HAYS, Kan. -- Dragons and elves and goblins, oh my! Audiences receive their share of mythical creatures in the puppet portrayal of J.R.R. Tolkien's book "The Hobbit."

The story is told by Theatre Sans Fill--"theatre without strings"--a theatrical puppet company based in Montreal, Canada.

"The Hobbit," which kicks off the spring season of Fort Hays State University's Encore Series on Monday, Jan. 25, takes viewers on a winding journey through the forests, mountains and caves of Middle Earth as their favorite furry-footed creature searches for treasure.

The performance features the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who leads a quiet life until he is unexpectedly visited by 13 dwarves and a powerful wizard, Gandalf. With a recommendation from Gandalf, the dwarves ask Bilbo to help them steal a treasure from a dragon with a few strings attached, literally. The group embarks on an exciting adventure on which they face trolls, elves, spiders and an evil creature named Gollum. Through it all, Bilbo's bravery shocks himself as well as the dwarves.

Seats are still available. The presentation is at 7:30 Monday, Jan. 25 in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the FHSU campus. Tickets are available at the Student Service Center in the Memorial Union on the FHSU campus. Reserved seats are $20 for the public, $18 for senior citizens and children under 18, and $16 for FHSU students. Unreserved seats are $16 for the public, $14 for senior citizens and children under 18 and $12 for FHSU students.

Theatre Sans Fil has given more than 3,000 performances to nearly 3 million spectators from more than 20 countries and four continents.

For more information, visit theatresansfil.ca or contact Carol Brock at cbrock@fhsu.edu. or (785)628-5801.

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