Kellams: Theater, designed for and including young actors and young crew, thrives around here. There is, to name a few, Youth Actors Guild in the Arkansas River Valley, Trike Theatre, and Arts Live summer camps from theater organizations like TheatreSquared. The Institute for the Creative Arts in Fort Smith is the first performing and visual arts school, as well as an award-winning theater department at area high schools.
Arkansas's influence on young people in theater extends beyond state lines. Rick Dildine grew up in Wynne, Arkansas, and earned his first degree at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. He's now the artistic director of the Tony-winning Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. His new stage version of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" opens that theater's new season in September, and we wanted to catch up with the native Arkansan and find out about his own introduction to the arts.
Dildine: "You know, I was very lucky that my mother saw very early on that I was interested in theater, in the arts, and so she saved up money to buy us both tickets to all the touring shows that came through Memphis, Tennessee, at the Orpheum Theater, so it was my mother, uh, you know, in my in my teen years. And then I had a great drama teacher at Wynne High School, Randy Arnold. It was through both of them. They really nurtured and gave me great opportunities."
Kellams: So after this nurturing in Wynne, what was your career path?
Dildine: "So I went on to get degrees in theater at Ouachita Baptist University, and then I went to Brown University for my graduate training. And then that led to, you know, acting. But more importantly, it led me to some folks who introduced me to the other opportunities in theater, and I got into being a producer and director. So I went from being in the lights to behind the scenes, and that's where I really found my rhythm.
"Since then, I'm now in my 21st year of leading theaters. I've led, I think, six theaters at this point. And that's my main focus — leading institutions, artistic institutions and realizing artistic visions."
Kellams: And where are you now? Let's let listeners know.
Dildine: "Yeah. Now I am the artistic director of the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is the largest theater for young people in North America. We are the only regional theater that is focused on families that has won the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. We're not — the name is not — all kids on stage. Everyone's cast age appropriately. But it is about creating the best work for young people.
"So, you know, we are that first artistic theatrical experience for a lot of folks, and we want to give them an amazing story, an amazing theatrical experience. So we've got a staff of about 100 folks here that are creating top-notch work."
Kellams: All right. So let's talk about "Treasure Island," Robert Louis Stevenson's novel that I had to go back and read a little bit of this weekend getting ready and I—
Impressive.
Well, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it when I first read it. I was probably 13 or 14, and it's a tight, adventurous novel. Now you're going to put it in three dimensions on stage. So what are the challenges there?
Dildine: "Yeah. You know, the challenges is, uh, we're on land, then we're on water, then we're on an island. So how are you going to create that sense of adventure? It's a pretty big cast of characters that he encounters. It's also — can be — pretty violent, you know, and our audiences are mostly young people. So those challenges are great for theater folks because it allows us to use our imagination.
"We've tightened the show down to 11 people, 11 people who play the full spectrum of all these folks. And in our creation of the worlds, we call on imagination. So I'm really drawing upon my experience as a kid who — I was the kid who went to the library and checked out 24 books every week. And so we've created a vessel that is part ship, part library — two things that represent adventure.
"So, you know, it's live music. All the actors are playing instruments, singing. So it's an all-hands-on-deck show."
Kellams: OK, so somewhere along the line, you thought it's not challenging enough to have three different geographical locations. I need a cast that can act and play and sing. What was casting like?
Dildine: “And can fight with swords.”
Kellams: OK. And combat.
Dildine: “You know, the casting was pretty — when you raise the bar high, you can get really nervous, like, can anyone do all this? And then people walk in the door who absolutely blow you away. And we've got an amazing cast of folks.
"One thing we did decide was to double-cast the young boy, Jim. So we have two young men who are switching out in the role. But the rest of the cast is 10 folks who are mostly playing more than two characters throughout the show. One person's playing four characters. Yeah. It's a talented bunch of people."
Kellams: You know, "Treasure Island," I believe when it was first published, was not intended for necessarily a young audience. It was a contemporary novel. Somehow, over time, it's become something that young readers, like I did, could gravitate toward. But putting together a production like this, do you see that there are some things that Robert Louis Stevenson meant for an adult audience, and you kind of have to think about differently?
Dildine: "Oh, that's a great question. You know, in preparing for this, I threw myself into Robert Louis Stevenson. I went to Scotland. I have read everything I can get my hands on about this man.
"When he created this story, he actually was wanting to connect. He had just married for the first time, and his new wife had stepchildren, and he wanted to try to connect with his new stepson. So one day he just drew a treasure map. And from that, they created the world of "Treasure Island." The lead character, the lead pirate, Long John Silver, is actually inspired by someone that Robert Louis Stevenson knew.
"You know, anytime I'm making something, I always am looking for: What is the call to action? And you asked about what is there here for adults. And I think, yes, this will be full of adventure, but I do think it's a call to action about mentorship for young people.
"I'm particularly concerned about young boys in America today. Young boys are more likely to be in juvenile detention. They're more likely to commit suicide. They're more likely to not finish high school. So I think this is a call to action about how we can mentor young boys in America."
Kellams: Obviously, a lot of your audience will be from the Twin Cities, but you might get kids from Deer Lake or Mankato. Young people who are like you, who grew up in Wynne and needed to go to the big city to see productions. Do you think about that?
Dildine: "Oh, all the time. Yeah. North Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin — all the time. Most of our state is rural, overwhelmingly rural. And I'm a product of rural America, too. And so I always challenge my creative design team, my creative partners to: What can we do to delight our 10-year-old selves?
"That's your audience — your 10-year-old self. How much theater per square inch can you pack in to give them something that they're going to remember for the rest of their life?
"I think the first national tour I ever saw was West Side Story. You know, I can still see that dancing, that impact, that music. So yeah, it's an important responsibility."
Kellams: Finally, there's a very good chance there are people listening who might be drama teachers or parents of children who are interested in performance throughout rural Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, hearing this signal. What would you say to teachers or parents to further inspire young potential performers — even ones who will not end up professionally performing?
Dildine: "You know, I would say that working in a team — which is a cast, which is a company — the skills you learn in theater are life skills: collaboration, listening, understanding someone else's perspective. They grow you as a human.
"I often compare the work we do to sports all the time. There is so much about things that have to work in tandem to achieve something bigger, but it's what you take away from it. And I can't tell you the number of people I run into that do not do theater or the arts now, but they go, 'I was in a play.' And it's that experience of working together — it does something to your psyche and your soul.
"I do think the arts change you. I really, really do."
Kellams: Where can people find out more about the production specifically and the theater in general?
Dildine: "Yeah, head to childrenstheatre.org. We've got an amazing slate of shows this year. If you can't make it to "Treasure Island," you know, I suggest — we were one of the first theaters to do Dr. Seuss's work. And How the Grinch Stole Christmas that we do here is absolutely legendary."
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