Sword fights on the high seas will take over Elmira District Secondary School next week as they perform Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The cast and crew of 40 have been busy since September learning lines and preparing the set.
Drama teacher DJ Carroll says he chose the play because it’s a classic pirate story with plenty of excitement.
“It’s treasure, it’s pirates, they’re on the high sea, there are sword fights. There’s action and it’s been a classic since it was published. It’s been done in movies, TV shows, plays, all over the place,” Carroll said.
The story follows young Jim Hawkins who happens upon a treasure map. With the help of his friends, a doctor and a squire, they decide to go on a journey to get the treasure.
Unbeknownst to them, pirates infiltrate the crew, and they want the treasure for themselves. Battle ensues between the two sides and eventually Jim Hawkins saves the day, managing to get away with a little bit of the treasure.
Maddie McCormick plays Jim Hawkins.
“He’s the youngest character of the play and he’s the young hero of the story. He’s always caught up in adventure and he’s always in the middle of action,” McCormick explains.
Carroll said the crew worked to create the set of a pirate ship for two months, planning, designing, painting, and fine tuning. The actors have been rehearsing on it since the end of October, practicing a much loved part of the show – sword fighting.
“This is my first year doing this so these huge props and sets are super cool. And the costumes and sword fighting are also really cool,” McCormick said.
Carroll says the challenge of this production is the old language. Since the book was written in 1883, the language is reflective of the late 1700s. He says the actors have struggled with some of the terminology.
Emma McGee will take on the role of Long John Silver, leader of the mutinous pirates. Long John Silver leads all the pirates off to find the treasure, killing a slew of people along the way.
“I like how you don’t know which side I’m on. Good guy then bad guy then good guy, and then I just kill everybody at the end,” McGee said.
Matt Lalonde plays Captain Alexander Smollett.
“I’m a British naval officer. I’m the captain of this boat. I’m a very serious guy,” Lalonde said.
Israel Hands will be portrayed by Sarah Brown. She’s also in charge of the stage fighting for the show, ensuring everything is done safely.
“I’m kind of the left hand to Long John Silver. I like murderous times and beer,” Brown said.
Simon Zenker will be playing Ben Gunn.
“He’s basically a guy who got marooned on an island for three years and he just went insane,” Gunn said.
While stage fighting tops the list for much of the cast when it comes to favourite parts of the production, he says it’s all about the people.
“I think just being with a bunch of people just like myself, usually I’m with a bunch of serious people who think I’m crazy. Now I’m crazy but in a good way,” Gunn said.
Carroll says if you’re looking for a fun, high energy, family-friendly show, this is your ticket.
“The other thing is a lot of the time, especially nowadays people aren’t aware of all these classic stories, like A Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You look at all these very classic stories and people are not aware of them. We see in the movies now, there’s a resurgence of these old stories. It’s great for people to come out and see something that’s been around for a long time,” Carroll said.
The show runs Nov. 26-28 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance on Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, or $7 for students and seniors, $5 for children 13 and under, and $15 for a family matinee pass.
