MAST MAN : Actor Daniel Trent Reveals Richard Henry Dana’s Seaworthy Side in ‘Two Years Before the Mast’

For a guy who has spent 11 years regaling folks with tales of the high seas, Daniel Trent has precious little salt water in his veins.

“I guess you could call me a daytime sailor,” confesses the North Hollywood resident. “I’m fine if everything is sunny and calm, but beyond that, well, it’s another story.”

Trent’s preference for terra firma hasn’t stopped him from paying tribute to those with the seafaring spirit, however. Trent, an actor with multiple stage and television roles to his credit, will brave the waters of Dana Point Harbor on Friday to perform “Two Years Before the Mast,” a one-man show inspired by the book of the same name by Richard Henry Dana. Hosted by the Orange County Marine Institute, the award-winning production will be presented every Friday evening until July 24 aboard the Pilgrim, a replica of the brig on which Dana sailed in 1834. (And yes, in case you were wondering, the Pilgrim will be moored.)

“Two Years Before the Mast,” adapted by Trent and Victor Pinheiro from excerpts of Dana’s book, premiered aboard the Pilgrim in 1982. Seasickness notwithstanding, Trent went on to perform the show up and down the Southern California coast as part of the Pilgrim’s annual goodwill cruises, stopping in many of the same ports that Dana visited on his journey. The show has also been well received by historical societies, service organizations and school groups throughout the West, and in 1988, was recognized with a Drama-Logue award, said Trent.

“Two Years Before the Mast” is presented under the auspices of the American Living History Theater, a consortium of nine professional actors who present one-person shows based on characters in history and literature. (Trent is at work on a show about George Bernard Shaw that he expects to premiere early next year.)

In “Two Years Before the Mast,” Trent portrays seven key figures from the book, beginning with the middle-aged Dana as he reminisces about his youthful experiences.

“Dana went aboard the Pilgrim at the age of 19, and what made it so unique was that he was an educated man,” explained Trent. “ ‘Before the mast’ was really the lowliest position on the ship. The foremast or the front of the ship is the worst place you can be when you’re below decks (because) that’s the part that slaps the water during the waves. Men who signed on ‘before the mast’ usually did so because they had no other employment.”

In the show, audiences first meet Dana 25 years after his voyage, said Trent. It is San Francisco, 1859, and as Dana recalls the incidents on board the Pilgrim, “the mask of the proper Boston gentleman falls away; we see the young Dana and we go on the journey with him,” said Trent.

Using a simple traveling set and the Pilgrim deck as his backdrop (“It’s a magical experience sometimes when the fog rolls in; you might call it special effects by God,” the actor noted with a laugh), Trent relates Dana’s journey from an idealistic boy to a seafaring man of experience, while offering an unvarnished view of a sailor’s life in the 1830s.

Typical of this is a scene in which Frank Thompson, the captain of the Pilgrim, brutally flogs two members of his crew.

“He basically beats these men for no reason, other than that he’s in a bad mood,” said Trent. “When the book was published, that recounting so outraged the public that it actually helped change maritime law and made the captain responsible for what happened to his men on board the ship.”

By altering his posture and voice and through subtle costume changes, Trent will give insights into Dana’s shipmates through monologues, as well as dialogue between the characters. In addition to Thompson, audiences will meet the Swede John Linden, “an old salt who puts (Dana) in his place;” Mr. Amerzene, the first mate who takes Dana under his wing; his shipboard pals Ben Stimson and George Balmer and young Sam the cabin boy, Trent said.

Although he has performed for people of all ages, Trent says “Two Years Before the Mast” is best suited for adults and older children and is most effective for those who have read classic literature, whether or not that includes Dana’s book.

“This is a show of words,” explained Trent. “It plays better to a literate audience who is used to listening.”

What: “Two Years Before the Mast.”

When: Friday, July 10, 17 and 24, at 6:30 and 8 p.m. (The performance runs one hour, 10 minutes.)

Where: On board the brig Pilgrim at the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point.

Whereabouts: From the San Diego Freeway, exit at Pacific Coast Highway. Travel north on PCH to Dana Point Harbor Drive and turn left.

Wherewithal: $12 to $20.

Where to call: (714) 496-2274.