Exit 22 presents Treasure Island, Nov. 19 to 28 at the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University. Tickets: $22/$15/$10 at tickets.capilanou.ca.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island with a young male audience in mind. In fact, his 19th century pirate adventure was originally titled The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys.
But, as a new play aims to prove, Stevenson’s classic tale of buccaneers and buried gold is no longer just for boys. Capilano University’s Exit 22 theatre company is producing a modern stage adaptation of Treasure Island, penned by British dramatist Bryony Lavery, which puts females at the forefront.
“She’s a feminist playwright,” explains Morgan Misic, a third-year student in Cap’s acting for stage and screen diploma program, “so she took a lot of the main male character roles and switched them to females.”
Misic, 19, will play a female version of the protagonist Jim Hawkins (her character’s full name is actually Jemima, but everyone calls her Jim). Additionally, Jim’s level-headed travel companion, Dr. Livesey, along with many of the swashbuckling pirates and mutineers they meet in their adventures, are also portrayed by women. The resulting cast of players is far more gender balanced than Stevenson’s novel, in which Jim’s mother, Mrs. Hawkins, who has just a tiny role, is the only female character.
Directed by Desmond Price, the upcoming Exit 22 production of Treasure Island marks the North American debut of Lavery’s adaptation after its 2014 premiere in London. Aside from the inclusion of more female characters and some modernization of the language, the play follows the same narrative as the original tale. On a particularly dark and stormy night in the mid-1700s, a mysterious old sea captain visits young Jim at her family’s inn.
Armed with this sailor’s coveted treasure map, Jim and her seafaring companions, including the iconic Long John Silver, set sail for a far-away island in search of fortune.
The archetypical pirate characteristics that Stevenson popularized in his book — from wooden peg legs to pet parrots and treasure maps marked with an “X” — all appear in this play.
“All the stereotypes you could think of pirates are probably in this show,” Misic says.
“It’s very big and out of this world,” she adds, explaining the 22-person cast, colourful costumes and extravagant set, which seeks to recreate the Hispaniola schooner, all make for a visually striking production.
There are also trap doors, lively sea shanties and, of course, plenty of sword fighting. Learning how to wield weapons pirate-style has been a big part of rehearsals.
“For some reason, Jim ends up fighting the biggest and baddest pirates. She’s got her hands full for sure,” Misic says, but adds that the on-stage combat is all part of the excitement, and the challenge, of her role.
“One of the most fun things about playing Jim is that she’s not a girly-girl whatsoever. She’s very tomboyish and looking for adventure always.”
Treasure Island is the end-of-term show for Exit 22 and the culmination of several long weeks of prep, Misic says.
“We’re putting a lot of time and effort into this to make it something that we hope everybody will thoroughly enjoy.”
