Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Treasure Island is coming to Cochrane.
Auditions begin tonight for Cochrane Vision Theatre’s annual British pantomime, an interactive community production loosely based on the classic 1881 tale by Robert Louis Stevenson which chronicles adventurer Jim Hawkins’ search for the buried treasure of calamitous Captain Flint.
Director Anita McDonald expects the funny musical play to be a rollicking good time when it takes the stage for six shows in December.
“I really enjoyed the storyline, I enjoyed the jokes the amount of characters that we can have … It kept me up all night reading it,” said McDonald of the script, penned by prolific pantomime writers Toby Bradford and Tina Webster.
“They reference My Little Pony … Deal or No Deal … they reference the Internet and someone says, ‘But wait! It’s the 18th century!’ It’s traditional, but very brought up to date.
“It’s funny for all ages … there’s something for everyone.”
McDonald said one of the reasons she likes the Treasure Island script so much is the number of parts available, which allows her to find a roles for all hopefuls at one of two sessions at the Cochrane Ranchehouse Theatre – from eight leads to chorus members, pirates, pub patrons and much more.
No experience is necessary to try out, and no monologues need to be memorized or prepared for most parts. Those looking to fill a principal role may be asked to sing.
McDonald said she hopes to see performers of all ages and acting abilities – as well as people seeking a slate of positions for backstage responsibilities – come out to tonight’s session. Ages 13 and under will appear in front of McDonald at 7:15 p.m., with those 14 and older giving it a go at 7:45 p.m.
“Anyone who shows up gets offered a part. People who are hardcore regulars on our panto list; anyone who has never been on stage but wants to take a crack at it … to people who just want to stand on stage for the first time and just be part of the group,” she said. “Anyone who has any interest in theatre to come out and see what it’s all about.”
A second set of auditions will take place on July 5, with performers only needing to come to one or the other.
Once the cast is chosen, rehearsals will begin in early September and continue twice a week until the end of November. Treasure Island takes the stage for six shows between Dec. 1 and 10.
