Treasure Island, Romeo and Juliet coming to Helderberg Theater Festival

Thursday, July 21, 2016 - 00:14

The Altamont Enterprise — H. Rose Schneider

“The seafaring man with one leg,” Long John Silver, and protagonist Jim Hawkins are portrayed by two young actors outside of the Wyman Osterhout Community Center.

NEW SCOTLAND — Outside of the Wyman Osterhout Community Center in Voorheesville, a crew of pirates piloted a small grassy hill as their ship, while a parrot, who had shed her rainbow-colored feathers so as not to get them dirty, waited her turn to say her favorite line, “pieces of eight.” Long John Silver, meanwhile, discussed with his director where the stump of his leg began.

Productions of “Treasure Island” and “Romeo and Juliet” will be performed at Indian Ladder Farms as part of the Helderberg Theater Festival Friday through Sunday, and next Thursday through Sunday. This will be the 10-year anniversary of the festival.

Eighteen-year-old Julie Jaster is director of “Treasure Island.” A student at Schenectady County County Community College for performing arts, she has been a set designer for the festival for the past two years. This summer is her first time writing and directing a show.

Jaster’s cast consists of 27 children, aged 7 to 14. She described the process of writing the script for a children’s production: pulling all the dialogue from the original book by Robert Louis Stevenson, cutting down the time to about 40 minutes, adding comedic bits and transitional and expositional dialogue, and adding traditional sea shanties for the actors to sing.

 

The Enterprise — H. Rose Schneider
“Three weeks, two weeks, ten days!” declares Squire Trelawney, on how long it will take to find the treasure. Director Julie Jaster shows the young actor playing Trelawney how to show excitement in the announcement.

 

Some of the songs include “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,” “What do you do with a drunken sailor?” and “Blow the man down.” The cast originally rehearsed at the Wyman Osterhout Community Center in Voorheesville, and on occasion Jaster allowed them to rehearse outside in preparation for Indian Ladder’s outdoor venue.

Ed Bablin will be directing a production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Romeo will be played by Jerred Hickey, and Juliet will be played by Kate Dashiell. The cast has been rehearsing at Indian Ladder Farms.

 

The Enterprise — H. Rose Schneider
“Hold your tongue,” the actor playing Squire Trelawney takes a line too literally under the direction of Julie Jaster.

 

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“Treasure Island” will be performed at Indian Ladder Farms on Route 156 in New Scotland at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 23; Sunday, July 24; Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 31. Admission is free.

“Romeo and Juliet” will be performed at Indian Ladder Farms at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 22; Saturday, July 23; Sunday, July 24; Thursday, July 28; Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; and at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 31. Admission is free.

Both productions will be performed at Proctor’s Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 6. “Treasure Island” will be at 4 p.m. and “Romeo and Juliet” will be at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $20 for each show.

 
 
The Enterprise — H. Rose Schneider
Young actors wait their turn to rehearse in “Treasure Island” outside of the Wyman Osterhout Community Center.

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