Bringing Middle-earth to the St. Croix Valley: Reed Sigmund on Community, Courage, and ‘The Hobbit’

The magic of live performance is heading outdoors this summer as Stillwater’s Zephyr Theatre mounts an imaginative open-air staging of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” running July 23 through Aug. 2, 2026, across the picturesque grassy lawns of Aamodt’s Apple Farm and Saint Croix Vineyard. In this exclusive interview, Zephyr Education Programming Director and Artistic Director Reed Sigmund sits down to discuss the vital role of arts education in suburban and rural communities, why bringing professional theater directly to local backyards matters, and how Greg Banks’ adaptation reframes Bilbo’s journey through a resonant regional lens. Sigmund also shares his passion for Minnesota arts, reflecting on the resilience, collaboration, and deep-rooted community spirit that make our state an unmatched place to create, connect, and celebrate together.

JERROD SUMNER (JS): We know you as a staple of the Children’s Theatre Co., and now you’ve taken the helm as Education Programming Director and Artistic Director at the Zephyr Theatre based in Stillwater, Minnesota. Tell us a little about your role there and why you believe these smaller, community-centered theaters matter to the Minnesota Arts landscape?

REED SIGMUND (RS): I’ve been at the Zephyr since 2021 as the director of education. Starting during COVID in schools and education was tricky, but the idea was clear. In the Twin Cities, central institutions and organizations are within a short driving distance if you want to take an acting class. But out here in Stillwater and the surrounding suburbs or rural communities, those opportunities for arts education aren’t as readily available.

Our entire idea was about making programs accessible. Rather than housing all programs in a single building where people come to us, we go to the schools. We established a partnership plan where we visit every elementary school for a full week with the fifth graders, building a show together and performing it. We also offer after-school programs and productions. For students stuck at school because their parents work until five o’clock, instead of just hanging out in adventure club, doing puzzles, or playing on an iPad, they can be exposed to arts education, discover something they’ve never considered before, and find their passion.

JS: How did you get started in theater?

RS: In fourth grade, I had never done theatre. I’m from Fargo, North Dakota, where acting classes and theaters weren’t available. My new music teacher announced we were doing a school musical, and she told me, “I want you to play the role of Johnny Appleseed in ‘Johnny Appleseed’.” I told her that might not be a good idea because I was an introvert and had never done anything like that. She said she heard me sing in music class, noted my strong voice, and explained that since we didn’t have microphones, she needed someone loud enough.

Because of my volume, I got the role. Had that not happened, I don’t know if I would have found a love for theater. I discovered it was something I enjoyed and was better suited for personality-wise and natural ability-wise than sports, where I was terrible at everything.

That is why I want to afford these students the opportunity. If these programs aren’t at the school, families might not have the means or ability to travel further to Minneapolis or St. Paul. It is about making sure students have access to arts education. That extends into our professional programming, like “The Hobbit,” as well. Not everyone wants to make the forty-minute drive to the Cities or has the means to do so. By bringing theater to them, we ensure everyone in our community has the opportunity to experience live theater. If it isn’t in your backyard, you might never encounter it or realize how much you enjoy it.

These shows and programs aren’t just about entertainment or making better actors; they are process-focused rather than product-focused. It’s about giving students the best experience possible to learn social and emotional learning, collaboration, connection, how to use their voices literally and figuratively, and how to gain confidence and discover creative problem-solving.

JS: ‘The Hobbit’ is a massive, beloved undertaking. What specific artistic vision makes this production at the Zephyr feel special and distinct from other versions we’ve seen?

RS: I am heavily influenced by Greg Banks’ adaptation. His philosophy takes grand-scale epics and literary works that have been adapted for film and stage, moving away from a primary focus on sheer scale. Instead, Greg breaks them down clearly to the humanity of the stories and why they endure.

Scale, scope, special effects, and expensive sets catch the eye, but they don’t necessarily resonate or stick with you. Since becoming artistic director, anytime we look at a production, I ask: Why this story? Why this version? Why in this community? Why right now? Why does it matter? Why is it entertaining?

“The Hobbit” fits the bill in a thousand ways when viewed through a regional lens. In the story, the dwarves live in the Lonely Mountain right next to Lake Town, not unlike Minneapolis, the City of Lakes. An unrelenting, powerful force, a dragon, comes and throws people out of their homes, occupying them entirely out of greed, power, and a desire to inspire fear, even though the dragon doesn’t use the gold. That is not unlike what has happened in our own community recently.

Zephyr Theatre

The homeless dwarves are looking for assistance to reclaim their mountain, their home, and expel the occupying force. Bilbo is called to action, though he is initially comfortable, cozy, and uninterested in adventures that do not concern him. He isn’t a terrible person; he’s just an average citizen who is comfortable and tends to look away. He has empathy, but like many of us, it is easy to watch horrors happen in our own backyard and go about our business.

This story is about what happens when you try to help and take action. It isn’t meant to scold or preach, but to inspire. It shows how it feels good to grow and step outside your comfort zone when you do engage.

JS: With a story as sprawling and imaginative as Tolkien’s, there is so much to pull from. What is the one specific moment or sequence in this production that you personally cannot wait for audiences to experience?

RS: One of the things I love about theater is people’s capacity to grow and change. We have to afford people the opportunity to change for better or for worse. I introduce these characters naturally through a smooth, nuanced arc in the first scene. The characters you see at the end of the play are not the ones you meet at the beginning. I am excited for people to see the battle at the end and its aftermath; those final 10 minutes are what I am most excited for people to experience.

JS: What’s it like staging a production outside at an apple orchard?

RS: It is beautiful. While I can talk all day about my vision and why we are doing it, the reality is that this show succeeds not because of me, but because of the phenomenal human beings and performers I hand a script to. I tell them to play, and they just go for it.

JS: You’ve inspired so many people over at Children’s Theatre Co. What advice do you have for young performers interested in the arts, either on the tech side or the performance side?

RS: Just take a stage. Whether in community or professional theater, the hardest part is how to start. I remember a song [Just Say, ‘Yes I Can’] from an old Winnie the Pooh TV show (Welcome to Pooh Corner) I watched religiously when I was six years old: “The hardest part is how to start. Stop worrying and just begin” (as sung to me by Reed). The anticipation of fear is what holds you back.

I started theater in fourth grade, and by high school, I struggled to get any roles, let alone a speaking one. I never imagined I could have a career, make a living in theater, or get paid a dollar to say a line. But I kept going. Even when people said no and experienced fifteen rejections for every one yes, I kept auditioning. I auditioned at Children’s Theatre Co. several times before getting in. In my first show there, I had two lines; in the second, a few more; in the third, zero lines.

It isn’t about ego; it’s about creating and building something with other people. If that is your focus, celebrating collaboration, connection, and stories that matter, just get out there and do it. You will find your place, but you have to walk out the door first.

JS: Minnesota Monthly is dedicated to the spirit of Minnesota. As an artist who has shaped so much of our local culture, what does that “Spirit of Minnesota” mean to you personally?

RS: I think the whole nation right now is seeing just how amazing Minnesota is. Stillwater holds a dear place in my heart, and I work in Minneapolis every day, which is an amazing place. The people here celebrate the exact ideals I look for in art: collaboration, connection, creative problem-solving, strength, endurance, fortitude, and resilience.

Up until recently, we may have taken it for granted and assumed every community was like this. Seeing how people have reacted to us reminds us that we are pretty special. Whether facing harsh elements or outside challenges, we always rise above with humor, strength, teamwork, passion, and love in our hearts.

There is a line at the end of “The Hobbit” where Thorin Oakenshield tells Bilbo, “If more of us valued friendship above gold, what a merrier world this would be.” Minneapolis does that. We value friendship and celebrate it, and I get to enjoy the fruits of that nourishment every single day.