What can I say about our launch of The Pirate & the Squid last Monday at The Ronald McDonald House? Fantastic? Hilarious? Heart-warming? All of the above – thanks to a phenomenal team of actors and some pretty remarkable little boys and girls.
Don’t believe me? Then click here to see what NBC (who covered the event) has to say about it!
The Pirate & the Squid is our first educational show, about a cantankerous pirate who, with his loyal parrot in tow, is thrown overboard and forced to learn fun facts about the sea creatures he encounters, including, by the end, the true meaning of friendship. The education starts in the pre-show stage, when the actors present the kids with a fun true or false quiz session on everything from why an elephant has wrinkles to why pirates wear earrings.
The kids were given pirate hats and from the get-go, asked to get their best pirate-speak on.
"Aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!"
What did we learn? Something we already knew – kids can’t stay seated for too long! And so began the search for buried treasure.
The kids always amaze and inspire us, but this time around they gave the actors a full fledged improvisational workout when they just decided to join the play on stage! Lindsay (the parrot) and Josh (the pirate) are our newest members, but (thank goodness!) already such masters that they just welcomed the kids as shipmates. The more the merrier, right?!
The Ronald McDonald House prides itself on being a “home-away-from-home” for families who need them, and as this is our third visit (last May in Long Island, and last July in Manhattan) we’re beginning to feel that way ourselves. From start to finish the warm staff makes us feel so welcome. We were greeted at the train station by Frank, a cheery volunteer, who remembered us from last year, and once again amused us on the short ride over. Michael Pfeiffer, Program Manager, and Chris Cosentino, PR Manager, are very hands-on and stayed throughout the performance. We felt so lucky to have met the lovely Executive Director Joanne Reda, who was so sweet to stay and watch and offer her support. We’re looking forward to our performance at the Manhattan House in June, and again in Long Island next year.
Next stop for us? Mt. Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, where our performance will be broadcast across the hospital.
So stay tuned! (Arrrrrrrrrrrgggh!)
