Matt Cassidy may have come up with the perfect analogy for how complex The Lord Of The Rings stage production is: "It's like a Swiss watch, in that all the pieces have to fit perfectly."

Getting that myriad of moving parts working in sync has been one of the primary challenges of this daunting production, and the 30-year-old Cassidy, who hails from Woodstock, Ont., has the added responsibility of being an understudy for one of the principal roles (Aragorn).

"It's certainly a challenge to make sure you know all the stuff you have to do, as well as being able to cover the lead role."

But Cassidy, whose recent work includes productions of The Rocky Horror Show, Beauty And The Beast and The Secret Garden, says the cast knows this hard work is the price to be paid for being part of theatre history.

"I turn around and look at my friends and say, 'We're in The Lord Of The Rings!' "

PLAYS: Ranger, Breelander, Elf, Rohirrim, Citizen Of Gondor, Aragorn (Understudy), Boromir (Understudy)