August 20, 2025 • 21 mins
Minneapolis—July 18, 2025 — Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is thrilled to announce the complete cast and creative team for the first production of the company’s 2025-2026 Season, the swashbuckling adventure Treasure Island. Adapted for the stage by Stuart Paterson and directed by CTC Artistic Director Rick Dildine, Treasure Island is based on the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The 2025-2026 Season is the first season programmed by Dildine, and Treasure Island marks his CTC directorial debut.
Treasure Island will run from September 9-October 19, 2025 on the UnitedHealth Group Stage. Opening night is Friday, September 12, 2025 at 7pm.
“For the first time in over 20 years, we’re opening with a new production of Treasure Island—a quirky adventure with real-world consequences,” said director Rick Dildine. “This timeless story of courage, personal growth, and discovery also serves as a powerful call to action, urging us to reflect on the role of mentors in the lives of young people. As a boy who dreamed of adventure, I am reminded of the critical need for positive role models in today’s world, especially for boys who are falling behind academically and facing mental health challenges. I’m also excited to bring Reed Sigmund’s lifelong dream to life as Long John Silver, alongside my longtime collaborator, sound designer Melanie Chen Cole, creating a soundtrack of Scottish music played live onstage!”
In Treasure Island, gold-hungry pirates and not-so-noblemen are repeatedly outwitted by one clever boy. Sail the open seas, explore a remote island, and search for buried treasure alongside young Jim as he navigates overheard schemes and ever-shifting alliances. Is Long John Silver an unlikely friend, or a treacherous villain? In between sword fights and rounds of live music, you can decide for yourself!
CTC’s production of Treasure Island is recommended for everyone 8 and up. Tickets may be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/treasure or by calling the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $20.
The cast of Treasure Island features Truman Bednar and Mason Yang alternating as Jim Hawkins, Jon Schumacher as Dick/Ensemble, Reed Sigmund* as Long John Silver, Matt Riehle* as Billy Bones/Captain Smollett, Keegan Robinson as Harry/George Merry, Ryan London Levin* as Black Dog/Morgan/Israel Hands, José Sabillón as Blind Pew/Mr. Arrow/Tom/Ben Gunn, Max Wojtanowicz* as Doctor Livesey, Em Adam Rosenberg as Squire Trelawney, Theo Janke-Furman as John/Ensemble (Understudy: Billy Bones/Captain Smollett), and Logan Lang as Job Anderson/Gray (Understudy: Livesey).
The understudies include Cooper Lajeunesse (Squire Trelawney; Blind Pew/Mr. Arrow/Tom/ Ben Gunn), Riley McNutt (Long John Silver, Black Dog, Israel Hands, Morgan), and Anya Naylor (Job Anderson, Gray, George Marry, Harry, John, Ensemble).
In addition to Rick Dildine†, the creative team and production staff for CTC’s production of Treasure Island includes Victor Zupanc‡ (music director/musician), Christopher Swader^ and Justin Swader^ (co-scenic designers), Alexa Behm^ (costume designer), Jeff Behm^ (lighting designer), Melanie Chen Cole^ (sound designer), Blake Manns^ (projection designer), Paul Dennhardt† (fight director), Keely Wolter (dialect coach), Aaron Preusse† (assistant fight director), Annie Cady (assistant costume designer), Andrew Vance (assistant lighting designer), Jenny R. Friend* (stage manager), Stacy McIntosh* (assistant stage manager), Ashley Pupo (stage management fellow), and Aiden Clayburn (directing intern).
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
†Member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
‡Member of the Twin Cities Musician Union, Local 30-73, AFM.
^Member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829.
Ticket Information
Tickets may be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/treasure or by calling the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $20.
School groups interested in attending Treasure Island can contact schools@childrenstheatre.org for more information.
Treasure Island has a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
This production is recommended for everyone 8 and up. Lap passes are available for children 3 ye
Treasure Island will run from September 9-October 19, 2025 on the UnitedHealth Group Stage. Opening night is Friday, September 12, 2025 at 7pm.
“For the first time in over 20 years, we’re opening with a new production of Treasure Island—a quirky adventure with real-world consequences,” said director Rick Dildine. “This timeless story of courage, personal growth, and discovery also serves as a powerful call to action, urging us to reflect on the role of mentors in the lives of young people. As a boy who dreamed of adventure, I am reminded of the critical need for positive role models in today’s world, especially for boys who are falling behind academically and facing mental health challenges. I’m also excited to bring Reed Sigmund’s lifelong dream to life as Long John Silver, alongside my longtime collaborator, sound designer Melanie Chen Cole, creating a soundtrack of Scottish music played live onstage!”
In Treasure Island, gold-hungry pirates and not-so-noblemen are repeatedly outwitted by one clever boy. Sail the open seas, explore a remote island, and search for buried treasure alongside young Jim as he navigates overheard schemes and ever-shifting alliances. Is Long John Silver an unlikely friend, or a treacherous villain? In between sword fights and rounds of live music, you can decide for yourself!
CTC’s production of Treasure Island is recommended for everyone 8 and up. Tickets may be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/treasure or by calling the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $20.
The cast of Treasure Island features Truman Bednar and Mason Yang alternating as Jim Hawkins, Jon Schumacher as Dick/Ensemble, Reed Sigmund* as Long John Silver, Matt Riehle* as Billy Bones/Captain Smollett, Keegan Robinson as Harry/George Merry, Ryan London Levin* as Black Dog/Morgan/Israel Hands, José Sabillón as Blind Pew/Mr. Arrow/Tom/Ben Gunn, Max Wojtanowicz* as Doctor Livesey, Em Adam Rosenberg as Squire Trelawney, Theo Janke-Furman as John/Ensemble (Understudy: Billy Bones/Captain Smollett), and Logan Lang as Job Anderson/Gray (Understudy: Livesey).
The understudies include Cooper Lajeunesse (Squire Trelawney; Blind Pew/Mr. Arrow/Tom/ Ben Gunn), Riley McNutt (Long John Silver, Black Dog, Israel Hands, Morgan), and Anya Naylor (Job Anderson, Gray, George Marry, Harry, John, Ensemble).
In addition to Rick Dildine†, the creative team and production staff for CTC’s production of Treasure Island includes Victor Zupanc‡ (music director/musician), Christopher Swader^ and Justin Swader^ (co-scenic designers), Alexa Behm^ (costume designer), Jeff Behm^ (lighting designer), Melanie Chen Cole^ (sound designer), Blake Manns^ (projection designer), Paul Dennhardt† (fight director), Keely Wolter (dialect coach), Aaron Preusse† (assistant fight director), Annie Cady (assistant costume designer), Andrew Vance (assistant lighting designer), Jenny R. Friend* (stage manager), Stacy McIntosh* (assistant stage manager), Ashley Pupo (stage management fellow), and Aiden Clayburn (directing intern).
*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
†Member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
‡Member of the Twin Cities Musician Union, Local 30-73, AFM.
^Member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829.
Ticket Information
Tickets may be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/treasure or by calling the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400. Ticket prices start at $20.
School groups interested in attending Treasure Island can contact schools@childrenstheatre.org for more information.
Treasure Island has a run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
This production is recommended for everyone 8 and up. Lap passes are available for children 3 ye
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey guys, Brad Gilmour here, want to give a big
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(00:25):
from Houston, Texas and around the world and are around
the world.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
TV host, best selling author and radio personality, Brad Gilmour
brings you a collection of conversations with stars from movies.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Matthew McConaughey, Brad Gilmore, Mark wohlburg By, how are you
the legendary mister Christopher Lloyd Christopher, how are we doing?
I'm doing good, Gray Inser, Jessica Alba and Lizzie Matthis ladies,
thank you so much for joining me.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Kevin Coster joins us, Thank you so much, Thank you Television.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Jimmy Fallon joins us this morning. Jimmy, how you doing,
my friend? Good morning. Thank you so much Brad for
having me.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
I appreciate this. Bud, Kelly ripperd thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Comedy Jay Leno joins us, Jay, how you doing? Hey,
what's going on? Chris Tucker is in the bill and
Chris Tucker, good morning to you.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Hey you.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
George Lopez joins us right now, George, how are you doing? Sorry?
Good morning music, Lola.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Manro, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
The legendary front man of A C d C. Brian
Johnson joins us right now, Brian, how you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Good morning? Brock what looking talking me? Funny Megan Trainer.
Chloe Bailey joins us. I appreciate the time, appreciate you
and more and more. This is the collection. Now your
host of the boat, Well, you're joining me right now.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
A Houston native who's participating in Treasure Island the Iconic show,
and he's joining right now to talk all about it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Hossey Sabion Jose how are you.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
I'm good? Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Brad Hey, look man, thank you for taking the time.
Let's jump right into Houston native. I always love when
I see somebody from the city of Houston going out
there and getting it and following their dreams and.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Kind of showing that we're more than just a business. City.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
We're an art city first and foremost. Talk to me
about where what part of Houston are you from?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, so I grew up in like the Fort Bend area.
I mean, you know, Houston's a large city, so there's
lots of parts around. But I grew up in the
Fort Bend area, went to Mission Bend Elementary, Travis High School.
I came back a week ago or two weeks ago
to Houston to visit my folks, and the elementary school
I grew up in is gone. I mean, the city
(02:49):
has blown up since I was since I lived there,
So it's great. Shout out to Houston, man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So, okay, did when did the bug kind of get
implanted in you? Was it there at Travis High when
you were in the theater program, or when did it
kind of hit you?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Man? If you ask my parents, when I was a kid,
I would learn a song at school and I would
ask him to call my uncle and I would sing
the song to my uncle. So like that's their version
of the story. But for me, it's been a journey.
You know. I had an amazing theater teacher in middle school,
amazing theater teacher in high school. I went to University
Ford at the University of Minnesota. Had great training there.
(03:26):
But after I graduated, you know, there was a period
of time where I was kind of unsure if I
wanted to keep going in this direction and went back home,
and the pandemic hit and everything had shut down. So
even if I wanted to, I couldn't, you know. And
as things started opening back up, my high school theater
(03:46):
director was getting ready to retire and he said, listen,
I have this show in the spring. Would you want
to come in and direct it? And I hadn't done
theater in two and a half years at that point,
and I just got the bug again. It was like, man,
I really do love this. And so when things started
opening back up, I said, you know, I know some
folks in Minneapolis. I went to school there. Let me
(04:07):
see if we can make it happen. And it's been
going good since. So I'm grateful.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
So you get this bug back because I think that
what people don't realize, and maybe they do. You know,
when you stage acting is such a different craft than
you film or television acting in the sense of, you know,
film TV you get.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
More than one take.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Obviously, you got your close up, you can really kind
of be reserved with some of your emotions.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You don't have to be over the top.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But in theatrical performance, yes, there's the nuances, but you
also have to reach the back row.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And when you hit a joke you or you hit a.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Line that's supposed to invoke emotion, you get that instant
audience feedback. It's not like it's a delayed reaction. You
gotta wait for the edit. That's kind of a bit
of a drug, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, I mean every night is different. You rehearse it,
so you try to be as consistent as possible, but
you want to leave some room there for the liveness
of the moment, you know, and the audience is such
a huge part of it, And sometimes it's hard to
read them because sometimes you'll get an audience where they
won't give you a lot of audible feedback, but it's
(05:12):
because they're dialed in. They just want to see what
happens next. And sometimes you get a big pop and
you're thinking, oh man, I really crushing it tonight. So
you just got to be grounded in what you rehearse
and in your scene partner, and you know, hope for
the best.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, you gotta hope for the best because you know,
it's such a it's such a what do you call it,
a dance out there with your scene partner in such
a trust.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
There has to be such a trust there because you're.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Not there only to make yourself, you know, look good
or what have you, or go through the scene for
your own benefit. You're there mainly for the other person, right,
y'all have to feed one another, that's.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Right, And especially in a story like Treasure Island. I
mean it's we have a huge cast and everyone is
always doing something on stage. I mean we're trying to
get a shit move in. We're looking for treasure, and
we're all working together to build this story about a
group of pirates trying to find treasure, you know, and
(06:07):
that doesn't happen. I mean, you can't do a swordifi
with one person. It's just you know, you're gonna swing
at the air, you know, so you gotta lock in,
make sure you're seeing partners there and make sure you're
there for them and trust that they'll be there for you. You know.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So it is a dance, it's a huge dance, and
especially a well known story like Treasure Island.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I mean this has been out.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I think the book was first published in the eighteen eighties. Yeah,
Robert Lewis Stevenson obviously the author of the book, And
it's kind of one of those iconic stories, which I
also feel like in some ways can be intimidating, right
when you're taking on such a well known entity.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, it can be. You know, this adaptation of the
story tried as much to be faithful to the book
as possible, but when you translate mediums, there are some
things that need to be edited out, just because you know,
with the look, it's all about your imagination and so
it's about painting it with words. And when you go
(07:05):
to the stage, it really you add a visual element,
you add a sonic element to it, and so just
by the nature of that, the story will change, you know,
and I think depending on the director, depending on the actors,
depending on the designers, the version is going to be different.
So as a theater maker, you can sort of take
(07:26):
a little bit of the pressure off just knowing that
it inherently will be different. So we have some freedom
to play there.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, you can color outside the lines a little bit,
but obviously the heart of the story remains you know
what it's always been, and it's this quest, this great question.
You play several different characters in this story. Correct, walk
me through having the change in between during the show,
and what's the mental prep like for that?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, I play four different name pirates and then I
play a variety of unnamed pirates that come then for
you know, maybe a sword fight. Maybe I don't make it,
maybe I do. And for me personally, what really helps
me is is one of the costumes, which we get
little hints of in the beginning. There's a production meeting
(08:13):
and the designers come in and they show you, so
you start to get an idea of Okay, who is
this person? Where do they hold the weight in their body?
A big thing for me is how they sound. So
I'm really big on especially this play, which which has
is rooted in sort of English territory, English Ireland, that
(08:34):
sort of region, and so finding the specifics of what
part of England are they Irish? Did they spend some
time in Ireland and have a hint of maybe more
English roots. So hearing the voice and then feeling the
placement of the body really helps me get in the
mindset Okay, this person has this voice and that person
(08:56):
has this body, and so it gives me time. But
it is so fast paid that you got to make
sure you know you're specific about each different person.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You know, it's interesting you bring that up about you know,
what is their country of origin or what region in
England are they because when you think about it, even
though we're both from Houston or from the South, if
people say, well, you're from the South, you all sound
the same, Well it's like, no, we don't know.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Louisiana sounds different than Texas. Alabama sounds different than Georgia.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Mississippi and Texas don't sound like it all Like we
can hear those small little colloquial differences, And I guess
that's really what helps bring a character to life when
you're talking about performing several different characters at once, not
only the hey, yes they are the country of origin
is this, but this is their region of origin.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Maybe they, like you said, spent.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Time in Scotland or Ireland and they have a hint
of that slang terminology in them where they pronounce the
words just so much differently than this portion would be.
That's like a really intricate thing to get into. But
that's I guess what separates the good actors from the
you know, average.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Well, and it's part of the storytelling. I mean, here
in the story of Treasure Island, you also have a
group of upper class characters. You know, uh, doctor Livesey
and Squire Trelawney. They come from this aristocratic background, so
their English dialect is going to be a little bit
more posh and if and if you don't tell that story,
(10:19):
then you're missing out on a key element of what
this tale has to offer.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah, and you know what, I think that that's again,
is that something that comes in when you get the
play and you know the stage play, the scripting of
the play, and you look through it, do you make
notations of oh, hey, this is who I think this
guy is or this is what I think maybe he
would sound like, and you start working on that.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, you know, each process is a little bit different.
But I like to come in with an idea of
what it could be. But you know, as much as
I want to prep it, I always find that there's
more to discover in the room. And it was great
in this process. I mean the first week we spent
(11:05):
it at a table reading the script and talking about
what we think of certain characters, what their relationships are.
Because this story is so fast paced. I mean things
clip along, where starting to set sail, then there's a storm,
and then we get to the island. I mean, it
goes and goes. And so if you're not specific about
(11:26):
what the person across from me means to me, then
the audience is just kind of gonna get lost in
the journey of it. So it really is important to
really take the time to define who this person is
to me and how they relate to other people. And
our director Rick Dildein, I mean he came in the
first day. I was so moved. He gave he wrote
(11:48):
a speech of what the story means to him, and
it gave us a lens as to what we want
to accomplish with this story, which is the story of
a boy who grew up in a town and has
read all these books and has the inspiration for adventure.
And then the call to adventure comes and so how
(12:09):
does he respond And within this adventure he meets this
crew of wacky, dangerous, interesting characters, and how these characters
states the person that he eventually can become, you know,
and and and that's our job to offer that to
(12:31):
the audience, you.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Know, translate that, to translate that through the story and
be able to make sure that it lands with the audience.
But it's interesting, you actually just gave me my next segue,
which was going to be when you think of this story,
what does Treasure Island represent to you? You kind of
just illuminated ourselves, me and the audience a little bit
on your thinking there.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
But what what what does the story mean to you?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And why do you think Treasure Island has had that
ability to sustain and stay relevant throughout all these years?
Because we live in a time, Jose where there's so
much content and so much intellectual property out there that
has been developed for the stage, screen and the like.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Why is this story lasted the test of time?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I think part of it is at its root, it's
a it's a coming of age story. A lot of
the times in the script, it'll it'll repeat, it'll rhyme,
it'll have this this through line of you're not a
man yet, Jim. Jim is the main kid, the protagonist.
You're not a many at Jim, Oh, you don't have
(13:35):
what it takes to be a man. And you know,
I think about when I was a kid, and what
that question was when I looked at the role models
that that I had in my life and what I
took from them. You know, we live in a day
and age, as you were saying, with social media, where
kids have access to a lot of different influences, you know,
(13:56):
And so I think what's great about this story is
as a kid, you have the cult to adventure, the
wonder of a of a new world that you can
step into, the and of course the action and the
sword fighting, which is always cool. I mean I remember
watching the Pirates of the carib being and and being
blown away myself. But then you come to it as
(14:18):
an adult and you think, wow, man, I mean all
of these pirates, uh have a role in the shaping
of of this kid's vision of what the world is.
And and you know, we as as adults have a
degree of responsibility as as to what we what role,
(14:39):
what influence we can we can have on a young person,
you know, And and that's a beautiful thing, and it's
it's also something we should consider, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, you know, it's it is so funny though to
to I think that the stories that resonate with people
the most are the stories that are told through a
child's eyes, because the way that a young person and
sees the world, it's so different than what you or
I might see. Because when you're young and you have
that inspiration and that imagination and the whimsy of your mind,
(15:10):
that can go so far because you don't have this
logistical way of thinking, like, oh, this is how the
world works, A plus B will see. It's like no,
A plus B equals x y Z when you're a
kid and none of it makes sense, but everything makes
sense to you. So to see it through the children's eyes,
I think is why some of those stories like this
one are a Wizard of Oz or whatever, the Aladdin
(15:30):
or whatever, the stories are that kind of continue. They're
always told through a young person's eyes. Now, let me
ask you this. I'm a fan of mini a theater, right.
I like to go to Broadway at least once a year,
go out to New York and see something on Broadway.
Whenever we have stuff here at the Hobby Center in Houston,
I try to attend as much as possible. There's a
few that stand out that have always been my favorite.
(15:52):
Like I'm a sucker for musicals, so I love Chicago
Chicago's like probably my favorite stage play. I got to
see Back to the Future of the Musical on Broadway
last year, and it's coming to Houston.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
It was sensational.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
What are some of your favorite stage productions that you
have seen?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Oh, man, gosh, I mean, I mean, I remember when
I was in college, Hamilton had just come out, and
that was just a pretty mind blowing experience for me.
I mean, I had like a I mean, you can't
call the midlife crisis at twenty, but I had an
awakening of sorts of what this medium could do and
(16:32):
what you could say with it and how you could
say it. There's a company here in Minneapolis which which
I admire their work so much, called the Moving Company,
and their work is as the name suggests, it's a
lot about movement. But they what I get from them
is they pull from different sources of literature and they
(16:54):
stitch together a story that has to do with a theme.
And so I remember they did a show years back
called Refugia, and the through line of that was boundaries
of Borders, people crossing borders. So it was crossing the
border from life to death, crossing a border from one
(17:15):
country to another, and what that means, but the physical
storytelling of it. You know, I think we in especially
in our culture, is very intellectual. It's about here, how
can I think my way to the next thing? And
one of the great things about theater is is we
also have this corporeal form that can show us things
(17:39):
that we don't have the words for. And so the
moving company is another is a company that I really
admire their work.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, the moving Company. No, physical storytelling is amazing.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
I spend quite a bit of my time working in
professional wrestling, and professional wrestling is that as well. You know,
it's physical storytelling. It's no words, it's all action, it's
all movement. It's the pursuit of good versus evil, you know,
the everlasting pursuit of justice over you know the bad guys. Now, Okay,
(18:13):
when people go to see Treasure Island, right, and the
curtains close, and the ovation comes when they get into
the car and they're driving away and they're heading back
to their apartment, to their home, to their hotel wherever
it may be, what do you want the conversation to
be in that car?
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Man, I might be the wrong person to answer that question,
only because I really believe that my role, my work
ends when the curtain closes. You know, I can't. I
(18:53):
don't think it's solpful as a performer to hope for
a certain thing. I'll tell you a quick story. I
did a show a couple of years back, and it
had some religious themes to it, and I had a
certain viewpoint about what the story meant to me, and
(19:16):
I thought, you know, it'll be good if I could
get this across, and it'll be great if I get
this across. And then I run into someone and they
had a completely opposite take of what I envisioned the
story to be in my head, and I'll find oh,
how did this happen? I was doing the things that
led me to believe what I was thinking would translate,
(19:39):
and they got a completely different thing. And so in
my mind, it's like, who am I to negate your
experience at the theater? If you came away with something
different from when you came in, that's enough to me.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Well, I love it, man, I love it. I love it,
you know.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And you're going to be performing several different roles, several
different roles as a part of this production of the
classic Treasure Island, A Houston native. It's always great to
talk to another one. If people want to reach out
to you and get in touch with you and give
you anything that they see from the show or what
have you, or just pick your brain.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
About acting in the world of how could they reach
out to you.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Oh man, I have social media. I'm not big on
social media. If you have something wonderful to say about
the show, a children's theater company on Instagram on Facebook
would be a great way, and I'll see it. Someone
will showed me. Yeah. Please come to see Treasure Island
August ninth through or sorry, September ninth through October nineteenth.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Hey man, I hope that it's a sellout every single night.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And I really appreciate you taking the time to join
me today have a little conversation about theater to Houston cats,
you know, and you're doing it big out there in Minneapolis,
and we appreciate.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
You, man, We really do.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, So thank you very much. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
If you have a good one today. That was great, man,
Hey guys, Brad Gilmour here, want to give a big
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(00:25):
from Houston, Texas and around the world and are around
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Speaker 2 (00:30):
TV host, best selling author and radio personality, Brad Gilmour
brings you a collection of conversations with stars from movies.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Matthew McConaughey, Brad Gilmore, Mark wohlburg By, how are you
the legendary mister Christopher Lloyd Christopher, how are we doing?
I'm doing good, Gray Inser, Jessica Alba and Lizzie Matthis ladies,
thank you so much for joining me.
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Jimmy Fallon joins us this morning. Jimmy, how you doing,
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Good morning music, Lola.
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Johnson joins us right now, Brian, how you doing?
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Chloe Bailey joins us. I appreciate the time, appreciate you
and more and more. This is the collection. Now your
host of the boat, Well, you're joining me right now.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
A Houston native who's participating in Treasure Island the Iconic show,
and he's joining right now to talk all about it.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Hossey Sabion Jose how are you.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
I'm good? Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Brad Hey, look man, thank you for taking the time.
Let's jump right into Houston native. I always love when
I see somebody from the city of Houston going out
there and getting it and following their dreams and.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Kind of showing that we're more than just a business. City.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
We're an art city first and foremost. Talk to me
about where what part of Houston are you from?
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, so I grew up in like the Fort Bend area.
I mean, you know, Houston's a large city, so there's
lots of parts around. But I grew up in the
Fort Bend area, went to Mission Bend Elementary, Travis High School.
I came back a week ago or two weeks ago
to Houston to visit my folks, and the elementary school
I grew up in is gone. I mean, the city
(02:49):
has blown up since I was since I lived there,
So it's great. Shout out to Houston, man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So, okay, did when did the bug kind of get
implanted in you? Was it there at Travis High when
you were in the theater program, or when did it
kind of hit you?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Man? If you ask my parents, when I was a kid,
I would learn a song at school and I would
ask him to call my uncle and I would sing
the song to my uncle. So like that's their version
of the story. But for me, it's been a journey.
You know. I had an amazing theater teacher in middle school,
amazing theater teacher in high school. I went to University
Ford at the University of Minnesota. Had great training there.
(03:26):
But after I graduated, you know, there was a period
of time where I was kind of unsure if I
wanted to keep going in this direction and went back home,
and the pandemic hit and everything had shut down. So
even if I wanted to, I couldn't, you know. And
as things started opening back up, my high school theater
(03:46):
director was getting ready to retire and he said, listen,
I have this show in the spring. Would you want
to come in and direct it? And I hadn't done
theater in two and a half years at that point,
and I just got the bug again. It was like, man,
I really do love this. And so when things started
opening back up, I said, you know, I know some
folks in Minneapolis. I went to school there. Let me
(04:07):
see if we can make it happen. And it's been
going good since. So I'm grateful.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
So you get this bug back because I think that
what people don't realize, and maybe they do. You know,
when you stage acting is such a different craft than
you film or television acting in the sense of, you know,
film TV you get.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
More than one take.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Obviously, you got your close up, you can really kind
of be reserved with some of your emotions.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You don't have to be over the top.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
But in theatrical performance, yes, there's the nuances, but you
also have to reach the back row.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And when you hit a joke you or you hit a.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Line that's supposed to invoke emotion, you get that instant
audience feedback. It's not like it's a delayed reaction. You
gotta wait for the edit. That's kind of a bit
of a drug, I would imagine.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, I mean every night is different. You rehearse it,
so you try to be as consistent as possible, but
you want to leave some room there for the liveness
of the moment, you know, and the audience is such
a huge part of it, And sometimes it's hard to
read them because sometimes you'll get an audience where they
won't give you a lot of audible feedback, but it's
(05:12):
because they're dialed in. They just want to see what
happens next. And sometimes you get a big pop and
you're thinking, oh man, I really crushing it tonight. So
you just got to be grounded in what you rehearse
and in your scene partner, and you know, hope for
the best.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, you gotta hope for the best because you know,
it's such a it's such a what do you call it,
a dance out there with your scene partner in such
a trust.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
There has to be such a trust there because you're.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Not there only to make yourself, you know, look good
or what have you, or go through the scene for
your own benefit. You're there mainly for the other person, right,
y'all have to feed one another, that's.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Right, And especially in a story like Treasure Island. I
mean it's we have a huge cast and everyone is
always doing something on stage. I mean we're trying to
get a shit move in. We're looking for treasure, and
we're all working together to build this story about a
group of pirates trying to find treasure, you know, and
(06:07):
that doesn't happen. I mean, you can't do a swordifi
with one person. It's just you know, you're gonna swing
at the air, you know, so you gotta lock in,
make sure you're seeing partners there and make sure you're
there for them and trust that they'll be there for you. You know.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So it is a dance, it's a huge dance, and
especially a well known story like Treasure Island.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I mean this has been out.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I think the book was first published in the eighteen eighties. Yeah,
Robert Lewis Stevenson obviously the author of the book, And
it's kind of one of those iconic stories, which I
also feel like in some ways can be intimidating, right
when you're taking on such a well known entity.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, it can be. You know, this adaptation of the
story tried as much to be faithful to the book
as possible, but when you translate mediums, there are some
things that need to be edited out, just because you know,
with the look, it's all about your imagination and so
it's about painting it with words. And when you go
(07:05):
to the stage, it really you add a visual element,
you add a sonic element to it, and so just
by the nature of that, the story will change, you know,
and I think depending on the director, depending on the actors,
depending on the designers, the version is going to be different.
So as a theater maker, you can sort of take
(07:26):
a little bit of the pressure off just knowing that
it inherently will be different. So we have some freedom
to play there.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Yeah, you can color outside the lines a little bit,
but obviously the heart of the story remains you know
what it's always been, and it's this quest, this great question.
You play several different characters in this story. Correct, walk
me through having the change in between during the show,
and what's the mental prep like for that?
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, I play four different name pirates and then I
play a variety of unnamed pirates that come then for
you know, maybe a sword fight. Maybe I don't make it,
maybe I do. And for me personally, what really helps
me is is one of the costumes, which we get
little hints of in the beginning. There's a production meeting
(08:13):
and the designers come in and they show you, so
you start to get an idea of Okay, who is
this person? Where do they hold the weight in their body?
A big thing for me is how they sound. So
I'm really big on especially this play, which which has
is rooted in sort of English territory, English Ireland, that
(08:34):
sort of region, and so finding the specifics of what
part of England are they Irish? Did they spend some
time in Ireland and have a hint of maybe more
English roots. So hearing the voice and then feeling the
placement of the body really helps me get in the
mindset Okay, this person has this voice and that person
(08:56):
has this body, and so it gives me time. But
it is so fast paid that you got to make
sure you know you're specific about each different person.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
You know, it's interesting you bring that up about you know,
what is their country of origin or what region in
England are they because when you think about it, even
though we're both from Houston or from the South, if
people say, well, you're from the South, you all sound
the same, Well it's like, no, we don't know.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Louisiana sounds different than Texas. Alabama sounds different than Georgia.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Mississippi and Texas don't sound like it all Like we
can hear those small little colloquial differences, And I guess
that's really what helps bring a character to life when
you're talking about performing several different characters at once, not
only the hey, yes they are the country of origin
is this, but this is their region of origin.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Maybe they, like you said, spent.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Time in Scotland or Ireland and they have a hint
of that slang terminology in them where they pronounce the
words just so much differently than this portion would be.
That's like a really intricate thing to get into. But
that's I guess what separates the good actors from the
you know, average.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Well, and it's part of the storytelling. I mean, here
in the story of Treasure Island, you also have a
group of upper class characters. You know, uh, doctor Livesey
and Squire Trelawney. They come from this aristocratic background, so
their English dialect is going to be a little bit
more posh and if and if you don't tell that story,
(10:19):
then you're missing out on a key element of what
this tale has to offer.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah, and you know what, I think that that's again,
is that something that comes in when you get the
play and you know the stage play, the scripting of
the play, and you look through it, do you make
notations of oh, hey, this is who I think this
guy is or this is what I think maybe he
would sound like, and you start working on that.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, you know, each process is a little bit different.
But I like to come in with an idea of
what it could be. But you know, as much as
I want to prep it, I always find that there's
more to discover in the room. And it was great
in this process. I mean the first week we spent
(11:05):
it at a table reading the script and talking about
what we think of certain characters, what their relationships are.
Because this story is so fast paced. I mean things
clip along, where starting to set sail, then there's a storm,
and then we get to the island. I mean, it
goes and goes. And so if you're not specific about
(11:26):
what the person across from me means to me, then
the audience is just kind of gonna get lost in
the journey of it. So it really is important to
really take the time to define who this person is
to me and how they relate to other people. And
our director Rick Dildein, I mean he came in the
first day. I was so moved. He gave he wrote
(11:48):
a speech of what the story means to him, and
it gave us a lens as to what we want
to accomplish with this story, which is the story of
a boy who grew up in a town and has
read all these books and has the inspiration for adventure.
And then the call to adventure comes and so how
(12:09):
does he respond And within this adventure he meets this
crew of wacky, dangerous, interesting characters, and how these characters
states the person that he eventually can become, you know,
and and and that's our job to offer that to
(12:31):
the audience, you.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Know, translate that, to translate that through the story and
be able to make sure that it lands with the audience.
But it's interesting, you actually just gave me my next segue,
which was going to be when you think of this story,
what does Treasure Island represent to you? You kind of
just illuminated ourselves, me and the audience a little bit
on your thinking there.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
But what what what does the story mean to you?
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And why do you think Treasure Island has had that
ability to sustain and stay relevant throughout all these years?
Because we live in a time, Jose where there's so
much content and so much intellectual property out there that
has been developed for the stage, screen and the like.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Why is this story lasted the test of time?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
I think part of it is at its root, it's
a it's a coming of age story. A lot of
the times in the script, it'll it'll repeat, it'll rhyme,
it'll have this this through line of you're not a
man yet, Jim. Jim is the main kid, the protagonist.
You're not a many at Jim, Oh, you don't have
(13:35):
what it takes to be a man. And you know,
I think about when I was a kid, and what
that question was when I looked at the role models
that that I had in my life and what I
took from them. You know, we live in a day
and age, as you were saying, with social media, where
kids have access to a lot of different influences, you know,
(13:56):
And so I think what's great about this story is
as a kid, you have the cult to adventure, the
wonder of a of a new world that you can
step into, the and of course the action and the
sword fighting, which is always cool. I mean I remember
watching the Pirates of the carib being and and being
blown away myself. But then you come to it as
(14:18):
an adult and you think, wow, man, I mean all
of these pirates, uh have a role in the shaping
of of this kid's vision of what the world is.
And and you know, we as as adults have a
degree of responsibility as as to what we what role,
(14:39):
what influence we can we can have on a young person,
you know, And and that's a beautiful thing, and it's
it's also something we should consider, you know.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, you know, it's it is so funny though to
to I think that the stories that resonate with people
the most are the stories that are told through a
child's eyes, because the way that a young person and
sees the world, it's so different than what you or
I might see. Because when you're young and you have
that inspiration and that imagination and the whimsy of your mind,
(15:10):
that can go so far because you don't have this
logistical way of thinking, like, oh, this is how the
world works, A plus B will see. It's like no,
A plus B equals x y Z when you're a
kid and none of it makes sense, but everything makes
sense to you. So to see it through the children's eyes,
I think is why some of those stories like this
one are a Wizard of Oz or whatever, the Aladdin
(15:30):
or whatever, the stories are that kind of continue. They're
always told through a young person's eyes. Now, let me
ask you this. I'm a fan of mini a theater, right.
I like to go to Broadway at least once a year,
go out to New York and see something on Broadway.
Whenever we have stuff here at the Hobby Center in Houston,
I try to attend as much as possible. There's a
few that stand out that have always been my favorite.
(15:52):
Like I'm a sucker for musicals, so I love Chicago
Chicago's like probably my favorite stage play. I got to
see Back to the Future of the Musical on Broadway
last year, and it's coming to Houston.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
It was sensational.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
What are some of your favorite stage productions that you
have seen?
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Oh, man, gosh, I mean, I mean, I remember when
I was in college, Hamilton had just come out, and
that was just a pretty mind blowing experience for me.
I mean, I had like a I mean, you can't
call the midlife crisis at twenty, but I had an
awakening of sorts of what this medium could do and
(16:32):
what you could say with it and how you could
say it. There's a company here in Minneapolis which which
I admire their work so much, called the Moving Company,
and their work is as the name suggests, it's a
lot about movement. But they what I get from them
is they pull from different sources of literature and they
(16:54):
stitch together a story that has to do with a theme.
And so I remember they did a show years back
called Refugia, and the through line of that was boundaries
of Borders, people crossing borders. So it was crossing the
border from life to death, crossing a border from one
(17:15):
country to another, and what that means, but the physical
storytelling of it. You know, I think we in especially
in our culture, is very intellectual. It's about here, how
can I think my way to the next thing? And
one of the great things about theater is is we
also have this corporeal form that can show us things
(17:39):
that we don't have the words for. And so the
moving company is another is a company that I really
admire their work.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Okay, the moving Company. No, physical storytelling is amazing.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
I spend quite a bit of my time working in
professional wrestling, and professional wrestling is that as well. You know,
it's physical storytelling. It's no words, it's all action, it's
all movement. It's the pursuit of good versus evil, you know,
the everlasting pursuit of justice over you know the bad guys. Now, Okay,
(18:13):
when people go to see Treasure Island, right, and the
curtains close, and the ovation comes when they get into
the car and they're driving away and they're heading back
to their apartment, to their home, to their hotel wherever
it may be, what do you want the conversation to
be in that car?
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Man, I might be the wrong person to answer that question,
only because I really believe that my role, my work
ends when the curtain closes. You know, I can't. I
(18:53):
don't think it's solpful as a performer to hope for
a certain thing. I'll tell you a quick story. I
did a show a couple of years back, and it
had some religious themes to it, and I had a
certain viewpoint about what the story meant to me, and
(19:16):
I thought, you know, it'll be good if I could
get this across, and it'll be great if I get
this across. And then I run into someone and they
had a completely opposite take of what I envisioned the
story to be in my head, and I'll find oh,
how did this happen? I was doing the things that
led me to believe what I was thinking would translate,
(19:39):
and they got a completely different thing. And so in
my mind, it's like, who am I to negate your
experience at the theater? If you came away with something
different from when you came in, that's enough to me.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Well, I love it, man, I love it. I love it,
you know.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And you're going to be performing several different roles, several
different roles as a part of this production of the
classic Treasure Island, A Houston native. It's always great to
talk to another one. If people want to reach out
to you and get in touch with you and give
you anything that they see from the show or what
have you, or just pick your brain.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
About acting in the world of how could they reach
out to you.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Oh man, I have social media. I'm not big on
social media. If you have something wonderful to say about
the show, a children's theater company on Instagram on Facebook
would be a great way, and I'll see it. Someone
will showed me. Yeah. Please come to see Treasure Island
August ninth through or sorry, September ninth through October nineteenth.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Hey man, I hope that it's a sellout every single night.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And I really appreciate you taking the time to join
me today have a little conversation about theater to Houston cats,
you know, and you're doing it big out there in Minneapolis,
and we appreciate.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
You, man, We really do.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Yeah, So thank you very much. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
If you have a good one today. That was great, man,
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