Great Escape: Arghhh! The Theatre Guild presents Treasure Island

Swashbuckling abounds in a new production of “Treasure Island,” which opens this weekend at the Racine Theater Guild.

Call it a coming of age tale with pirates.

The story follows 14-year-old Jim Hawkins, who struggles to find his place after his father dies. When adventure calls in the form of buried treasure, young Jim uses a map and his wits to find the booty. Along the way, he learns about life and finds that growing up doesn’t mean his adventures must come to an end.

Technically, “Treasure Island” is an adventure story for adults, but director Doug Instenes said kids ages 4 and up should have no problem relating to the spirit of the play or dealing with the swordplay on stage.

“Every little boy wants to be a pirate at some point,” said Instenes, of Caledonia. “You jump around on the sofa and sword fight with your wooden spoons.”

Over the last six weeks, Instenes and his cast and crew have tried to capture not only that spirit, but also re-create some of the stunts so infamously associated with pirates like Long John Silver.

It hasn’t been easy.

“Treasure Island is a little more difficult to put together than most plays because there are a lot of technical requirements – ships, jumping into water, sword fighting, treasure.”

“You can’t really climb up the masts and dive into the ocean on stage,” Instenes explained. “So you have to find alternatives. We have them jumping off a high platform into a foam pit. The audience doesn’t see that part.”

Lighting effects also were developed to create otherwise cumbersome sets, like a green forest that is key for a portion of the play. Other potentially gory parts, like a pirate who is beheaded, are played out off stage or alluded to with sound effects and flickering lights.

“There’s nothing too graphic,” Instenes insisted. “It’s an adventure story. Its pirates and people running around. I don’t think it’s too scary.”

But, he said, “This is a grown up play with grown up actors, lighting and sound effects. And it is two hours. Some kids can sit that long, some kids can’t.”

If you go

What: Treasure Island

When: Weekends, March 4 through Sunday, March 13. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays, March 4 and 11; 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, March 5 and 12; and 2 p.m. Sundays, March 6 and 13. Special shows at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 5, and 4 p.m. Saturday, March 12, include an audience talk-back with cast and crew.

Where: Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Avenue (Highway 38)
Cost: $16 per person for 7:30 p.m. shows. All other shows $14.
Tickets: Available at the box office between noon and 6 p.m. weekdays or 90 minutes before show times; by calling, (262) 633-4218; or online at www.racinetheatre.org.