Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island
by Ken Ludwig, Robert Louis Stevenson
Full Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 9m, 2f
Winner! 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award, Best Adaptation
"Five Stars! Yo-ho-ho! A Festive Treat to Treasure. Hit Ahoy! X marks the spot of a bona fide festive treat! Treasure Island is the answer to every adventure-starved child's prayers: a racy, pacy, tough-as-old-boots adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling classic! " -The Telegraph
A stunning yarn of piracy on the tropical seas. At the center of it all are Jim Hawkins, a 14-year-old boy who longs for
adventure, and the infamous Long John Silver, who is a complex study of
good and evil, perhaps the most famous hero-villain of all time.
Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island
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Cast Size
9m, 2fDuration
120 minutes (2 hours)Subgenre
Adventure, Adaptations (Literature), Theatre for Young Audiences, PeriodAccolades
From West EndTarget Audience
- Appropriate for all audiences
Additional Info
Accolades
- Winner! 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award, Best Adaptation
Reviews
"Five Stars! Hit Ahoy! X marks the spot of a bona fide festive treat! Treasure Island is the answer to every adventure-starved child's prayers: a racy, pacy, tough-as-old-boots adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling classic! " -The Telegraph
"Ludwig invents a new spine to Robert Louis Stevenson's great story of skulduggery and gold-digging on the high seas!" - What's On Stage
"Adapted with savvy showmanship by playwright Ken Ludwig... the show could usefully serve many youngsters as an introduction to the magic of live theater." -Variety
"A gripping yarn with a genuinely rough-and-ready buccaneering spirit. It flies the flag for good-old fashioned ensemble story-telling." - The Telegraph
Videos
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Meet The Playwright: Ken Ludwig
Keywords
Aging, Betrayal, Childhood, Death, Friendship, Love, Parenting/Family, Adolescence/ChildhoodConsiderations
Performing Groups
- Jr High/Primary
- High School/Secondary
- College Theatre / Student
- Community Theatre
- Dinner Theatre
- Professional Theatre
- Outdoor
- Large Stage
Cautions
- No Special Cautions
License details
- Minimum Fee: $125 per performance
Production
Details
- Time Period: 18th Century
- Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Setting: Various locations. The action takes place in England and the West Indies. The time is 1774.
- Additional Features: Animal spot, Stage Combat
- Features / Contains: Period Costumes
Music
- Musical Style: Folk
- Vocal Demands: Easy
- Chorus Size: No Chorus
Casting
9m, 2fACTOR TWO – Long John Silver / Jim’s Father
ACTOR THREE – Dr. Livesey / Captain Flint, pirate
ACTOR FOUR – Squire Trelawney / The Bailiff / Job O’Brien, pirate
ACTOR FIVE – Captain Smollet / Black Dog, pirate
ACTOR SIX – Reverend Mainwaring / Jemmy Rathbone, pirate / Ben Gunn, pirate / Josiah Bland, pirate
ACTOR SEVEN – Jim’s Mother / Anne Bonny, pirate
ACTOR EIGHT – Widow Drews / Justice Death, pirate
ACTOR NINE – Bailiff’s son / Israel Hands / Blind Pew, pirate /Calico Jack, pirate
ACTOR TEN – Bailiff’s Son / George Merry, pirate
ACTOR ELEVEN – Inn Guest / Boy with Barrow, pirate / Ezekiel Hazard, pirate / Tom Morgan/ Cut Purse, pirate
ACTOR TWELVE – Bristol Sailor / Billy Bones, pirate
ADDITIONAL PIRATES - as needed
A PARROT
Cast Attributes
- Ensemble cast
- Non-Traditional casting
- Reduced casting (Doubling Possible)
- Expandable casting
- Flexible casting
- Local Celebrity Cameo
- Multicultural casting
- Room for Extras
- Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)
- Parts for Senior Actors
Casting Notes
Everyone except Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver doubles, variously, as the customers at the Admiral Benbow Inn, the sailors in Bristol, a lady at the dock, etc. The play can hold as many pirates as the producer can find - doubling can be eliminated or increased if the director can figure out a way to do it. The goal of the production should be wild, rollicking, frightening, breathless and moving. Any means to that end should be embraced, large cast or small. Additionally, there is a parrot in this play, who should not seem prominent or silly in any way.
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Authors
Ken Ludwig
Ken Ludwig is a two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright who has written over 26 plays and musicals, including 6 shows on Broadway and 7 in London's West End. His first Broadway play, Lend Me A Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called "one of the classic comedies of the 20th century” by The Washington Post. His othe ...
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