Whidbey sets the stage for Hollywood voices

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Hollywood actors John Goodman, Keith David and Glynn Turman traded recording studios for a wooded property near Langley, where they spent 10 days creating a new audio adaptation of “Treasure Island” alongside Grammy Award-winning musician Taj Mahal.

David could “smell the saltwater” after listening to a radio-series episode he recorded on Whidbey Island.

That reaction, recounted by co-producer Katie Hendrix, is exactly what writer and director Orson Ossman hoped audiences would experience. The eight-part audio drama follows a quest to uncover a hidden treasure, complete with pirates, battles and rough seas.

David voices Long John Silver, Goodman plays Billy Bones and Turman stars as James Hawkins. All three are acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning actors with extensive film, television and voice-acting careers, while Mahal composed the original score.

Although the adventure unfolds in the bayous of Louisiana, the Caribbean and New Orleans, its foundation was recorded on Whidbey, where Ossman and his family found the surroundings and support they needed to bring the ambitious production to life.

To make it more economical, the project became a community effort. Local friends provided the recording location, Whidbey businesses fed the cast and crew, Goodman and David stayed at the Inn at Langley and several island actors appear in the production, including Whidbey Children’s Theater founder Martha Murphy in a cameo role.

“We didn’t originally intend to record it on Whidbey, but it ended up being the best place,” Ossman said.

Rather than using a traditional recording studio, the cast performed over 10 days from September to October 2023, across a Quigley Road property near Langley, moving between the indoors and outdoors to capture each scene’s natural acoustics.

“What we really want to do is just get the subtle cues that tell our ears what’s happening,” Ossman said.

The island’s quiet setting proved just as valuable as its varied landscapes.

“The amazing part about Whidbey is that we were able to basically have no sonic interference,” he said. “The only thing we had to stop recording for was little tiny private planes.”

Using a single microphone, the actors performed scenes together rather than recording their lines separately, creating a more natural performance.

For executive producer Judith Walcutt, who is also Ossman’s mother, the production couldn’t have happened the same way anywhere else.

“We have some great footage of these guys who were supposedly rowing the boat to shore. And they’re right next to the pond, and they’re sitting in these camp chairs, but there’s a microphone hanging over their heads, and they’re rowing and doing their lines,” she recalled. “When you hear what it sounds like in the context of the show, you absolutely believe they are in a boat and they are rowing for their lives.”

Walcutt watched her son bring the ambitious project to life after growing up around the radio productions she and her husband created. Today, Ossman has been featured in several films as an actor, director, writer and producer.

“I’m really proud of him,” Walcutt said.

Having been born and raised on Whidbey, Ossman said returning home also gave him the opportunity to work alongside his parents, longtime public radio producers David Ossman and Judith Walcutt.

“That was the best part about working on Whidbey,” he said.

Ossman said he hopes the series introduces a new generation to audio drama while appealing to longtime fans of classic radio theater.

“If you’re a person who likes adventure stories, you will like this,” Ossman said. “If you want to read a comic book in your mind, tune in.”

He also envisions the series finding a home in classrooms, where younger listeners can experience storytelling differently.

“I wanted him to be the voice and the mind of America,” Ossman said of James Hawkins, the protagonist. “All the 7th graders who listen to this in a history class one day will literally have somebody who is learning what they need to learn.”

More than anything, Ossman hopes the series encourages listeners to turn their imaginations back on with this radio series.

“A movie gives everything to you, right? A movie gives you the picture and the sound. A book gives you just the story,” he said. “As a filmmaker, I can never create an image that will be more perfect or more personal than the one that you imagine on your own.”

The series is now airing on public radio stations worldwide, including KWIQ 89.9 FM in Freeland from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturdays. It can also be found on all platforms served by Blackstone Publishing, including Audible, I-Books and Google Play.

A public premiere featuring the first episode and a question-and-answer session with the creators and select cast members will be held at 7:30 p.m. July 11 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley. More information is available at radiotreasureisland.org.

Learn more about “Treasure Island: A Telling for the New World” at radiotreasureisland.org.