On Friday 7th and Saturday 8th September, a production of The Hobbit will be performed in Canowindra. This will be the 22nd “Beanshed” production, the Canowindra Beanshed plays were begun by Katrina Walker around 25 years ago and for a time were literally performed in a bean processing shed!
In 2017, this tradition transformed into the “Canowindra Beanshed Drama School” run by Nerida Cuddy, providing weekly drama lessons for about 25 students from Year 2 to Year 10.
Now these students are keen to put all those lessons into practise with a production of The Hobbit. Incidentally, The Hobbit was performed once before in Canowindra, in 2002, which means that many of the original actors are now adults, some of whom have become professional musicians or
drama teachers.
The Hobbit is a fun adventure story, based on the hazardous journey of an unlikely hero, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who along with Gandalf the Wizard, and a group of Dwarves seeking to reclaim their ancestral fortune, meets giant spiders, trolls, elves, goblins and even a dangerous fire-breathing dragon along the way!
The play includes original songs and music by several past and present Canowindra residents, backdrop artwork by the drama school students, and a range of colourful costumes and props made by parents of the cast.
Along with a local schools’ session, the play will be performed for the public on Friday night, September 7th, at 7pm, and Saturday afternoon, September 8th at 3pm. Admission is $5 adult, $2 child and $10 family. All takings from these performances will go towards assisting local students in their efforts in the dramatic arts. Tickets are available at the door of the Age Of Fishes Museum, or at Perennialle Plants in Rodd St on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Any enquiries, please call Nerida on 0429 048 603.