Roo Theatre’s Treasure Island a swashbuckling tale celebrating the power of imagination

Roo Theatre’s production of Treasure Island has paired emerging talent with seasoned performers to deliver a raw and imaginative take on the classic pirate tale.

Directed by rising star Jordan Cunningham, it aims to transport audiences into the heart of adventure when it’s staged at the Shellharbour Village theatre from 22 November to 1 December.

Jordan said meanwhile a theme of mentorship had emerged backstage, with experienced director Nick Higgins mentoring him while veteran actors supported and guided the newcomers.

“We always rely on doing some well-known shows, those big musicals and the pantomimes, but I thought, let’s get back to the heart of what it’s like to be a child and let that imagination run wild,” Jordan said.

He said that as a child, his imagination was often sparked by pretending to be a pirate, inspiring him to strip the production back to focus on the story and its characters.

“It’s being able to come and see what I like to call raw theatre, where it’s stripping back all the big sets and focusing on those characters where it’s bringing you into the scene, rather than relying on what the scenery would do,” he said.

“It’s just stripping it all back and going, this is what we grew up with.

“We grew up with our imagination, with pirates and ghosts and all those kinds of elements and so it’s bringing that creativity and imagination back to the audience and being able to see this story from a child’s perspective.”

He said it told the story of young boy Jim Hawkins who finds a treasure map and sets out on a journey to recover the treasure once belonging to Captain Flint. However, Flint’s crew, led by one-legged cook Long John Silver, are aiming to get there first.

“The story is about that innocence and using your imagination to create a whole different world,” he said.

“So for me, it was about being able to explore the innocence of this young child Jim with the crazy and evil world of the pirates.”

Having directed Roo Theatre’s Wonka last year, he said he had learned a lot about the foundations of theatre from that experience which he was bringing into this production.

“The other thing I brought across was understanding one point of view of the story, or what I think the story is about, and being able to convey that to the audience,” he said.

“Saying, ‘This is my interpretation of a text from all the way back from [author] Robert Louis Stevenson’.

“It’s being able to take that text that I read when I was younger, and adapting it to the vision and the understanding of the story from when I was a little kid to me as an adult.”

He said he was grateful to the mentorship provided by Nick Higgins throughout the production to help him achieve that.

“He’s done a fantastic job in helping me and growing me as a director,” he said.

“Having him on this team and helping me out has been such an amazing opportunity for me, but also all the cast to work with someone so experienced.”

Jordan said the show included well-known Illawarra actors in Brian McGinn, and Roshelle Williams, who was making a return to the stage.

He said he was also thrilled to feature new performers, including Joash Pickup in the lead role of Jim and Mitch Robinson as Long John Silver, “showcasing fresh talent while celebrating the contributions of veteran artists”.

“I think the most important thing is giving those kids a chance and giving them that little bit of a confidence boost to get on stage and perform in a role that’s so different for them,” he said.

“It really challenges them but, for me, seeing that confidence grow in young performers is why I do it.”

Choreography was by DDC Dance Studio’s Penny Davies, which he said provided a “wow factor” while being true to the period.

He encouraged people to get along to the show to support those fresh faces on the Illawarra theatre scene.

Book tickets for Treasure Island from 22 November to 1 December at Roo Theatre, Shellharbour Village.

Roo Theatre will also be staging Roo’s Line Is It Anyway on 13 December and All I Want For Christmas Is Roo on 14 and 15 December.