TREASURE ISLAND Character Descriptions
JIM HAWKINS The first-person narrator of the play. Jim is the son of an innkeeper near Bristol England and is in his early teens. He is eager and enthusiastic to go to sea and hunt for treasure. He never boasts of the remarkable courage and heroism he constantly displays. Jim is often impulsive and impetuous. But he exhibits sensitivity and wisdom, a trait that can be attributed to his father’s training. To be played by an adult male or adult female that can play a young teen boy. $125 per performance
LONG JOHN SILVER The cook on the voyage to Treasure Island. The secret ringleader of the pirate band. Though missing one leg, his physical and emotional strength is impressive. Silver is deceitful, greedy, disloyal and visceral. However, he is genial and charming to his superiors and is genuinely fond of Jim. Not a cliché “Arrrrgh!” kind of pirate. Silver is a powerful mixture of charisma, self-destruction and hidden danger. A very physically demanding role. Jim’s Father: He lives in Jim’s memory as a warm, loving father. $125 per performance
DR. LIVESY Livesy: The local doctor and a widower. He is practical and wise, and Jim respects him. He exhibits common sense and rational thought and a deep understanding of human nature. He is fair minded and treats the crew and the pirates the same. His embodies the steady, modest virtues of everyday life. He is naïve and somewhat adventure less. He is only drawn to the search for the map as a way of bettering his and Jim’s lives. Captain Flint: The murderous Captain “Evil beyond description”. He has a hideous scar on one side of his face, a mop of greasy red hair and is missing 3 fingers on his left hand. He is the one responsible for creating the map, abandoning Silver and his crew, and even for Silver’s loss of limb. $75 per performance
SQUIRE TRELAWNEY Trelawney: A noble Bristol squire. He represents the comfort, civility, social position and responsibility to those beneath him. He is rather full of himself, though his street smarts are limited. He is the epitome British arrogance and class privilege. O’Brian: The Irish pirate who was berated by the pirate gang. Killed by Hands. $75 per performance
CAPTAIN SMOLLETT Smollett: The captain of the Hispaniola and the voyage to Treasure Island. He is savvy, and rightly suspicious of the crew assembled by Trelawney. Smollett is the real professional with skill as a sailor and negotiator. Black Dog: A pirate and enemy to Billy Bones. He is the herald of the coming violence in the play as he threatens Billy with an unexpected visit. Black Dog is the embodiment of the dark and animalistic side of piracy. $75 per performance BEN GUNN Ben Gunn: A former crew member that was abandoned on the island long ago. He has become feral, ragged and has gone partially insane from being alone. He knew Jim’s Father. Job O’Brian: Irish Pirate who is berated by the pirate gang. Killed by Hands. Jemmy Rathbone: The mutinous pirate that kills Captain Flint. Josiah Bland: Mutinous pirate on the Hispaniola. Reverend Manwaring $75 per performance
ANNE BONNY Bonny: Illegitimate daughter of South Carolina lawyer William Cormac and his servant girl Mary Brennan. Anne married a small time pirate, James Bonny. She became a skillful pirate. She plays Mrs. Hawkins at the beginning of the play. Jim’s Mother: A poor widow and the operator of the Admiral Benbow’s Inn. $75 per performance
JUSTICE DEATH Death: A mutinous pirate on the Hispaniola; could be male/female Widow Drews $75 per performance
BLIND PEW Pew: Though blinded and masquerading as a beggar, he is still a murderous pirate and loyal to Silver. Pew presents Billy Bones with a “black spot”, an ultimatum to give up the sea chest’s contents (the treasure map) to the pirate gang or die. Pew dies shortly after in a carriage accident. Pew is the foreshadowing ‘angel of death’. Hands: The coxswain (sailor that steers the ship). Hands was a gunner on earlier pirate voyages. He is acting as one of the two guards on the ship when the other pirates are ashore. He is the famous pirate that climbs the shrouds of the ship with a knife in his teeth to kill Jim Hawkins. Hands is reckless and impulsive. Swims. $75 per performance
GEORGE MERRY Merry: The mutinous pirate who attempts to overtake Silver as the head of the pirate gang. Baliff’s Son $75 per performance
EZEKIEL HAZARD Hazard: A superstitious pirate, afraid of crossing God or the spirits. Swims. Tom Morgan: A good sailor unwilling to join the pirate gang. Swims underwater Inn Guest, Beggar/Cut Purse, Boy with Barrow $75 per performance BILLY BONES Bones: Masquerading as an old sailor, Billy is a pirate hiding at the Admiral Benbow Inn. Billy was a member of Silver’s crew, but he betrayed Silver. Billy’s stolen sea chest and treasure map set the whole adventure in motion. He is prone to delirium and temporary psychosis brought on by his alcohol addiction. His terrifying deterioration and paranoia is the result of the weak and destructive pirate lifestyle. Actor also plays a Bristol Sailor and other pirates. Calico Jack: A Pirate on the Hispaniola. Bristol Sailor Pirate $75 per performance
Musician 1: Violin/Fiddle; $125 per performance
Musician 2: Accordion (or guitar?); $125 per performance
Musician 3: Percussion; $125 per performance