Walnut Street Theatre Presents HOW I BECAME A PIRATE 3/26-4/3

Last spring's wildly successful The Berenstain Bears' Family Matters delighted children and their grown up friends all over the Delaware Valley. This year, our kids' series takes a sharp turn to starboard for How I Became a Pirate, a colorfully hilarious musical adventure on the high seas! Adapted by Alyn Cardarelli, with music by Steve Goers, How I Became A Pirate runs at 10:30am on March 26, April 8 and 9; 11am on March 27 and April 10; and at 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm on April 3.

Ahoy, mateys! Come hear the tale of a young boy who dreams of a life at sea with a jolly band of pirates. While digging in the sand on the beach one day, Jeremy Jacobs sees a ship on the horizon - the infamous Braid Beard and his pirate crew! Jeremy decides to leave his family and join the gang of buccaneers for a journey on the high seas. On the great ship he learns all about life on a pirate ship and all the things pirates do. But in the end, he also learns what pirates don't do, and begins to miss his home. In his day as a real life pirate, this little lad learns that life's true treasures are friends and family.

How I Became a Pirate, adapted by Alyn Cardarelli with music and lyrics by Alyn Cardarelli and Steve Goers, is based on the popular children's book of the same name written by Melinda Long and David Shannon. With swordfights and soccer games, sharks and sandcastles, sea storms and swashbucklers, this musical adventure is sure to be loads of fun for kids of all ages!

The Walnut Street Theatre for Kids series is celebrated for its commitment to encouraging parents (and grandparents) to read to their kids. Families can read together, and then discover a whole new level of imagination when they see the shows live onstage, written especially for grades K-6th and their ‘grown-up' friends. The Walnut takes pride in bringing families together through reading and the arts.

Director Robert McClure has worked throughout Philadelphia and New York as an actor, director, writer and composer. He has toured the country and played Broadway as the lead puppet Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q. At the Walnut, Robert was last seen in this winter's production of Oliver! and 2009's The Producers in his Barrymore-nominated turn as Carmen Ghia. Elsewhere in Philly, he won the 2007 Best Actor in a Musical Barrymore Award for 11th Hour's Bomb-itty of Errors. He has directed several productions at New Jersey's Papermill Playhouse, and How I Became a Pirate marks his Walnut directing debut.

Joining Robert Is Musical Director Mark Yurkanin. Mark has previously worked upstairs in the Walnut's Independence Studio on 3, and was nominated for a Barrymore Award for his work on Side by Side by Sondheim. Samuel Reyes has served as choreographer for many previous WST for Kids shows, including A Christmas Carol and last season's popular The Berenstain Bears Family Matters. The rest of the creative team includes Set Designer AnDrew Thompson (Studio 3's Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue), Lighting Designer Shelley Hicklin (Barrymore Award - WST's Of Mice and Men), Sound Designer Bryan Delaney and Costume Designer K. Moriah Smith.

The cast features some excellent regional talents, including Langston Darby (Braid Beard), Matthew Mancuso (Wheezing Stephen McGee), and Emily Rast (Jeremy Jacobs) of Philadelphia; Steve Gudelunas (Stubby Barbossa) of Boothwyn; Benjamin Michael (Jacque LaToe) of Hatboro, Tinuke Oyefule (Millicent "Milt" Skeeter) of East Norriton, and David Wrigley (Ensemble) of Norristown.

How I Became a Pirate is sponsored by K12 Inc., a technology-based education company and the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs to students in kindergarten through high school. More information can be found at www.k12.com.

How I Became a Pirate is an ideal outing for every elementary classroom and family! The April 3rd 1:00 pm performance is ASL interpreted. Group discounts are available for fifteen or more. For tickets and information, call 215-574-3550 or visit www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster online or by calling 800-982-2787.

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