SPRINGFIELD – The Clark State Community College Theatre Arts Program will present “The Last Pirates of the Vast Golden Treasure,” an original musical-comedy written by Dan Hunt, technical director at the Clark State Performing Arts Center.

The tale follows an inept band of pirates who find a note in a bottle, stumbling and singing through an adventure to aid maidens in distress, defeat evil forces, free the kingdom’s true ruler and maybe even find treasure.

Performances will be at 8 p.m. April 6-7 and 2 p.m. April 8 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, 300 S. Fountain Ave. in downtown Springfield.

Tickets can be purchased through ticketmaster.com or at the Clark State Performing Arts Center box office: 937-328-3874. Admission is free for Clark State students with a student ID.

“With a new musical, the canvas starts blank,” said Hunt. “No other performer has ever attempted to bring this character to life. All too often in musicals, a character is created the first time, and performers who follow use that first performance as a reference point for their performance. It’s like getting a head start. There are no head starts here. It is an original character in an original musical. Very exciting!”

“Pirates” is Hunt’s second theatrical piece. In 2010, he penned “Flash,” a hit with Theresa Lauricella, associate professor and program coordinator for Clark State’s Theatre Arts programs.

“It’s a challenging opportunity for students to develop a character from scratch, especially in a musical because the songs are brand new, and there isn’t a cast recording to listen to,” she said.

The cast of “Pirates” is comprised of 36 actors total; half of those are students. The crew is also comprised of students.