Take an enchanting trip to the imaginative world of Lands Beyond with the University Theatre’s production of Norton Juster’s beloved novel The Phantom Tollbooth. 

The production kicks off the University Theatre’s 2023-24 season when it opens Nov. 3, offering a hands-on learning experience for the University of Oregon and Department of Theatre Arts students.

The Phantom Tollbooth is a whimsical young adult adventure story about a boy named Milo who travels to the Lands Beyond through a magical tollbooth. Along the way, he learns about the importance of language, mathematics, and the need for critical thinking.

Director Tricia Rodley, who’s also a theatre arts senior instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a fan of the book and has wanted to direct the stage version for a while. Originally University Theatre was set to perform Clue: On Stage, but the performance rights were pulled for a national tour, so The Phantom Tollbooth took its place.

“Getting to direct it sort of unexpectedly is fun and exciting and terrifying all at once,” Rodley said. Auditions took place in week two, and the play is set to open during week six. The slightly condensed rehearsal period meant a lot of dedicated work for the cast and crew. From the start of the production process, the show had student actors and designers putting in extra effort outside of rehearsals to learn lines and develop concepts.

“For the 25% that people see, there's 75% going on behind that, and it's really an exciting part of our program that we get to do that kind of on-the-job experiential training for theater production,” Rodley said.

The production strives to bring the adventure Milo experiences in the book to the stage, so the audience is along for the ride every step of the way. “We get to kind of go on the journey with Milo to self-discovery,” Rodley said. “I wouldn’t say it’s quite a coming-of-age story, but it’s definitely a journey of self-discovery and of imaginative possibility.”

Although the book’s audience may have been children and young adults, readers of all ages appreciate its witty humor and insightful themes. Rodley’s vision for the play is to make it enjoyable for audience members of all ages, just like the novel.

“The book, as you might know, is sort of a young adult book, but it’s also really adult in its concepts,” Rodley said. “The play maintains that, but it is also an invitation for younger audiences, so we’re saying ages ten plus. We hope to encourage some future audiences and theater makers with this production as well.”

The play runs Friday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 19; showtimes are 7:30 p.m., except Sunday matinees, which are 2 p.m. Tickets are currently available for purchase. UO students can attend University Theatre productions for free with UO ID, and student tickets are available at the theatre box office one hour before showtime.

— By Harper Wells, College of Arts and Sciences