Pyrates! The CourtShip Chronicles

Theater for the New City
Crystal Field, executive director
presents

Pyrates! The CourtShip Chronicles

Book and Lyrics by Barbara Kahn
Music by Jay Kerr
Directed by Lisa Marjorie Barnes and Barbara Kahn
Musical Direction by Jay Kerr
Set Design by Mark Marcante
Lighting Design by Stewart Wagner
Costume Design by Carla Gant
Graphics Design by Virginia Asman, illuminage art & design
Stage Manager by Karin J. Ivester
Photo Services by Joe Bly
Scenic by Mary Blanchard
Cast Thomas Denny, court officer: Jonathan Ross
Calico Jack Rackham: Sean Seibert
Annie Bonny: Andi Hogan
Mark (Mary) Read: Nicola Barber
Belinda Spenser: Uzo Aduba
Agibo: Andrew Fitzgerald Graham
Luis Lopez de Salinas: Tony Javed
Pierre Devlin: Jesse Liebman
Pirates/Townsmen/British Crewmen: Shay Ansari, Keith Batza, Nate Rubin
Prostitutes/Townswomen: Iris Blasi, Janet Huege
Music accompaniment: Jay Kerr

Historical Inspiration for Pyrates!

Pyrates! The CourtShip Chronicles is a musical about lesbian and gay pirates in the tradition of Three-Penny Opera or Oliver! My initial research into the lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read reinforced my choice of subject matter. The facts of their lives are few, but they support the assumption that they indeed had an intimate relationship while serving as mates on a pirate crew. Yet I read material going back as far as 1724 that protested too much and followed convoluted logic to attempt to disprove the real nature of their relationship. This has happened repeatedly to lesbians in recorded history and has almost succeeded in burying the truth of our lives. In Pyrates! I am creating a new legend about two women who lived 300 years ago, a legend based on facts. Joining the two women on their final pirate venture are a crew that reflects the population of 1720 Jamaica: Anne’s friend Pierre, a gay man; Luis, a Sephardic Jewish refugee from the European Inquisition; Agibo, an escaped African slave; Belinda, a multi-racial tavern owner; and Calico Jack Rackham, a notorious pirate captain.