readboston performances JULY +AUG '09

Dressed as pirate Mary Read, Norah Dooley puts into port in Boston, starting July 6th. READ BOSTON schedules 20 minute shows all over the city - free and open to the public...Performing for summer camps, libraries and community centers, Mary Read will tell tales about the people she sailed with in the Golden Age of Piracy, and the wonders of the 7 seas.
You can see video about Read Boston here: or videos of Norah as a storyteller here:

Mary Read's Schedule:
AUGUST MON 3
AUGUST WED 5
AUGUST THUR 6

recent performances:

JULY MON 13 Downtown Boston/ South End
10:00 AM Ellis Children's Center 66 Berkely Street, 02115
11:15 AM Wang YMCA 8 Oak Street, 02116
1:15 PM Salvation Army, 1500 Washington Street 02119

JULY TUE 14 East Boston
10:00 AM Jeffries Point, 425 Summer Street, 02128
11:15 AM EB YMCA, Guild School, 195 Leyden Street, 02128
1:15 PM EB YMCA, Guild School, 195 Leyden Street, 02128

JULY THUR 16 Dorchester and Roxbury
10:00 AM Yawkey Kreyol Center,185 Columbia Road,02121
11:15 AM Egelston Square Library, 2044 Columbus, 02119
1:15 PM Perkins Community Ctr. 15 Talbot Ave. 02124

Check back next week for more times and locations:


In the early 1700s Mary Read disguised herself as a sailor to survive in the harsh world and became a pirate quite by accident when her ship was over taken and she was captured by the crew of Captain “Calico Jack” Rackham. Norah tells Mary’s story in the first person brandishing pistol and sword and sharing pirate lore and secrets and multicultural stories from her sea bag. Norah plays pennywhistle and leads songs and sea chanties, including: John Kanaka, The Mermaid, and Run the Riggin’ Again. While in port, Mary provides historically accurate and engaging fun for all.


Showing a copy of Ships Article's signed by Andrew Bonny and "Calico" Jack Rackham:




PS>> For all your high quality pirate needs I heartily recommend Dead Men Tell No Tales World's Largest Purveyor of Pirate Loot, Pirate flags, Flags, Pirate coins, Pirate stuff. Good service. Intelligent voices on the phone. Nice people. Give them a call or check out their site.
www.deadmentellnotales.com Navigate their site for a shipload o' Pirate Treasure

Answers to the T F Pirate quiz ( see pdf.) :

T √ 1.The name “Jolly Roger” may have come from jolie rouge –French for “pretty red”
T √ 2.Pirating was not for sissies.
T √ 3.Buccaneers were pirates who lived on meat from cattle and pigs in the areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their name comes from the French word for outdoor roast or barbecue. Their name comes from French cooking frames used by hunters in France to smoke and preserve meat.
F √ 4. Pirates were more likely to smoke out foes below decks using stink pots rather than fight it out down below. If they needed to go down below they probably covered their eyes for a minute or two (if the situation permitted it) and then headed below. They would not wear eye patches. This is the same method soldiers use today (if they lack night vision equipment).
F √ 5. There are no historical cases of people being made to walk the plank. Pirates marooned,shoved overboard or hacked their enemies to death. Not very nice folk, really.
F √ 6.Pirates didn't have much gold or silver to bury and most pirates had a 1 - 3 year "career". Very few saved for a rainy day or retirement. And “booty” was often food stuff, gunpowder and other supplies. The idea of a buried treasure was made popular by "Treasure Island".
T √ 7. Ooo la la! and “Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum!” In 1655 when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica the British Navy changed the daily ration of liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum. The practice of watering down the rum began around 1740 a mixture which became known as grog.
F √ 8.When pirates were caught, they were brought to trial and sentenced to death by hanging and hanging was referred to as “dancing the hempen jig”
T √ 9.Bless their merry souls, pirates had such cute names for things.
T √10.Piracy is a big problem in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and particularly along the coast of Somalia. Modern day piracy accounts for $13-$16 billion dollars in losses annually.
T √ 11.Shi Xainggu (better known as Cheng I Sao) was active between 1801-1810 in the South China Sea. She commanded five to six squadrons of 800 large junks, about 1,000 smaller vessels, and between 70,000 and 80,000 men and women.
T √ 12.Clever and new agey before their time pirates may have known that the ear lobe is an acupuncture point for several eye conditions. It is quite possible that the practice of ear piercing was brought to the west from the eastern trade routes.

RIDDLES answered Riddle Me This

1. Your promise
2. A towel
3. The letter M
4. Footsteps
5. Counterfeit money
6. A lobster
7. A red-hot poker
8. Water, fire, earth, wind
9. Rain
10. Your name
11. Silence
12. A hole