Sedona youth were sailing the high seas in the West Sedona School auditorium on Saturday, July 27, in the Missoula Children’s Theatre’s original musical adaptation of Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” The annual performance is the result of a partnership among MCT, the Rotary Club of Sedona Village, the Sedona Public Library, the city of Sedona Parks and Recreation Department and several local businesses.

“All of the pirates are supposed to be these villains, but then they just love to sing and dance,” MCT Director Lindsay Williams said. “There’s just a lot of fun, goofy things that happen. And then we do a long sceneabout the history of the Americas and how the USA came to be. It’s fun to see a goofy telling of this story, but also like it still has very serious stakes and purpose.”

The week of theatre education involves the kids auditioning for their roles on Monday before progressing to the Saturday performance.

“There’s a formula to teaching everything,” Williams said. “We teach it in building blocks, so we start with the smallest things, we start with just the words, and then we build up to the movements, then we add the set, and the props and the costumes on Friday morning. So it all builds up on top of each other day after day. So that eventually, by the end, it is a complete show, and the kids don’t even realize that they’ve been building.”

Williams said teaching students during the summer is one of her favorite parts of the experience because it engages them when they are most excited and energetic.

“The summer programs give kids a chance to get these learning opportunities not just during the school year,” Williams said. “It’s not just like lessons of education, but it’s also lessons in confidence … We’ve had so many kids just come out of their shells and open up who were shy at the beginning of the week, but at the end of the week, they’re singing their songs completely by themselves, that’s my favorite part to see.”

The cast included Mason Perrine as Jim Hawkins, Elaine Perrine as Mother Hawkins and Ethan Perrine, Matthew Rodriguez, Lillian Bivanco, Keilan Cook-White, Isla Richardson, Josephina Tenbrink, Levi Kraut and Kinsley Sanchez as the pirates.

Jim’s sisters were played by Josie Kraklow, Danae Dearden, Addison Sanders, Melanie Rodriguez, Ailynn James and Penelope Richardson, while Bodhi Butler, Carter Rowland, Abigail Hazlitt, Patrick Tavasci, Savia Spyra and Orion Hughes were his ruffian friends.

The Gulls were played by Shasta Butler, Layla Franco, Cameron Gidell, Gabriel Kellen, Crux Segle, Bexley Powell, Loghan Hardy, Noelle Bakhtiari and Mila Kraut, and the Mariners were Braxton James, Jolie Stanton, Emersyn Cain, Kylie Gidell, Shivana Cooke, Violet Young, Kaylee Miller, Tylin Perrine, Sadie Leedham, Elijah Hazlitt, Wylin and Weslyn Segle, Ellie Rodola and Emerson Borgognone.

Leeloo Cordova, Camberlin Segle and Ivy Epperson were the Treasures and Braxton James was the Stranger. Katie Rodriguez and Joshua Sanchez served as assistant directors.

MCT tour actor and co-director Oscar Jaimez took a hands-on teaching approach, playing Long John Silver while he instructed.

“The secret is to remind them constantly that I will be on stage, and to show them through acting that it’s alright to be big and exciting,” Jameiz said. “And don’t be afraid to make [acting] choices. A lot of our work is built on building up their confidence and letting them know it’s okay to have fun, and it’s okay to really let loose and act.”

Jaimez cited Sedona Charter School student Levi Kraut’s performance as Snowy Owl, one of the pirates, for making bold acting choices.

“There’s a line in the show said by the boy playing Snowy … and he says, ‘If it weren’t for our clothes, we’d have no color at all,’” Jaimez said. “And usually, it’s just a regularly-stated line. But he’s decided to just full on throw his body down on the floor and go ‘We’d have no color at all’ and really scream it out. Levi is [a] really fun kid and not scared to just go out and do his own thing.”

Kraut returned to MCT after performing in last year’s production of “Beauty and the Country Beast,” and also appeared as Professor Von Schwartz in Sedona Charter School’s film production “Time Rescue.”

“In movies, you have to be not very loud because the camera is going to be up close, but on stage you have to be very loud so everybody in the back and everyone can hear you. You have to be loud and presentable,” Kraut said of the difference between the two mediums.

“Treasure Island” also brought out several first-timers, such as Carter Rowland. “It’s pretty fun to act,” Rowland said. “I also like to play sports like rollerblading.”

Six-year-old Cameron Gidell, who played one of the seagulls, said learning his lines came naturally since he enjoyed squawking.

Kylie Gidell, who played one of the Mariners, said she was “kind of but not really [nervous]” to take to the stage for the first time, adding that “it’s a good [role].”

“This is my second time doing [MCT],” Leeloo Cordova who played Sapphire, said. She also recently performed a dance routine in the “Sedona’s Got Talent” show but said she prefers acting. “But sometimes it’s kind of hard because you have to remember your words because you can’t have a script with you … [but] it’s fun to be on stage.”