The Hobbit
By Edward Mast. Adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel.
Product Code: H37000
Full-length Play
Drama
Cast size: 10 to 29m.
No Livestream or Record and Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold in the following countries:
United States
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
This 60-minute adaptation of Tolkien’s classic novel, designed for theatres of all sizes, is a suspenseful, fast-paced journey through the sometimes dark, sometimes charming, always compelling world of Middle Earth. Bilbo Baggins is a comfortably well-off hobbit with a love for rousing adventure stories. Real adventures, however, are definitely not his cup of tea. So when Gandalf the wizard knocks at Bilbo’s door, bringing with him Thorin Oakenshield, 11 ragged looking dwarfs and a contract for an adventure to recover the lost treasure of Lonely Mountain, Bilbo could not be less interested—at first. But Bilbo’s love of a good story gets the better of him, and before he knows it, he is off on a perilous quest over mountain and under hill through caves and forest and slimy dark places.
Notes
No Livestream or Record and Stream Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code H37000
- Minimum Cast Size 10
- Pages of Dialogue 48
- Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 60 min
- Staging Unit set.
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group Middle School | High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871295897
Customer Reviews
The Hobbit is such a great ensemble show, I definitely recommend using a smaller cast if possible.
Wonderful show, with lots of opportunity for fun and magic.
This adaptation of The Hobbit was perfect for my high school students. The flexible casting (both in size and gender) as well as the abridged length were great. I also found the adaptation very flexible in terms of staging - our budget was low but the script supported our minimalist sets and costumes. I'd recommend to any high school program!
Full of action, although much of the story is omitted for lack of time. The Gollum scene was excellent.
Our children and youth audiences and actors adored the play. Mast adapts the story into a marvelous adventure, filled with the spirit of Tolkien's work and with strong themes about pride and forgiveness.
It was a visceral and wonderful experience!
The small roles are perfect for students splitting their time between sports and drama club. They really enjoyed being "dancers" who pantomimed all the narrated stories, giving them life and keeping the interest of our audiences.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
... It's a LOT to pack in to a one act. I would not recommend trying to do it in less than the allotted time, and you may want to expect more ... I definitely recommend putting the wizard and humans on raised footwear (we used 2' stilts). The visual differentiation in species height really takes the show to the next level (pun intended).
We used scaffolding for the rock ledges, just be sure to lock the wheels.
We focused on costumes rather than sets. We had Bilbo's door, but most of the other sets were minimal. Smaug was a cut-out insulation board with red lights reflected off the wall behind it. A very cool effect!
Media Reviews
"Mast does an admirable job of transferring Tolkien's classic tale of dwarfs, magicians and dragons in Middle Earth to the stage and offers plenty of well-crafted dialogue for actors to have their way with." -Kansas City StarProduction Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Norman High School | Mooresville | NC | 04/14/2025 | 04/14/2025 |
| Belmont Classical Academy | American Fork | UT | 05/02/2025 | 05/03/2025 |
| Fairmont Catholic Middle School | Fairmont | WV | 05/10/2025 | 05/10/2025 |
| California State University-Northridge Campus Theatre | Northridge | CA | 07/03/2025 | 07/18/2025 |
| STAGES Youth Theater | Portland | ME | 08/22/2025 | 08/23/2025 |
| ARIEL Theatrical | Salinas | CA | 10/03/2025 | 10/11/2025 |
| Raleigh Little Theatre | Raleigh | NC | 04/01/2026 | 04/17/2026 |
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
Poster Suggestions
- Each poster includes a text box which allows you to customize it with your production information. Once a poster has been opened, position your mouse over the lower third portion until you see a label with instructions on entering your production information. Use the Text Select Tool to customize your poster.
- You can print the poster in its original format and hand write your information.
- Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
Gallery
The Hobbit - TEACH Drama Group, Baldwin, KS
The Hobbit (Mast) - Lake Belton High School, Belton, TX
Also By These Authors
Amanda DeHahn, The Theatre Project, Brunswick, Maine