‘TREASURE ISLAND’ : ‘Guy Play’ With Lots of Swordplay

While more than 25 community and college theater companies dot Ventura County from Ojai to Simi Valley, most deal with established works. Part of this is for artistic reasons and part is commercial: The fact is, audiences are more likely to pay to see something they recognize than something they don’t.

This week, by pure coincidence, two plays will have their world premieres in Ventura County, and both were written by local residents. Other than that, and the fact that both are costume pieces, the two couldn’t be more different. One, performed in Ojai, deals with the life of a relatively obscure historical figure from the Italian Renaissance and was written nearly 50 years ago; the other, played in Thousand Oaks, is a musical adaptation of a famous 19th-Century British novel.

On a rudimentary platform stage at one end of the Conejo Community Center auditorium, an actor dressed in T-shirt and shorts lunges at another with a dagger, apparently slitting his throat. Though there are children in the cast, clearly this “Treasure Island” is not a children’s play.

It all began when Lane Davies, artistic director of the Santa Susana Repertory Company, decided not to mount “Alice in Wonderland” as the next production for The Conservatory--an offshoot of his Thousand Oaks-based company--dedicated to offering productions that target younger actors and audiences.

After some discussion, “Treasure Island” was selected as a more viable property. And Davies’ friend, actor Wes Deitrick, volunteered to write an original adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of young Jim Hawkins caught up among a crew of bloodthirsty buccaneers.

“Lane wanted a children’s show,” said Deitrick, flashing a comic, malicious grin worthy of Long John Silver himself. “And then, I showed him the script.”

“We’ve done a couple of conservatory productions,” explains Davies, though “Alice” would have been the first full-length play. “But we determined that we have more male strength in the company, and more sets and costumes that can be reworked for this show. Also, there’s the attractive general energy of an adventure play with a lot of swordplay.”

Female members of the conservatory won’t be left out entirely. “Jim Hawkins has a mother in Wes’ version,” says Davies, “and there are a number of women in the tavern scenes. But other than that,” he admits, “it’s pretty much a guy play.”

The first step in writing his adaptation, says Deitrick, was to take a copy of Stevenson’s book and mark all dialogue and significant action in highlight marker. “After I completed that, I realized that Stevenson didn’t write a children’s story, per se; he wrote a scary story about pirates.

“Actually, the situation they face isn’t that far off from today: These pirates were homeless, they were poor, and they stole on the high seas in order to survive.”

“Sail-by shootings,” cracks James Egan, who collaborated on the songs for this “Treasure Island,” which, as they got into the project, evolved into a musical.

“Lane had asked me for some sea chanteys to be put into the show. I told him that I wanted to write original ones. Then Wes said, ‘Why not make it a musical?’ ”

Next to join the project was Randy Caldwell, a musician who’d worked with Deitrick before, but who now lives in North Carolina. “I had heard that Jim (Egan) was going to write the music and the lyrics and send them to me on a cassette for an arrangement,” Caldwell said. “I wrote a little sample thing, just to get me in the spirit, and sent it to Wes--now it’s the theme of the show.”

Though they hadn’t even met before, Egan and Caldwell both said they were up to the task of collaborating on an original musical.

Associated with the Santa Susana Repertory Company for several years, Egan wrote music for the company’s 1989 production of “Of Mice and Men,” and wrote, produced and directed “Elves,” a Christmas show for the company’s conservatory division last year.

Caldwell, a former resident of Simi Valley, had collaborated on words and music for the local SAVE Theater group’s “The Gift” and last year wrote a song included in the play “Reach for the Stars,” produced in Hollywood. He met Deitrick when both were involved in a well-received production of “Equus” at the Conejo Arts Council Center last year; Caldwell wrote the background music.

As Deitrick progressed with writing “Treasure Island,” Caldwell was working on the music. “He didn’t even have a copy of the script,” Deitrick said. “I’d give him an idea, like ‘Jim Hawkins is about to take over the ship,’ and he’d come up with a tune and arrangement.”

As the play’s director, Egan was involved with casting and working with his players, which left him little time to write the lyrics. Then, fate and the Actors Equity union stepped in.

Santa Susana Repertory Company is now under a Small Professional Theater contract with Equity, explains Davies, which allows professional actors such as himself to work with amateurs. They work for an amount of money that, while well below professional scale, “dignifies the work and justifies the drive for people coming out from Hollywood” to appear in the production.

Equity rules require that a certain percentage of the cast be members of the union. That worked out well for Egan, a union member.

“When the show went Equity,” he said, “I was moved from director to actor, playing Capt. Smolett, and Wes took over as director.” Not only does Egan prefer acting, he says, the move “freed me up to work on the lyrics.”

In the end, the “Treasure Island” songs were written in collaboration of Egan and Caldwell, with Deitrick contributing some lyrics. “I would call Wes and ask him what he wanted from a particular song, what the character was, the scenery and the whole environment,” Caldwell said. “Then I tried to set the scene in my mind.”

Caldwell composed and performed the entire music score on a synthesizer at home; it’s now preserved on floppy computer discs, which he can edit or rewrite at will as the show progresses. “He’s changed some keys, altered some verses . . .” Egan said. “This is still very much a workshop production. I think that what I like most about it is that it’s a work in progress, and so much fun to watch grow.”

None of the writers are being compensated for their work, though artistic director Davies says that there’s talk of “an honorarium” if the show makes money. And the Santa Susana Repertory Company anted up for an airplane ticket to bring Caldwell in from North Carolina to participate in the continuing process. Who exactly holds the copyright to the script, words and music is, says Davies, still under discussion.

As for the future, Egan muses, “we’d love to see it go to New York.”

Deitrick adds that he’s heard that a new hotel will be opening in Las Vegas later this year, called Treasure Island.

“And you can bet I’m going to get hold of (its owner) Steve Wynn.”

WHERE AND WHEN

* “Torch in the Sky” opens tomorrow night at Libbey Bowl on East Ojai Avenue in Ojai. Performances are Friday through Monday only at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday evening’s shows only will be signed for the hearing-impaired by Debi Tygell. Ticket prices for all performances range from $13-$20, with a special $100 ticket on Saturday including VIP seating and a post-performance catered reception with Beatrice Wood. All profits will be donated to the Happy Valley Foundation. Tickets can be charged through Theatix (213) 466-1767, or purchased at a number of local business or at the door. For further information, including a complete list of ticket outlets, call 655-5514 or (310) 288-7103.

* After a weekend of previews, “Treasure Island” opens tomorrow night, and continues weekends through June 27 at the Conejo Community Center, 1300 Hendrix Drive in Thousand Oaks. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $10 general admission; $7.50 seniors and students; and $5 for children. For reservations or further information, call 374-8282.