Bemidji Community Theater Takes to the High Seas for “Treasure Island”

Bemidji Community Theater has begun to trim the sails, hoist the anchor and swab the deck for their upcoming performance of “Treasure Island,” with their opening night setting sail on Friday, March 24th.

This musical serves as a retelling of the classic tale written by Robert Louis Stevenson, which sees the seafaring voyage of young Jim Hawkins as he attempts to uncover a buried treasure and survive the clutches of the villainous Long John Silver.

Of course, this swashbuckling tale wouldn’t be complete without a crew of salty sea dogs and scurvy scallywags in the mix, and while “Treasure Island” is a tale that has been around since the 19th century and has seen many an adaptation, the cast still has tried to maintain the spirit of the original characters.

“I had read the book a bit, so I knew a bit about the character, but it’s been really fun doing, like, character development with it,” said Aria Robertson, who plays Jim Hawkins.

“Gosh, I feel like there’s a lot of pressure, having the chance to play a character as iconic as Long John Silver,” said actor Jaxon Anderson.

Much like the classic depiction of a pirate’s crew, a community theater’s cast is filled with players of all walks of life, and the cast of “Treasure Island” is no different, with actors coming from all ages.

“It’s just really interesting being with such a diverse cast in age,” said Anderson. “We got kids as young as eight years old, all the way up to, at least 60, 70 years old playing these characters.”

While silver and gold and pieces of eight seem to be incredibly important to the characters in the show, off-stage, the actors have their own fortune in the form of performing.

“I love being transported to, like, a different world or being someone else,” said Robertson, “painting a picture for the audience to enjoy a story like this one.”

Whether you want to sail the high seas, or want to find out what a crew actually does with a drunken sailor, Bemidji Community Theater’s performance might just be the treasure you’ve been searching for.

Bemidji Community Theater will hold a total of six performances, with March 24th, 25th, 31st, and April 1st’s performances beginning at 7 p.m. and March 26th and April 2nd’s performance setting sail at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the BCT website.