The Dread Pirate Sadie

Yes, girls can be pirates too! Casts will love the comedic, swashbuckling adventure of The Dread Pirate Sadie by Steven Stack. Sadie wishes to leave her life on the high seas to pursue her true passion: theatre. But there’s a problem. She’s not just Sadie; she’s The Dread Pirate Sadie, the most feared pirate in all the land. And there’s another problem. She’s a horrible pirate. Not only that, Sadie’s lost her boyfriend, her last play was attended by approximately no one, and Blacklegs, the world’s second-most-feared pirate, is after her. Will Sadie ever open that little theatre in the woods? Or will she find herself at the wrong end of Blacklegs’ sword? Avast! Amber Guldan and the swashbuckling students at The School District of Auburndale in Auburndale, WI had an amazing time sharing their adventure with cast, crew and audiences. The group had all hands on deck as they let their creativity reign. No landlubbers in this group! “This play was a great play for the spring season. The cast practiced in two groups composed of the two crews until we got closer to the production date. This made scheduling practices very flexible. TIPS: The students really enjoyed creating the backdrops, scene changes, and props that are involved. We could have done a bare stage, but the students really wanted to try doing scene changes. We used a free standing door to help separate the pub scenes and the audience loved the changes throughout the play.”

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Today we’re excited to share a swashbuckling comedic adventure with you – The Dread Pirate Sadie by Steven Stack. Sadie wishes to leave her life on the high seas to pursue her true passion: theatre. But there’s a problem. She’s not just Sadie; she’s The Dread Pirate Sadie, the most feared pirate in all the land. And there’s another problem. She’s a horrible pirate. Not only that, Sadie’s lost her boyfriend, her last play was attended by approximately no one, and Blacklegs, the world’s second-most-feared pirate, is after her. Will Sadie ever open that little theatre in the woods? Or will she find herself at the wrong end of Blacklegs’ sword? Yes, girls can be pirates too. Your cast will love this comedic swashbuckling adventure. Why did we publish this play? The title tells you everything you need to know: there are pirates and pirates who write plays. Who hasn’t heard of the deadliest pirate on the high seas, Sadie who is quick with a blade be it sword or ball point pen? Well, you probably haven’t heard of her because she’s a horrible pirate. The best thing about this play is that the majority of the pirates are girls and there’s nothing made of it. Black Legs is a good pirate, not just for a girl, she’s a good pirate. Period. The characters are pirates who just happen to be girls and that means this play has so many juicy fun roles that girls never get to play. Yes, girls can be pirates! And don’t miss The Dread Pirate Sadie: Competition Version - a swashbuckling adventure tailor-made for your next competition stage! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? At first I wrote a 10 minute version for a show at the end of the year that needed a pirate scene but then I really loved the characters and wanted to further flesh out their journey. Plus, it really turned into a play about female empowerment that just happened to feature pirates. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. This play is all about being true to the person you really are no matter what and that anyone can be a pirate. 3 What’s the most important visual for you in this play? Sadie excitedly handing out scripts of the play she wrote and each of the crew’s individual response. It serves to show Sadie’s true self and her crew’s feeling about her. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Push to make all the characters as authentic, big, and as piratey as possible. And don’t forget to find what each of the characters truly crave the most. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Pirates, sword fights, empowerment, and straight-up ridiculousness. Plus, who doesn’t like to have a legit reason to talk like a pirate?

Ahoy, Drama teachers: take high school to the high seas with Steven Stack’s The Dread Pirate Sadie. The swashbuckling students at Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School in Montreal, Quebec set sail on this one-act comedy and tackle the perils of piracy with perfection. “This middle school play was everything…funny, entertaining, and witty, accompanied by stunning costumes and set design. Congratulations to the cast and to Ms. Mullin on such a successful production!” Amazing production, Miss Edgar’s & Miss Cramp’s School!

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Characters you will only find in the theatre. You want unique characters for your students? We got them! Cat hair, archetypes, Shakespearean, and a severed head just to name a few. Read one, read them all! Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! Inanimate Ani talks to the inanimate objects in her life and they talk back. It all seems friendly and fun at first. So why is Ani writing hate texts to her friends? Why does she let the objects control her? What if feels she can’t leave her room anymore? Characters: The inanimate objects in Ani’s life Floating On A Don’t Care Cloud Jamie Peel is a pothead. He lives in his own world, a bubble, a cloud that calls his name and reaches out to him. His sister TJ has watched him slowly drift away and doesn’t know what to do. An emotional tightrope. Characters: Marijuana is personified by a cloud of 7 characters. To Kill a Mocking Birdie Birdie would like you to meet her parents: a goldfish and a moldy piece of bread. You may also meet What, When, Alexa (who’s hiding in the bathroom) and Birdie’s sister Scoot, who thinks she’s a glazed Virginia Ham. It’s a perfectly crazy dinner party. Consider this your invitation. Characters: Everyone is Absolutely abnormal Lose Not Thy Head Joan pleads for life, Death waits for death, a severed Head says beheading isn’t so bad, a doctor tries to convince everyone that you can’t sew a head back on a body, and then things get weird. Shakespeare, Monty Python, a little love, a little death, a lot of laughs and a talking head. Characters: Death. A freudian Doctor. A severed head. Shakespeare’s sister who’s impersonating Shakespeare. Censorbleep The Bleep Bleep Girls are the greatest group in school. They know what’s best. And when students try to stand up for themselves, or don’t do the “right” thing, they get dealt with. Characters: Teenagers are turned into garbage and disappear. Postcards From Shakespeare Shakespeare has writer’s block. He pleads to the one person who can help him – Queen Elizabeth the First who sends Shakespeare around the world in 30 minutes. Denmark! Venice! Egypt! Join his whirlwind tour as he desperately searches for material. Characters: Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s Characters. Elizabeth the first. Myth-o-logues Cassandra is here to be your Greek mythology tour guide. She’ll lead you through stories of war, relationships and the origins of good and evil. Pick and choose from this must-have collection of monologues. Characters: Greek Mythology’s greatest The Dread Playwright Sadie Sadie wishes to leave her life on the high seas to pursue her true passion: theatre. But there’s a problem. She’s not just Sadie; she’s The Dread Pirate Sadie, the most feared pirate in all the land. And there’s another problem. She’s a horrible pirate. Characters: Pirates. And Playwrights. The Absolute Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair Cat hair is infinite. It is the secret driving force behind business and politics, and is plotting the downfall of humanity even as we speak. Unbelievable? Find out for yourself in this hilarious, insidious and utterly terrifying tale… Characters: Lint Roller, Granola Bar, Masking Tape, and of course, Cat Hair. Emotional Baggage Seven strangers meet in a train station. Instead of luggage, they all carry their “emotional baggage.” This unique play is based solely on action and has no dialogue. Characters: All the characters in this play are archetypes: Dead End Job, Living in the Past, etc.

Episode 146: A Gender conversation….and PiratesSteven is a long time Theatrefolk playwright, and in his latest play The Dread Pirate Sadie, the majority of characters are girl pirates. And in the world of the play, this is the norm. In this podcast we talk gender and how we can create a safe environment for students to own who they are, embrace who they are and stand up for who they are. Being human is challenging and uncomfortable at times. How do you create a communicative accepting community?