Books on Stage: How I Became a Pirate at Westport Country Playhouse on April 15

As part of its Family Festivities Series, Westport Country Playhouse will present two performances of the musical “How I Became a Pirate” on Sunday, April 15 at 1 and 4 p.m. Based on the bestselling book written by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon, the one-hour production is produced by Dallas Children’s Theater and appropriate for ages five and up. Tickets are $20, and everyone in the audience requires a ticket.

The musical adventure follows young Jeremy Jacob who joins Captain Braid Beard’s band of comical pirates and searches for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. But Jeremy soon learns that home and family are treasures not found on any map. Songs include “A Good One to Boot,” “Green Teeth,” “I'm Really Just a Sensitive Guy,” “Talk Like a Pirate,” “Soccer by the Rules,” and “Pirates Don’t Arrgh.”

Dallas Children’s Theater, founded in 1984, is the largest professional family theater in the southwest. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top five children's theater companies in the U.S., it is the only one of that group to tour nationally.

On Saturday, April 7, at 2:30 p.m., one week before the Playhouse presentation of “How I Became a Pirate,” The Westport Library will offer a free-of-charge “Story Explorers” program, a collaboration between the Library and Playhouse, featuring an interactive book reading of “How I Became a Pirate” and activities surrounding the book’s theme led by teaching artists from Broadway Method Academy, the Playhouse’s resident conservatory. The hour-long program promotes childhood literacy while also enhancing children’s experiences of attending the Playhouse’s Family Festivities shows.

In conjunction with the Family Festivities Series, the Playhouse will once again host a book collection for Read to Grow, Inc., a statewide nonprofit organization that provides free children's books to families with limited access and to community resources that serve them. At each Family Festivities performance, bins will be located in the Playhouse lobby for donations of gently used and new children’s books which will be given to families and programs in the greater Fairfield County area through Read to Grow. During last season’s Family Festivities series, the Playhouse collected nearly 300 books.

Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1 in Westport. For more information, visit westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office at (203) 227-4177 or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Children’s Theater