Interview: Reed Sigmund of THE HOBBIT at The Zephyr Theatre
On stage Saturday, August 1st, 2026.
It is not every day that theaters are willing to be extremely innovative to break the mold on traditionally mounted theater. Lucky for Twin Cities audiences, The Zephyr Theatre in Stillwater is filling that void. Broadway World caught up with Artistic Director and director of their newest venture, The Hobbit, Reed Sigmund for an exciting conversation about the process of bringing out-of-the-box experiences to life. As well as, what inspired their choice to mount The Hobbit in an actual apple orchard, plus how the team at the Zephyr is bringing this storied tale to life in fresh new ways!
In the summer of 2025, we met up with Sigmund as he was getting ready to present Zephyr’s outdoor production to the world and he was simply planning the role of director. Since then, he has assumed the role of Artistic Director. We asked Sigmund how he was adjusting to the change:
RS: “I was previously the director of education and after directing Robin Hood, a conversation arose of how the organization could grow. We knew that we still needed the focus on education and programming to match that vision. I had a great time directing, so I thought, ‘let’s see where this goes’. One particular thing I hadn't done before was to pick a season, so that was an exciting venture. I definitely take the responsibility of leading very seriously.”
When asked what his goal was in choosing a season for Zephyr, he thoughtfully responded:
RS: “I like to ask the “Why”? Why does this show matter? Why The Hobbit? Do we have something to say? Is it entertaining? Can we inspire and learn from this? To me, it checked all the boxes.
Zephyr’s mission is to always create pieces for the community but more so to create pieces WITH the community as we have no buildings of our own. So we look to the spaces around us and how we can incorporate those into our shows.
We are constantly asking, how does the set act as a character for the piece? How can we fully embrace a location? We want audiences to come and see parts of Stillwater they haven’t before and perhaps see familiar places in a different light.
Especially with this piece, we wanted to embrace nature: the beauty and power of it and to show that it is worth preserving and protecting. Not to mention, it adds an ambiance to the piece that other productions haven’t had the ability to include.
While we see a lot of theaters using elements of cinema, whether it is using projections or flashy effects, it can pull the audience away from the central themes of a piece. We lose that live aspect in a way, but with our pieces, there are no high-tech effects; it is simply what is presented in the simplest of forms. This is not to discredit those art pieces; it is just where we differ and offer a unique viewing experience. We lean into the “live”.
BW: Going back to his question of “why?”, we inquired: why mount The Hobbit now?
RS: “It really got into my mind when there was the ICE occupation in Minneapolis and the communities around us. It is not so different than The Hobbit.
The dwarves within the Lonely Mountain are unhoused by a dragon that is full of greed, appears all-powerful, and uses that power for their own benefit. Not to mention that the town near the mountain is called Lake Town, similar to Minneapolis in a way as this is the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
The story then begs the question, as it does of Bilbo within the story, do the neighbors who are nearby and not directly affected stay home and just show empathy from afar while sitting on the sidelines? Or do they stand up and give assistance, even though they do not have a stake in those people’s affairs? It just seems like the right time to reiterate a story that speaks to our world.”
BW: Moving on to the technical elements of the piece, it has some magical moments within the story; how do you plan to tackle those?
RS: “Our version of visual effects relies on trusting the audience to suspend their disbelief. In an actual theater, for instance, you can have Bilbo magically disappear with lighting and other effects to give the audience the perception of invisibility.
Our method is doing movement and costume pieces. As well as having a wonderful live musician who has created a soundscape full of music and sounds that will make it very clear when Bilbo is invisible. Not to mention the conviction of the performers cannot be understated; if they don’t believe in it, the audience won’t believe it either.
It is just like in the education that I do; I like to ask the students what is the loudest language in the world? While they have many thoughts, my simple answer is body language. It speaks volumes that our voices never could. It is so cool how a line can have a new interpretation with just the movement of the body. That goes for the actor saying the line and the actor who is receiving it."
When we spoke to Reed Sigmund regarding his previous directing experience, we asked what he had learned from that show and what he brought with him on this endeavor.
RS: “I learned a lot about working outside. Those rehearsals were all outside, and it was draining. It built stamina for the cast, but it was tough for the actors. This time we are rehearsing completely inside with air conditioning and then will move outside the week before we opener tech, but at this point, being comfortable is key.”
As I went to thank Sigmund for this time, he made sure to stress something:
RS: “Yes, I am the director, but I want people to know that this show is what it is because of the cast. I learned that planning is good; it is not a good idea to only stick to the plan. They showed me that embracing the live and spontaneous moments through ad libs is important to let happen. It has been fantastic seeing the cast’s play with the material and giving me things to pick and choose what works and what doesn’t. I find it is best to be open to the unpredictable and unexpected.”
Broadway World thanks Reed Sigmund for his time and wishes the Zephyr Theatre all the best in their run.
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