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.
