CTC’s ‘Treasure Island’ swings for pirate dreams

Aarrhh!

“Treasure Island” not only helped set the blueprint for buccaneer adventures but also through its film adaptation, made a quaint interjection a catchphrase for pirates.

Now 14 months after assuming leadership at the Children’s Theatre Company, Rick Dildine is using a version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic as a template for what patrons might expect from his tenure at the nation’s largest theater for youth.

The show, which opens Friday and is pitched at those ages 8 and up, marks his Minnesota directorial debut.

“It has all the elements of what I hope will be hallmarks of my time here — rip-roaring adventure, imagination, live music and ensemble-driven stories,” he said.

Dildine, 46, added that he’s on a perpetual quest to delight his 10-year-old self.

Here are five notable things about Dildine’s vision for his first Minnesota show.

How does one summon all these realms?

The creative team includes wife-and-husband Alexa and Jeff Behm on costumes and lights as well as identical twins Christopher and Justin Swader as set designers. They have come up with a vessel that’s part boat, part library.

“Those are two places that can harness one’s creativity and sense of adventure,” Dildine said. “We have crafted a world where the design continues to reveal itself with surprises down to the last three seconds of the show.”

Half of the 12-member cast also acts as musicians, playing instruments such as upright bass, violin and piano.

The cast sings traditional sea shanties as well as new music by Irish singer-songwriter Darren Kiely.

The trick, Dildine said, is to be surprising.

“Putting instrument in pirates’ hands and telling them to sing but not sing like a pirate, that has been breathtakingly fun,” Dildine said.

In “Treasure,” most performers play multiple characters. Ensemble storytelling is one of Dildine’s cardinal stage values. It’s part of the training he got in graduate school at Brown University.

“We were taught not to wait for someone to give you a show, but to make your show with the people around you and the talents in the room,” Dildine said. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck, all body, all breath experience. That makes it feel like an event, which is more interesting.”

Dildine cut some of moments on the water and tightened up the show’s timeline to bring it to two hours.

But, Dildine said, Stuart Paterson’s adaptation retains the spirit of the original story.

“Robert Louis Stevenson had just married a woman who had children, and he wanted to connect to them. So, one afternoon he made up this story,” Dildine said. “I tried to honor that sense of storytelling that it’s all happening in the moment.”

“Treasure” has been on Dildine’s shortlist of shows he wanted to stage for decades. He had a moment of kismet in his first two weeks at CTC when resident CTC company member and star Reed Sigmund told him that one of his dream roles is Long John Silver.

The show provokes a lot of questions.

“It’s centered on a young person surrounded by adults, and the kid is asking, ‘Who am I going to be in a world where right and wrong are not always clear or where those doing wrong get rewarded,” Dildine said.

“I want to model curiosity, courage and integrity,” Dildine said. “It’s important to show young people that risk, failure and growth are part of their journey.”

When: 7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Ends Oct. 19.

Where: Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls.