{"id":2516275,"date":"2026-07-24T22:35:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T22:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2516275"},"modified":"2026-07-24T22:35:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T22:35:43","slug":"acme-presents-swashbuckling-topical-pirate-show-arts-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/acme-presents-swashbuckling-topical-pirate-show-arts-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Acme presents swashbuckling, topical pirate show | Arts &#038; Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" false=\"\">\n                                <meta itemprop=\"isAccessibleForFree\" content=\"false\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscriber-preview\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Sword fights, pistol fire, threats of execution; talks of pregnancy and miscarriage, and a staged death from illness. Acme Theatre Company\u2019s summer show \u2014 \u201cThe Pirate\u2019s Wife\u201d \u2014 opens tonight, Friday, Jan. 24, and runs this weekend and next.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-preview\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Acme marketing coordinator and actor Nico Novick explains that on its surface, \u201cThe Pirate&#8217;s Wife\u201d dramatizes the story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who sailed with Captain Calico Jack\u2019s pirate crew and stood trial in Jamaica in 1720.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick, who plays Read, explains that underneath the surface, The Pirate\u2019s Wife\u201d is \u201cabout who gets to perform what gender in public, and who gets to decide.\u201d Novick adds that the play also engages directly with contemporary legislation restricting drag performance and gender expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Read and Bonny were captured, tried and convicted of piracy that November. Read died of fever in prison before she could be executed. Bonny disappeared from the historical record after her father reportedly bribed officials for her release.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-asset inline-html  subscriber-hide tnt-inline-asset tnt-inline-relcontent tnt-inline-html tnt-inline-relation-child tnt-inline-presentation-default tnt-inline-alignment-default tnt-inline-width-default\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pirate&amp;apos;s Wife Fight Choreo Demo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jXAi_QL42XQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The trial that frames the play uses language drawn from Texas SB 12 \u201cdrag ban,\u201d which passed in April 2023 and was intended to ban drag shows in public.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick explains that Acme alumnus Briandaniel Oglesby wrote the script in response to the legislation and weaves Mary and Anne\u2019s story together \u201cwith the contemporary moment in a way that is more structural than rhetorical.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe court charges Anne and Mary not only with piracy but with \u2018the grievous crime of behaving unladylike,\u2019 and reads from a statute that prohibits \u2018a male exhibiting as a female, or a female exhibiting as a male.\u2019 The historical record meets the legislative record. The audience is left to draw their own conclusions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick points out that the trial scene, which opens and closes the play, further makes the connection explicit. \u201cThe court charges Anne and Mary with piracy and robbery, and then adds, on top of those, \u2018the grievous crime of behaving unladylike.\u2019 The governor reads from a statute, called SB 12 in the play, that prohibits \u2018a male exhibiting as a female, or a female exhibiting as a male, who uses clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers and who sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience.\u2019 That language is lifted, nearly verbatim, from the Texas SB 12 ban which passed in April of 2023, the first state-level anti-drag bill in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick says that because this play functions \u201cas insights in a trial, almost all actors play multiple parts, and switch between being \u2018enemies\u2019 and \u2018friends.\u2019 Anne Bonny (Mattias Waggoner) and Mary Read (Nico Novick), the titular characters of the play, are the ones being put on trial, along with their fellow pirates, Calico Jack (Vivienne Jacobs), Tom Dean (Hyacinth Mailhot), Gibby (Jack Huitt), and Dan Danny Danielson (Kavita Boon-Long). They are tried by Governor Rogers (Jasper Jorjorian-Miller), and his court (Tess Udwary,\u00a0 Zo\u00eb Hull, Norah Ecklund, Oliver Brummer, Evan Welliver-Thomas, Saanvi Divate, and Katherine Sagae).\u00a0 Anne and Mary spend the whole play telling their story in hopes that they can either 1) buy enough time to get free, or 2) gain the sympathy of the court and be set free that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick says the characters\u2019 desperation and hunger for life make the story appear. \u201cWhat makes the play work, and what makes it right for Acme, is that it doesn&#8217;t argue. It dramatizes. The teens playing Anne and Mary aren&#8217;t delivering a lecture. They&#8217;re playing two complicated, funny, brave, sometimes cruel women who fall in love on a pirate ship and die for it. The politics are in the structure, not the dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick highlights Act II &#8220;Statues Scene,&#8221; as \u201can intimate moment between Anne and Mary is juxtaposed by another actor performing Katharine&#8217;s 5.2 monologue from The Taming of the Shrew in the background. Katharine&#8217;s 5.2 monologue talks about women&#8217;s roles in regards to men, and the expectation that women are subservient.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThis moment of queer love that is highlighted with the monologue in the background serves as a representation of the play as a whole. It says, despite it all, we are here. We are our own unique, autonomous beings, and we are here. Our love matters; we matter. It is a truly powerful moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Every aspect of Acme\u2019s (a youth-run nonprofit founded in 1980) operations (casting, sets, costumes, sound, lights, publicity and finance) is led by current high school students, with mentorship from a small group of adults with relevant professional experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Hope Raymond directs the 2026 production. The cast features 14 high school-age students from the Davis area. The production runs July 24 through Aug. 2 at the Wyatt Pavilion Theatre on the UC Davis campus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick points out that the Wyatt Pavilion used to be a cattle auction house. He explains that it has a three-quarter thrust stage, and the way the production is blocked, the audience becomes a part of the performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe audience is the audience to the play, but they are also the audience to the trial and are part of the deciding body when it comes to Mary and Anne&#8217;s fate. We even have a verdict board, in which audience final decisions are posted. Because of the history of the theatre, there is interesting commentary on Mary and Anne being judged similarly to cattle in the old days, which is fascinating, and definitely plays into the themes of the play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe Pirate\u2019s Wife\u2019 is the shortened title of the play \u2014 \u201cAnne Bonny and Mary Read, Late of the Island of Providence, Spinsters and Enemies of All Nations, are Charged with Piracies, Robberies, and Felonies, OR The Pirate&#8217;s Wife.\u201d It\u00a0is recommended for ages 10-plus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick says the play is a historical fiction, but it is more about the \u201cnow\u201d than the \u201cthen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cIt was developed in Texas while SB 12 was being passed, with a group of young queer people who were being targeted by that legislation. Acme picked The Pirate&#8217;s Wife because we believe in telling stories that matter, that are relevant, and that highlight the issues of our time. Because the play deals so heavily with the idea of gender, conformity, and who really \u2018belongs,\u2019\u00a0 the idea of adding a drag performance came pretty naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Novick says \u201ctheater is drag. Just look at Shakespeare&#8217;s time, when all roles were played by men. Shakespearean acting absolutely qualifies as \u2018a male exhibiting as a female, or a female exhibiting as a male, who uses clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers and who sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience.\u2019 All theater, not just this play, asks actors to play someone not themselves. Where the lines blur between that and a \u2018drag performance\u2019 is ambiguous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThat is part of what makes criminalizing drag so dangerous; it is never just about \u2018drag \u2019; it is always about the policing of people&#8217;s bodies. Theatre gives people the space to explore gender in a nuanced way, and allows audience members to take a step back and really observe what their relationship with gender is like. Even in plays that don&#8217;t explicitly deal with themes of gender identity, there are often cases of people cross-dressing, or playing roles across the gender spectrum, simply because of the fluid nature of theater.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Friday, July 31, 7 p.m. show has a special name: \u201cThe Enemies of All Nations Night,\u201d which will include a preshow drag performance with the UCD Drag Club and post-show panel with members of &#8220;Dykes on Bikes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The event encourages dressing in drag: \u201cIf you come in drag, tickets are two for one!\u201d This production is supported in part by a grant from the City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs program.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Last Monday after business hours, Acme held a staged reading of two pivotal scenes in the play at the Avid Reader: the \u201cCrows Nest\u201d, which Novick calls the romantic heart of the play, and the \u201cTom Dress Scene,\u201d an exploration of gender identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Scenes were performed by Novick (Mary Read), Mattias Waggoner (Anne Bonny), and Hyacinth Mailhot (Thomas Dean). The event moved into a panel featuring Hope Raymond (director), Thomas Joo (UCD law professor), Ellen L. Hartigan-O&#8217;Connor (UCD history and gender professor), and the aforementioned cast members. It was moderated by Anoosh Jorjorian (chair of the Davis Phoenix Coalition). Questions ranged from the history of women pirates to the legality of anti-drag legislation. At the end, the audience asked their own questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The Pirate\u2019s Wife contains stage violence including sword fights and pistol fire; references to and depictions of sexual content (no nudity); period-appropriate profanity; depictions of imprisonment and the threat of execution; discussion of pregnancy and miscarriage; and a stage death from illness. The play also engages directly with contemporary legislation restricting drag performance and gender expression. Recommended for ages 10 plus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The content warning on the website, states: \u201cOur swashbuckling pirates occasionally consume alcohol, romantically carouse at a PG-level, and fight with guns and swords, which leads to depictions of onstage injuries and death. The play also includes depictions of misogynistic and transphobic nastiness, and mentions suicidal ideation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $15 for students\/seniors and $20 for general admission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Friday, July 24 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m.*\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Saturday, July 25 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. \u2014 \u201cEnemies of All Nations Night\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Sunday, Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.*<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"subscriber-only\" style=\"display:none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">*At these shows, masks are required.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.davisenterprise.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sword fights, pistol fire, threats of execution; talks of pregnancy and miscarriage, and a staged death from illness. Acme Theatre Company\u2019s summer show \u2014 \u201cThe Pirate\u2019s Wife\u201d \u2014 opens tonight, Friday, Jan. 24, and runs this weekend and next.\u00a0 Acme marketing coordinator and actor Nico Novick explains that on its surface, \u201cThe Pirate&#8217;s Wife\u201d dramatizes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2516276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[496576,444565,496571,496575,496572,456892,496573,496570,409800,496574,342267],"class_list":["post-2516275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-496576","tag-a6","tag-anne-bonny","tag-banditry","tag-drag-entertainment","tag-legislation","tag-maritime-folklore","tag-mary-read","tag-monologue","tag-nautical-fiction","tag-piracy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Acme-presents-swashbuckling-topical-pirate-show-Arts-Entertainment.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2516275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2516277,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516275\/revisions\/2516277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2516276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2516275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2516275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2516275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}