Broken Box Theatre Company’s performance of “The Hobbit” ran from Nov. 2 to Nov. 4, marking the Los Altos High School theatre class’s first play of the year.
In the show, the main character Bilbo Baggins embarks on an adventure to recover lost treasure with twelve dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf. In his journey, he discovers a ring that makes him invisible and uses it to get him and his friends out of conflicts. The show kept audience members entertained with well-timed jokes and intricate sets.
“I did like the chemistry that the actors had, and you can tell that they’re a really close group,” audience member and freshman Mazie Reidy said. “I really liked the costumes and sets. I thought they were very well done.”
Each Broken Box member played a different role, which ranged from acting onstage to working behind the scenes in the tech crew.
“Everyone’s really supportive and really helpful … even if you’re struggling, there’s always a way for you to get help,” said sophomore Sophie Yung, who played an elf. “I think that helps a lot with adapting to the culture of Broken Box.”
Still, members of the production team felt their fair share of stress behind the scenes. The play included many props, and there was a narrow time window to create all of them. Sickness and misplaced props added to the struggle.
“I had to scramble to find ways to cover for sick students,” theater teacher Lisa Battle wrote in an email. “We had at least seven students miss part of tech rehearsal which has never happened before. It made the whole process super stressful, but I think that the class came together to help cover and make it happen.”
Other classes helped with creating larger props, such as the door at the start of the play and the antagonist dragon at the end. Sophomore Kaiden Luis, who played the main character Bilbo Baggins, said it was exciting to collaborate with others on the play.
“We got to work with the fabrication class,” Luis said. “They helped us with the door and Smaug the dragon, which was really cool. We were very excited to see how they turned out, and they turned out amazing.”
Despite the many hiccups the class faced while making the play, Yung said that being able to step out of her comfort zone on stage with her peers made the whole process worth it.
“I felt strong and confident every night that I went out there on that stage with my peers,” Luis said. “The chemistry that my character had with other characters was there. We’re all dedicated to whatever part we’re bringing into the show whether it’s set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, sound or actors.”
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Muy Bien!