A swashbuckling tale of pirates, sword fights, and buried gold will take the stage in the chapel tent this week, as the Performing Arts Department presents聽Treasure Island.
Directed by performing arts faculty member Shane Fuller,聽Treasure Island聽is based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and adapted for the stage by Mary Zimmerman. It tells the story of Jim, the son of a tavern owner, who finds a mysterious treasure map among the possessions of a sailor who died at the tavern. Jim sets sail with some trusted local friends to locate the island and the treasure鈥攁nd they鈥檙e accompanied by a covertly mutinous crew of pirates, including the ship鈥檚 cook, Long John Silver.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun show,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a little bit of sword-fighting, there鈥檚 pirates, there鈥檚 a lot of adventure. We didn鈥檛 want to do anything too serious or too heavy, because this is the first season that we鈥檝e had live on campus in almost two years.鈥
Because of the pandemic, all of this fall鈥檚 shows will be in tents on campus鈥攎asks are required for all audience members鈥攚hich presents an interesting challenge for the actors and crew. Faculty members Evan DelGaudio and Darlene Anastas are assisting the聽Treasure Island聽production with lighting and stage design, respectively. All 11 students in the cast each play multiple roles.
鈥淭he whole cast has to be a true ensemble,鈥 Fuller said. 鈥淭he show moves from place to place, so the cast members have to move the set pieces around and recreate the environments. It鈥檚 been fun, it鈥檚 a different kind of experience.鈥
Treasure Island聽opens in the Chapel tent Thursday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.; it runs Friday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 6 at 7 p.m.聽.
