Neighbor News
Treasure Island Opens This Weekend
MUDLARK THEATER COMPANY opens its 10th anniversary season with pirates, parrots, and buried treasure …
One month after hosting the most successful fundraising event in its history, Mudlark Theater Company will kick off its 10th anniversary season with an original adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling tale about young Jim Hawkins on his voyage to Treasure Island. Opening Friday, Oct. 23, running Oct. 24 and 25, and continuing the weekend of Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Noyes Street Theatre, 927 Noyes St., Evanston, TREASURE ISLAND is directed by Executive Director Michael Miro and Artistic Director Andrew Biliter.
“It’s exciting to be starting our 10th anniversary season with such a bang—literally there are cap guns in this show,” says Biliter, who adapted the story of Long John Silver, parrot Captain Flint, and the rest of the pirate crew on the Hispanola. “TREASURE ISLAND embodies the spirit of adventure and bold spontaneity that defines the Mudlark experience for both actors and audiences.”
The Mudlark crew recently celebrated the nonprofit theater company’s 10th anniversary with a sold-out benefit at The Woman’s Club of Evanston, raising more than $72,000 and drawing 238 supporters and friends. “We were absolutely floored by the show of support, not just in terms of the amount raised but the turnout and the sheer enthusiasm,” says Biliter. “Friends kept coming up to me throughout the night, gesturing to the crowd, and saying, ‘Can you believe this?’ I really couldn’t!”
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That night and the coming season represent 10 years of doing bold, edgy theater for young people in Evanston—reinventing the genre by providing professional-quality experiences. While Mudlark was able to step into the Noyes Street space abruptly vacated by Next Theatre Company last year, Miro says a permanent home is critical to future growth. With a development director now on staff, Mudlark will build on the fall event success to explore possibilities.
Until then, the shows will go on at Noyes Street Theater—starting this weekend with TREASURE ISLAND. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for kids. For more information, go to www.mudlarktheater.org.
