Tiger Arts Guild to present Treasure Island this weekend

There will be shipwrecks and lost treasure at Demopolis High School this weekend when the Tiger Arts Guild takes to the stage to present Treasure Island.

“I’ve been wanting to do a pirate show here for a really long time and this just seems like a good group to do that with,” Demopolis High theater teacher Jody Tartt said. “We always try to do something that is family friendly. Treasure Island is a classic, so it fits in with curriculum because people can talk about it being a literary classic. This is an adaptation of it, so it is a shorter version. It’s a lot of fun. It’s always good to recruit new people with pirates. Everybody loves pirates.”

Kaitlyn Waldrop will play the role of Auntie Nan while Garrett Miller brings to life Dr. Livesey.

“Kaitlyn Waldrop, she is no newcomer. She was Dorothy last year. She is a senior this year,” Tartt said. “Garrett Miller, who was also in Wizard of Oz, is Dr. Livesey.”

Chase Compton will take on the challenge of portraying Long John Sliver while Mike Clossin plays the role of Jim in his first production.

“This is his first role at the high school. He tried out for a play the first time and, really, he’s got the biggest part,” Tartt said.

Clossin is not the only new face of the production as a number of Demopolis High School football players will take to the stage for the first time.

“We’ve even got some football players that are going to be pirates that have decided this is their last year here and they want to be in a show. It is fun. They bring a lot of aggression to the pirates,” Tartt said.

Work on the production began in September and has included the artistry of Garland Farwell of BlackbeltMurals.com, whose work on the backdrop promises to take cast members and onlookers alike to Treasure Island.

“We started working on this one back in September. This has been a busy schedule. We’ve had a lot going on in September and October. The kids have worked really hard. They’re all really well cast and well suited for their parts. They have gotten along so well as a cast together, that that has made it a lot easier,” Tartt said before turning her attention to Farwell. “We have a guest artist, Garland Farwell, who has worked with us on set pieces in shows before. He is painting our backdrop and is painting it very much like a mural. We’re very, very fortunate to have his kind of talent to assist us. The backdrop is going to look amazing. The students have assisted and worked with him in the Theater II Design class.”

The show will open Friday at 7 p.m. with another show set for Saturday at 7 p.m. Treasure Island will close with its final show Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets for all shows are $5.