The Steinbach Regional Secondary School is excited to bring the classic tale of The Hobbit to the stage this week.

Naomi Stobbe is the SRSS Drama Teacher and Director of The Hobbit. She says this production has been a huge team effort including amazing sets and props designed by the Art Teacher Neil Klassen and the whole art department and the construction department. She adds the actors themselves have also been heavily involved in every aspect of the production.

Students have put many hours into perfecting the costumes for The Hobbit"The kids have really gotten into it. They are beginning to understand that the culture has changed, you no longer get to be an actor and waltz on stage and you don't get everything handed to you. They have built props, they have built gold hills, they have been painting, they have been creating these big caves, they have built goblin masks, they have created huge troll masks, the students have gathered all of their costumes."

Stobbe says the production is a credit this year which means they have had an extra hour every day to work on the play in addition to after-school rehearsals.

Emily Moule is playing Bilbo Baggins. She says putting a classic story like The Hobbit on stage is not easy but the cast is up to the task.

"We are a cast of over 30, everyone has been working so hard, the cast is so talented and everyone working on the play is unbelievably talented. We have really grown to be a family which is nice. I think we are really enjoying what we do but there is a bit of pressure, we try to just have fun."

Grade 12 student Andrew Wiebe says it was a dream come true to be cast in the role of Gandalf.

"I really enjoy going into the history and the lore of Lord of the Rings so doing that I was able to go into the books and get into the core of the character. I went really in depth and it was really cool finding all of the small details of my character."

Wiebe says it was a challenge to bring such a large story to the stage, but he believes it has turned into a really exciting play.

The Hobbit opens on Wednesday night at the SRSS Theatre and will wrap up on Saturday.