Alumna Hilt in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ musical heading to New Zealand
calendar icon25 Sep 2024 user iconBy Kathe C. Andersen
Lincoln, Neb.--Mia Hilt (B.A. 2022 Theatre Performance and Dance), was in the new “The Lord of the Rings—A Musical Tale” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this summer. The show recently closed its run and is heading to New Zealand in November.
“This project was an absolute dream,” Hilt said. “I got to spend three months telling one of the most beloved stories of all time, working at one of the most iconic theaters in Chicago, while collaborating with a group of unbelievably talented artists. It was a beautiful experience that I am very grateful for.”
The show ran July 19-Sept. 1 at The Yard in Chicago and now will open at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand, the first week of November and continues through early December.
“I have never been outside the country before, so to get to explore the world for the first time while traveling as an actor is such a joy,” Hilt said. “I am also beyond excited to get to live in this show again with this most incredible cast.”
Hilt was one of four featured dancers in the ensemble, which required athleticism.
“We portrayed just about every type of creature in Middle-earth,” she said. “We performed a majority of the stage combat as orcs in all the battle sequences, and we acted as puppeteers for three other iconic villains in the books: the Nazgûl, the demonic Balrog and Shelob, the giant spider. I was basically a resident bad guy who played a few hobbits and elves in between. It was incredibly athletic between the combat, the acrobatic orc choreography, the multiple times I climbed up and down the ladders onstage, my 14 costume changes, the large-scale puppetry, and one particular moment where my orc died hanging upside down over the steps into the audience (Somebody has to make Legolas look cool, right?) It was thrilling, exhausting, and I loved the physical challenge of it. Did I mention it was over three hours long?”
Rafael Untalan, assistant professor of practice in theatre in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, was not surprised by Hilt’s success in landing this role.
“Mia Hilt is a fiercely intelligent and creative young artist,” he said. “She is a gifted mover, singer, skilled musician and tenacious actor with a knack for finding particular physical lives for her characters. Landing a plum gig at a major theatre like Chicago Shakespeare is a testament to her grit and hustle. To do so in a new musical adaptation of ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ which also happens to be heading to New Zealand, is marvelous good fortune. We, in the Temple Building, are so proud and excited for her.”
Based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, this new musical adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings” features book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus; music by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale; and is directed by Paul Hart.
“Paul was such a kind and welcoming presence in the room,” Hilt said. “I really enjoyed working with him and getting to watch this epic tale unfold under his direction, all while keeping the strong bonds between the iconic characters at the forefront.”
In her position, Hilt also worked closely with choreographer Anjali Mehra.
“She went so far as to create a gestural language for the elves to accompany the elvish that was sung and spoken in the show, with subtle changes in movement quality mimicking a change in dialect between the elves of Rivendell and the elves of Lothlórien,” Hilt said. “To my understanding, the entire creative team will be traveling to New Zealand, and I am beyond excited to work with them again.”
Hilt is such a big fan of “The Lord of the Rings,” she was skeptical when she first found out about the new musical coming to Chicago Shakespeare.
“My father, the biggest ‘Lord of the Rings’ fan that I know, infused my childhood with the magic of Tolkien’s works, and I was afraid to see the story that is so dear to me (my precious, if you will) turned into a tap number,” Hilt said. “My skepticism quickly vanished as we started to build the show, however. Though there were some necessary cuts to condense the epic journey of the hobbits into three hours of material, I loved what the score brought to the story. The music was entirely functional within the plot as a drinking song, an elvish prayer or a battle chant. There was never a moment where we were stepping out of the narrative for a musical number, and many of the songs were based on actual songs that were written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the original novels. For someone who has read the books more than once, that really sold it for me. Add to that the fact that all the orchestration was played live onstage by the actors themselves, and you end up with an incredibly moving musical experience.”
Originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Hilt credits her experience in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and in the dance program in the Glenn Korff School of Music for her versatility.
“The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and the dance program collectively helped me to hone my skills as an incredibly versatile performer,” Hilt said. “I have kept myself busy since graduation by dipping my toes into many different pools, from Chicago Danztheatre, to circus performances, to Shakespeare, to contemporary plays, to contemporary musical theater. In all these ventures, I have felt supported by my studies at UNL.”
Most important to her were the opportunities to create her own work and to collaborate with others.
“Through choreographing works of dance with Susan Ourada and Hye-Won Hwang, and creating works of devised theatre with Ann Marie Pollard, and putting on two plays in repertory with Rafael Untalan and my fellow ensemble members in my graduating class, and so on, I really developed a sense of both the artist that I am and the artist I want to become.”
Her lasting memories of Nebraska are the relationships she formed here.
“I hold great admiration for the professors who went above and beyond to feed my creative drive and to mentor me,” Hilt said. “I also have so many warm memories of my classmates and peers who continue to inspire me, and with whom I maintain many lasting friendships.”