatre). Training: University of British Columbia. Awards: The Edmund Kean Sword Award, Bard on the Beach 2022. Online: @karthik.dhananjaikadam. Et cetera: Karthik dedicates this season to the memory of his beautiful mother, Sandhya.

(he/him)

2026: Balin in The Hobbit. Jackson Lee in The Tao of the World, and appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Third season. Stratford: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Annie, Salesman in China, Romeo and Juliet. Elsewhere: Zhang Lin in Chimerica (Duceppe); Jay in Frog Song (Here For Now/Stratford Symphony); Chinatown (City Opera Vancouver); Old Man and the River (WeeFestival); The Cave (Luminato); Antonio in The Tempest (Citadel); Narrator/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods, Louis in Pal Joey, Beadle in Sweeney Todd (TIFT); Mr. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Theatre New Brunswick); Mr. Shi and His Lover (Tarragon/NAC); Boy in Blood Weddings (Modern Times/Aluna Theatre). Awards: Toronto Theatre Critics Award - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Online: derekkwan.net, @kwanzoku.

2026: Appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream and understudy in The Hobbit. Stratford debut. Elsewhere (selected): Maria in The Sound of Music, Controlled Damage (Grand Theatre); Sophie in Mamma Mia, Shrek the Musical, Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol (Neptune Theatre); April Fools (Segal Centre); Once (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Truth, Shrek the Musical (Young People's Theatre); Master and Margarita (Crow's); Buddy Holly Story, Annie (Drayton Entertainment); Almost A Full Moon in Concert (Citadel Theatre). Film: Weirdos (Lithium Studios, Canadian Screen Award Winner for Best Original Screenplay). Training: Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance, Sheridan College. Online: @leblancdominique. Et cetera: Much love to my family in Nova Scotia, my friends & the 10 team! Thank you for being the best support system. For my grandparents.

(he/they)

2026: Appears in A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tao of the World and understudy in The Hobbit. Second season. Stratford: Casey and Diana. Elsewhere: Life of Pi (Citadel/RMTC); Wicked Nix (Young People's Theatre); Fifteen Dogs (Segal Centre); No Big Deal (Roseneath Theatre); rihannaboi95 (Young People's Theatre); Concord Floral (Canadian Stage). Training: York University's Acting Conservatory. Online: @davinder.pdf. Et cetera: I'm so grateful for my family and friends, and the wonderful team at 10 Talent. All of this is a dream come true.

2026: Starveling in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bard, Gollum in The Hobbit and Wilson Wong in The Tao of the World. Second season. Stratford: Silvius in As You Like It, Hideo in Forgiveness. Elsewhere (selected): Four seasons at the Shaw Festival, title characters in Everybody and Prince Caspian; Village Wooing, Doctor's Dilemma, Victory, Cyrano...; Handsome in Snow in Midsummer (Shaw/National Arts Centre); Edgar in Lear, Demetrius in Titus Andronicus (Canadian Stage/Shakespeare in High Park); Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing, Octavius in Julius Caesar (St. Lawrence Shakespeare); Arcite in Two Noble Kinsmen, Lucio in Measure for Measure (Shakespeare BASH'd); Mowgli in The Jungle Book (Magnus); Christmas Carol (Grand); Hymn of the Weaverbird (找我劇場 ESP-I, Taiwan); Man in 彼岸 (Gateway). Writing: Translation and adaptation: The Orphan of Chao (Shaw). Film/TV: What We Do in the Shadows (FX). Awards: Dora nominee; Maureen Forrester Award (Stratford); Saunderson Award (Shaw). Online: @michaelman1n.

(he/him)

2026: Bernard in Death of a Salesman and understudy in The Hobbit. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in The Mountaintop (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre); Narrator/Mysterious Man in Into the Woods (RMTC); Caliban in The Tempest (Citadel Theatre); MacDuff in Macbeth (Shakespeare in the Ruins); Othello in Othello (Beau/Echo/Raven); Calpurnia (RMTC/NAC); The Whipping Man (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre); The Brothers Paranormal (Vertigo Theatre). Directing: King James (RMTC); Velveteen Rabbit, Billie and The Moon (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Hedda Gabler (Echo Theatre). Film/TV: Recurring - The Porter (CBC/BET); Vandits (5'7 Films); Violent Night (Universal Pictures). Training: Black Hole Theatre Company; Citadel/Banff Centre. Awards: Winnipeg Theatre Award winner; Sterling, and ACTRA award nominee. Online: @raystrachanacts. Et cetera: Love to Mom, Dad, Gerls. Big hugs Zaydie.

(she/her)

2026: Kili in The Hobbit, Anna in The Tao of the World and understudy in Death of a Salesman. Fourth season. Stratford: Anne of Green Gables, Forgiveness, Get That Hope, Les Belles-Soeurs, King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing. Elsewhere (selected): Rapunzel (Capitol Theatre); POTUS (Segal); Wedding at Aulis, Animal Farm, Alligator Pie, As You Like It, Threepenny Opera, The Time of Your Life (Soulpepper); James and the Giant Peach, Hana's Suitcase, Seussical the Musical, A Year With Frog and Toad, Blue Planet (YPT); Vietgone, Top Girls, My Fair Lady (RMTC). Film/TV: The Understudy (Stratford Festival/Paunch Pictures), Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), DeSync (Sheridan). Voiceover: Hyperscape (Ubisoft), Stillwater School for Mosquitoes (Bad Hats/The Mulligans). Awards: Guthrie Award (2023 Elliot Hayes Playwright Development Fund). Online: Instagram: @jennifer_villaverde. Training: B.A. Theatre - Honours, University of Winnipeg; Soulpepper Academy (2006-2008). Et cetera: Jennifer is a proud hockey mom - Go, Aces!

CREATIVE

(he/him)

2026: Director of The Hobbit. Stratford debut. Elsewhere: Gather, MTYP's Midwinter Mosey, A Year with Frog and Toad, A Charlie Brown Double Bill, The House at Pooh Corner (MTYP); Peg and the Yeti, Dib and Dob and the Journey Home, The Forest in My Room, Water Under the Bridge, Spelling 2-5-5, Here to Hear, The Remarkable Flight of Marnie McPhee, There's a Mouse in My House, The Big League, Bluenose, The Invisible Girl (Carousel Players); Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre). Training: York University, University of Victoria, Cuatrotablas (Perú). Et cetera: Pablo is the artistic director of Manitoba Theatre for Young People. Un millón de gracias a mi familia (Carrie, Emi, Ale, Isa), and to Antoni and the Stratford Festival team for making this adventure into Middle earth possible.