As you may have noticed, pirates have come to West! Not to pillage the school or make students walk the plank, but for the fall show, Treasure Island. Directed and adapted by English teacher Mr. Stern, the theater program at West presented their own take on the beloved novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The show was full of drama and excitement with just the right amount of humor. The show began with an all-girls school and their tactics to perform a show by themselves and a few boys from the all-boys school. The plot thickens as the show within the show begins in which pirates and sailors compete to get the sought after treasure of Flint’s fist. The stakes were high and the troubles ensued in this dramatic tale.
A portion of the show that really stood out was the wonderful work of the actors. They did their characters justice and played a considerable part in why this show was a success. Brooke Burns ’16, who portrayed Jim Hawkins, exclaimed “the fact that I got to be British was fun!” Behind the scenes bonding between the cast also contributed to the success of the show. Vlad Tikunov ’13, who played Black Dog and O’Brien, described the cast as his favorite part of the show saying that “Everyone was very professional and we had a lot of fun.” The camaraderie of the cast seemed to be what many of the members said was their favorite part of the experience. Kaylee Mattoon ’16, who played Israel Hands, said “Treasure Island was truly the best cast I have ever been a part of…” The actors truly did their duty and they sure did it well.
For some of the cast, this was their first show at West and it met up to their expectations. David Velez ’14, who portrayed Long John Silver, put it simply “for being my first time in theater, it was cool.”
On a personal note from the view point of this writer, I was greatly impressed by the experience and the show itself. This was my first high school production and I had such an enjoyable time making many new friends. I look forward to what West’s theater department has to offer.