CANTON - OH, The Players Guild Theatre announces upcoming auditions for the Downstage production, THE HOBBIT. Based on the richly-detailed fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, THE HOBBIT tells the tale of a young and reluctant hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who leaves his home and sets off with a band of adventurers to slay a dragon and recover an enormous treasure. Along the way he encounters trolls, elves, goblins and a host of other fantasy characters. Told with wit and humor, THE HOBBIT is sure to please and engage audiences. Under the direction of Micah Harvey, the Players Guild is seeking to cast between 6-8 actors in a technically dense production with in a touching personal story of a hobbit going against a seemingly impossible task. Given the small number of actors who will be playing multiple roles, everyone will have a lot of stage time. *All roles are available and non-traditional casting will be considered for all roles*. Those available roles include: Bilbo- Male/ Female 15+: A hobbit who is stuck in his ways with his life. Character has a dry humor about him with a hidden sense of courage. Thorin- Male 19+: A dwarf who is the most stubborn of the characters. Very blind in his vision of what he wants yet has a hidden sensitivity. Gandalf- Male 40+: A wise wizard who offers insight and is the one really keeping this journey on course. Elrond- Male/Female 20+: A elf-friend who must present nobility, grace, and wisdom. Gollum- Male/Female 20+: A character that was once a hobbit, who has now been eaten away both mentally and physically by their addiction to a ring of power. Lord of the Eagles- Male 20+: A regal strong man who has a powerful connection with birds and winged creatures. Beorn- Male 20+: A shape shifter who moves between man and bear. Character must have power and strength. Bard- Male 20: A man who has seen hard times, and is captain of the guard. Character must have a sense of ruggedness. Master of Esgaroth- Male 20+: A weasel of a man who has somehow come into power though it is not deserved. Smaug- Male/Female Any Age: The dragon who guards the treasure. Auditions will be held at the Players Guild Theatre located in the Cultural Center for the Arts, 1001 Market Ave N., Canton, on Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16, from 6:30 – 9:00 PM. Interested parties who are 15 years of age or older, should sign up for a time slot by filling out the available online form at www.playersguildtheatre.com. Walk-ins are permitted and will be accommodated for the first available time slot. Since over half the cast will be playing multiple characters we ask everyone to please prepare a 60-90 second monologue in two different styles. The first style should be a natural speaking tone while the second should be a character with a large personality of your choosing. Additionally, actors are asked to bring a current photo or headshot (and resume if available, but not required) with them to their audition. Principal callbacks are scheduled to be held on Thursday, February 18, beginning at 6:30 PM. The cast meet & greet and read thru will be held on Sunday, February 21 at 7:00 PM, and rehearsals will run Sunday - Thursday evenings from 7-10pm. This W.G. Fry Theatre production is scheduled to open on Friday, April 8, 2016 and will run through Sunday, April 24, 2016 with Friday performances at 7:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. In addition there is one scheduled school matinee performance on the following date, Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00 AM. Please note, in order to accommodate the booked school matinee, the production will be moved from the W.G.Fry Theater to the Mainstage Theater for that performance only. # # # #