A Pirate Adventure

First Mate Angelique squares off with Captain Gabriella Bashby

Swords and Roses has been growing in the type of shows we offer our audiences and our clients.  A Pirate Adventure took off last year and is proving to have some wind in its sails.  This musical comedy has everything to offer that our audiences have come to expect.  Singing, swashbuckling, audience participation and two endings that the audience gets to vote which ending they will see.

Synopsis: The ladies have arrived on shore leave for some much needed Rrrr & Rrrr.  While the First Mate is off spending her share of the treasure the Captain enjoys exchanging tales with other pirate captains such as Blackbird, Calico Jack Rackham, Anne Bonney and Mary Read.  When the First Mate stumbles onto the soiree she declares mutiny.  That's right mutiny, musical numbers and mistaken identity make up A Pirate Adventure.

To book A Pirate Adventure for your next event or fundraiser, contact swordsandroses@sbcglobal.net

Happy Tartan Day! (also known as Scottish Heritage Day)

In honor of Tartan Day (April 6 in the United States) have a Mini-Highland Games.  Some areas actually have Highland Games to attend, which are fun and fascinating.  They have the Hammer Toss in which they throw stone hammers that are heavier than the ones that Angelique and Captain Gabriella Bashby are modeling here.

They also have a caber toss, which is really spectacular to watch as you seen athletes flip what look like telephone poles into the air!

The origins of the caber toss are thought to have come from ancient days in Scotland when Highlanders would need an instant bridge to cross during times of war.  Imagine thinking you were safe from your opponent because you have a chasm between the two of you and then a brawny Scotsman drops a tree with his own bare hands and their army keeps moving forward.

Games were invented with the caber to keep the Scotsman fit and ready for battle.  The standard caber that is used in the Highland Games is 19 1/2 feet tall and weighs 175 lbs.  The object of the game is to toss the caber so that it flips in the air.  A perfect score is when the "top" end is nearest the thrower and the "bottom" end is pointed exactly away from the thrower at the 12 o'clock position.  Scores are calculated based on the flip of the caber and the landing position in relation to the tosser.

In honor of Tartan Days, we had a Mini-Caber Toss with our friends Aaron and Abbie.  We used Tinker Toys and a piece of yarn.

The materials we used

The Tinker Toy assembled Caber

The Arena is prepared

Aaron prepares to toss "The Caber"

Not to be outdone by her brother, Abbie prepares to toss "The Caber"

In honor of her perfect score, Abbie does a dance

 

 

 

Happy Tartan Day!!!

Twelve Days of Shore Leave

After taking much abuse from our Captains this year

                                           The First Mates are enjoying a bit of Shore Leave...

Just in case you find yourselves gathering with your shipmates here is a song for you to sing around the fire.

12 Days of Shore Leave

by Angelique LeFleur

 

On the...day of shore leave my true love gave to me...

12 mugs a foaming
11 swords a swiping
10 pirates prancing
9 brooms a sweeping
8 laddies filking*
7 charts for skimming
6 sails a swaying
5 GOLD DOUBLOONS
4 pirate geeks
3 rubber chickens
2 leather gloves
and 1 pirate ship to sail the sea.

*filking is what Weird Al does when he makes a parody of a song using the music and re-writing the words.

You Did This To Me! or How I Became First Mate

I thought I would start this blog off with a little background history on how I became First Mate.

My sister (Belle LeFleur) and I started Swords and Roses and let our audience assist in our development as characters and as a show.  The first decision made was...were we going to be a show about chivalry and etiquette proof that we were ladies of fine breeding?  OR were we going to be a show about adventure and piracy?  It is honestly the only time in Swords and Roses' history that I ever beat Belle in our audience vote (without cheating).   YOU the audience chose that we would become pirates!!! This decision was to my delight and Belle's chagrin.  Then came the vote that would manage my destiny...who was to become Captain?

Alas, I can not find the name or the actual script of the show but I remember it was a test over who could prove that they would be the better Captain.  Belle's cuteness won her the title of Captain again and again at the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Festival (our home faire and where Belle and Angelique claim to be from of the little town of Petite Lyon).  All other shows hereafter would have the Captain that longed for order and etiquette and the First Mate, who believes in fairies (except Maricella Consuela de la Cruz, who only believes in fairies after a few rounds of rum and several weeks of shore leave).

So there you have it...YOU did this to me and I am so glad that you did!