Skip to main content
Treasure Island by Todd Espeland play script cover

Treasure Island

adapted by Todd Espeland from Robert Louis Stevenson

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest… Pirates sponging for rum, treasure maps filled with pieces of eight!

Join Jim, Long John Silver and the rest of his scurvy crew for this classic pirate adventure. Easy staging (including Silver’s peg leg) gender flexible options, and a thrilling journey to Skeleton Island.

Yo, ho, ho!

Drama Adventure Classical Adaptation

Average Producer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Also available in a one-act version here.

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 70 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
20 Characters
12 M 8 F
Plus patrons & pirates, gender flexible
Set
Simple set
Length
50 pages
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
Free Excerpt
Classroom Study Guide
Download a free Classroom Study Guide

What to order?

Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.

Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

20 Characters

12 M, 8 F, Plus patrons & pirates, gender flexible

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

Older Jim Hawkins [M] 38 lines
Male, adult Jim who recounts the tale
Jim Hawkins [M] 78 lines
Male, young and unsure of himself
Billie Bones [F] 16 lines
Female, bold, brash and hiding a secret
Mrs. Hawkins [F] 23 lines
Female, Jim’s mother, a tough no-nonsense woman who runs the Bennbow Inn
Dr. Livesey [M] 40 lines
Male, honorable and honest
Squire Trelawney [M] 33 lines
Male, impulsive side kick to Dr. Livesey
Blind Pew [F] 15 lines
Female, bitter and angry
Long John Silver [M] 80 lines
Male, friendly and warm but with a harsh dark side
Captain Smollett [F] 26 lines
Female, Captain of the Hispaniola, sharp and dry personality.
Benn Gunn [F] 19 lines
Female, marooned on Skeleton Island for 3 years, a little crazy from all the time alone
Johnny [F] 10 lines
Female pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Black Dog [M] 16 lines
Male pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Dirk [F] 8 lines
Female pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Bilge [F] 10 lines
Female pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Dungbee [M] 9 lines
Male pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Scuttle [M] 11 lines
Male pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Israel Hands [M] 14 lines
Male pirate in Long John Silver’s crew
Dick [M] 7 lines
Male crew member of the Hispaniola who is convinced to join Silver’s crew
Tom [M] 3 lines
Male crew member of the Hispaniola
Hunter [M] 1 line
Male crew member of the Hispaniola
Various Inn Patrons and Sailors [A]

Praise for Treasure Island

5 out of 5 stars
Daniel Pacheco
St. Margaret's Episcopal School
A great challenge for our middle school. The show also drew the interest of both students and audiences.
5 out of 5 stars
Ben Cole
Theatre School @ North Coast Rep
Skillfully adapted script that excites and delights both student actors and audiences in performance.
4 out of 5 stars
Jeanne Harrison
Traveling Players Ensemble
We just did this play with 4th - 7th grade actors and it was a great fit. Enough big/challenging parts to give to my more advanced students and enough smaller parts to not overwhelm my newer actors. Really adjustable as far as physical challenges.

More Plays Like Treasure Island

Nerd Herd

by Christian Kiley

A funny and endearing look at love, dreams, slushes, and the unexpected twists and turns that life takes when you’re saving the universe.

The Female Edison

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

Margaret E. Knight was a 19th century inventor with two big but forgotten stories.

Life, Off Book

by Scott Giessler

What happens when Ophelia and Jeb have to tear themselves away from the script and live life off book?

The Gorgon Sisters

by Laramie Dean

Can Stheno bring her sister Medusa back to life?

Something to Keep us Warm

by Stephen Gregg

A heartbreaking and hilarious one act. How does a family deal with watching one of their own disappear?

Gothic Ghost Stories

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

A modern adaptation of Victorian ghost stories.

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Ensemble Awareness

No Ensemble Left Behind

Ensembles! It’s not about creating a divide about the leads and the chorus, it’s about a collection of parts that come together as a whole. Each element works in relation to the other. A production...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Stage Combat 101: What Your Students Need to Know

This month, we are diving into the world of stage combat. If you dream of directing an action-packed show like The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, or Treasure Island, then you’ll have to deal with...
Featured Plays

A Swashbuckling Student Success: Treasure Island

Treasure Island by Todd Espeland is a theatrical, character-driven adaptation that’s worth it’s weight in gold – or in this case, a treasure chest full of ‘pieces of eight’! Fifteen men on the dead...
We accept
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Google Pay, and Apple Pay
We accept school purchase orders too. Info for your purchasing department