Apr 20 2009
Pirate Women
WOMEN PIRATES
“I’ve always abhorred the life of a Pirate and I only became a pirate because I was compelled to do it”.
Mary Read spoke these words on the 28th of November 1720 in her defence at her trial, when she was accused with Anne Bonny of acts of piracy. Yet she was not able to convince the jury in her favour or to gain their sympathy. The two women were accused with the crew under the command of John Rackam, called Calico John because of his clothes. They were accused of having attacked and plundered in the way of piracy, seven fishermen’s boats at Harbour Island, two merchant’s ships by Hispaniola and the sloops belonging to Thomas Spenlow and Thomas Dillon, assaulting and robbing their crews. Mary and Anne plead innocent but some of their victims were called to the witness stand: Captain Dillon declared under oath: “They were both depraved, cursing and swearing much, and willing to do any thing on board.”Dorothy Spenlow declared that “they wore men’s jackets and long trousers and kerchiefs tied about their heads.
Each of them had a pistol and a machete in their hands and cursed and swore at the men to kill me. Captain Bernet of the Royal Navy testified: “When I boarded Rackam’s ship, many pirates asked to be spared, ready to surrender, but Mary Read and Anne Bonny were the only ones on deck resisting. On the day of Rackam’s execution, they say that Anne Bonny was allowed to see him for a last farewell.
Rackam had been her Captain, but also her lover and she spoke these last romantic words: “If you had fought like a man, you would not be hanged like a dog.” The two women were “to be taken to the place of execution, condemned to hang from the neck until dead”, but… suddenly… a new revelation…
“Women Pirates” is a storytelling show created by the Storytelling Company Raccontamiunastoria, for the Tall Ships Race 2007, which will open in Genoa and run from July 28-July 31. Telling stories of intriguing adventures from the past about women who cross-dressed as men and became pirates, the show will explore life on board large sailing vessels before the advent of engines, creating for the public a sense of being part of a crew of a sailing ship. We will tell daring stories about the notorious Anne and Mary, about the legendary Alfhild, Pirate Queen of the Viking era, the mysterious and powerful Chinese Captain Cheng I Sao, the striking and cruel Charlotte De Berry, and the intrepid Irish rebel Grace O’Malley.
These stories will unfold between a toast and a sea legend, with anecdotes and lore of a pirate’s life. The style of Raccontamiunastoria is straight storytelling, based on the Anglo-Saxon tradition, which particularly suits the theme, considering that telling stories, real or made-up, is a typical activity of daily life of a sea vessel since time immemorial.
Storytelling is the official entertainment of all crews, regardless of status and class. Whoever has spent a night aboard a vessel knows the magic of sitting on a deck under a starry sky on the high sea, with the sound of the waves in the background, when a voice breaks the quiet, and a story unfolds. Since the beginning of times, storytelling has been the main means of transmitting the culture of maritime traditions, passing on stories witnessed and experienced on board. As is typical of the oral tradition, the stories continue to evolve, change and develop into new ones.
Women Pirates is a show, which embraces the oral tradition while also honouring the lesser-known values of piracy: equality, integration, democracy and multi-ethnicity.
The deck of a sailing ship is surely an ideal setting, for the audience sitting in a circle, sipping a glass of rum, listening to stories as if at sea. There will be ballads and songs, inspired by the musical tradition of the sea, with the alluring sound of the accordion. The actors will “enlist” the listeners to envision life from the top of the main mast.
The show, developed for an international event, will be presented in a multilingual production in English, Italian and German. It can also be performed all in Italian.
The cast is made up of Paola Balbi and Angela Sajeva, the two founders of the company, and by Chiara Visca and Sonia Cossettini, and with the participation of the Italo-Canadian storyteller, Mariella Bertelli. Music and ballads arranged and performed by Roberta Montisci.
Paola Balbi is a member of The Sail Training Association Italy and she brings to this show, not only her professional acting experience, but also her own personal sailing experience on Tall Ships, including the Atlantic Crossing back in 2000, on board the teaching ship Amerigo Vespucci.