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

Praise for Treasure Island

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.
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.
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.

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
How can we help? Open chat