The Performance of Frog and Toad Hops Out of Eccles

Logan Wilcox

Staff

The first musical of the 2026 Fall Semester was performed from October 8th through October

10th at the Eccles Center. The musical, “A Year with Frog and Toad,” is based on the children’s

book series “Frog and Toad” by Arnold Lobel.

The cast took their bows after the Saturday matinee performance

Photo by Logan Wilcox

“A Year with Frog and Toad” was a story about friends Frog and Toad throughout a whole year,

as the title implies. There is singing, dancing, swimming, baking, eating, sledding, and the ups

and downs of friendship. The play ends where it began, with Frog and Toad waking up from

hibernation in Spring again.

The Snow College performance only had eleven members in the cast. This includes the director,

Nate Brown, along with Lauren Boone and Alex Hansen, who played Frog and Toad, and the

live pianist, Brian Stucki.

The production process before the show was fast, fun, and challenging, according to the

interviewed actress and actor. Lauren Boone–actress of Frog–said that production was fast: “The

production process was fast since we had limited time to put this show together. We started

rehearsals the same day the cast list was finalized, and everyone worked incredibly hard to get

everything ready in time.” She said in response to being asked what production was like.

Stephen Adams–actor of Man Bird, Snail, and other ensemble members–was also asked about

how production went. He said, “Production for the show was equal parts fun and challenging. I

think I can speak for most of the cast by saying that playing larger-than-life characters in a

realistic way was a tough task.”

Both Boone and Adams also had similar thoughts about how friendship and community grew

among the cast during production. Boone said that the cast has grown close, and it’s going to be

hard for her to say goodbye to the show. Adams described it as a community and called the

others amazing people and talented actors.

Friendship and community are what “A Year with Frog and Toad” is about. It’s also what the

original book series of “Frog and Toad” is about. The musical sticks close to the plot of the

original book series, as that’s what Adrienne Lobel wanted.

Adrienne Lobel, daughter of Arnold Lobel, commissioned “A Year with Frog and Toad” based

on her father’s series “Frog and Toad.” Her husband helped adapt the stories into a theatrical

script, and she also helped design the sets. The first-ever performance of this musical was on

August 20th, 2002, at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis.

“A Year with Frog and Toad” may have left the Eccles, but there are other productions coming

up that people can watch. The next play is a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” starting on

November 12th and ending on November 21st. “Romeo and Juliet” will be performed over two

weeks on weekends.