The Portland Pirate Festival offers an astounding array of attractions including musicians, re-enactors, dancers, and jugglers. This year's festival will offer even more variety and fun than last year's. Watch this page for announcements about our 2007 lineup.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Emcee Mark Lewis
Award-winning actor, voice talent, and storyteller Mark Lewis' 30-year career includes appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Lenno and the Vicki! show with Vicki Lawrence, a guest role on the CBS hit series Northern Exposure, and voices for Pirates of the Carribean for Disney. Mark is the founding director of Laughing Moon Productions – a Creative Consultation Business whose clients include MCA/Universal, Disney Imagineering and Silicon Gaming Inc. www.laughingmooninc.com/
Talk Like A Pirate Guys
Oregon's best-known Piratical Celebrities Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers and John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur invented Talk Like A Pirate Day during a game of raquetball in 1995. Now their whim has become an international sensation celebrated every September 19th by millions from South Africa to Australia, from New York to the Pacific Northwest. Baur and family even appeared on a pirate-themed episode of ABC's Wife Swap. Summers and Baur will roam the Pirate's Plunder Village Square making occasional appearances throughout the weekend. www.talklikeapirate.com/
Brotherhood Of Oceanic Mercenaries
Come sail the seven seas with the notorious crew of the "Emerald Rose." Cannons will roar, cutlasses will clash and shanties will be sung as they re-enact "The Golden Age of Piracy." This swaggering crew of freedom loving scallywags will entertain one and all in an attempt to re-establish their good name with the local constabulary. http://www.boompirates.com/
King's Navy
The King's Navy is a local group of dedicated Re-enactors striving to portray, as accurately as possible, the Sailors and Marines of the Royal Navy. Members of "The Kings Navy" have been participating in re-enacting for over twenty years and have appeared at events throughout the Pacific NW, Canada, California, and at historic events for the National Park Service and at Colonial Willamsburg. Through hands-on demonstration the daily life of 18th century sailors and Marines is brought to life.
Pirates of Puget Sound
The Pirates of Puget Sound be sailin' down to join their brethren at the Portland Pirate Festival. A division of the Seattle Knights, the Pirates of Puget Sound have appeared in shows and festivals from coast to coast. Featuring the infamous "Jack Pack," these pirates come armed to the eye patch with weapons as sharp as their wits, battling one another at the drop of a parrot with rapiers, cutlasses, belaying pins and bad puns. Between bouts of combat and comedy, the Jack Pack stand ready to entertain the whole family with a host of games. Sharp-eyed wee ones can play Bounty Hunter or take up Treasure Seeking and try their hand at sinkin' ships, loadin' cannon or battin' rats. www.piratesofpugetsound.com
Captain Bogg & Salty
Over the last eight years Captain Bogg & Salty has emerged as the ultimate pirate rock band for all ages. The band tours extensively on the west coast playing "library rock shows" for the kids, fairs and festivals for the families, and tavern and rock clubs for the 21+ crowd. The group's 2005 CD release "Pegleg Tango" received rave reviews in Entertainment Weekly, Nick Jr., and Parenthood Magazine. http://www.eatalime.com/
Brotherhood Of Oceanic Mercenaries
Besides historical re-enactments (see above) and cannon battles, the crew of the "Emerald Rose" performs pirate ballads and sea chanties.Sol'Jibe
Sol'Jibe's sound is comprised of acoustic rock, flamenco, and world-influenced rhythms that are driven by the expressive vocals and violin of Snider, and the passionate guitar stylings of Merlos. The Reno-based quartet has studied music in Havana, Cuba, during their travels through Central America."A refreshing break from the norm... the band puts on a high energy and soulful show which has turned them into a must-see live act." —NorCalTV www.soljibe.com
Broadside Johnnie
Broadside Johnnie keeps his ears out for ballads, airs, and sea shanteys. The songs he selects for performance are distinguished by either vivid imagery, well-paced dramatic narrative, or sly humor. Most often, he will master a song's melody and verses by listening. With these at his command, he directs his voice and fingers to translate the melody to his favorites keys on the concertina. Broadside Johnnie's adherence to the traditional canon not only solemnizes his veneration of the timeless themes of love and loss among common working people, but also remedies the prospect of suffering the consequences of copyright violation. http://home.comcast.net/~broadsidejohnnie
Lauren Sheehan & The Funky Jug Band
This motley crew of seasoned blues, boogie, boozy and entertaining musicians draw from some of Portland's finest jug, string and house party players. "Portland String Queen", Lauren Sheehan, Paul "Shorty" Bassette, venerable grandfather to the local jug band scene, Gut-bucket Dave Duffield and regular surprise guests, delight audiences with a well rounded set of familiar and not so standard old songs. Band plays resonator guitar, mandolin, washboard, coronet, bass, and more. www.laurensheehanmusic.com
Golden Bough
Rooted in the traditional Celtic music of Ireland and Scotland (as well as Wales, Cornwall, The Isle of Man, French Brittany and Spanish Galicia), this trio of modern day minstrels has expanded upon these ethnic styles through the development of intriguing arrangements and original compositions. In this way, they have created a sound unique unto themselves. Since their formation in 1980, Golden Bough has traveled great distances to numerous countries, to bring their music to enthusiastic folk fans the world over. Backing themselves on an array of acoustic instruments, including; Celtic harp, guitar, octave-mandolin, mandolin, accordion, violin, penny-whistle and bodhran, they blend their voices in pristine three-part harmony and feature haunting solo vocals. In the recording studio, as well as on stage, Golden Bough captures the essence and joy of traditional music. goldenboughmusic.com
The Pirate’s Parrot Show
The Pirate’s Parrot Show is a Fun, Educational, and Interactive experience for all ages and cultures. This informative show comes complete with a large variety of parrots from around the world, “real” pirates, an authentic Pirate Ship display, and delightful speech and freeflight performances. Each year, 30-50 thousand people from across the country are amazed and delighted to safely hold and pet these parrots. More
Mud Bay Jugglers
This extraordinary juggling troupe's unique approach to juggling incorporates abstract movement, mime-like facial expressions and gestures, all aimed at emotionally expressive communication with the audience. Comprised of Doug Martin, Alan Fitzthum, Harry Levine, and Tom Gorski, the Mud Bay Jugglers have been performing together since the early 1980s. The Mud Bay Jugglers are based in Olympia, Washington. www.mudbayjugglers.net
Portland Pirate Morris
Portland Pirate Morris is a group of Piratical Morris Dancers whose art pulls from the traditions of noble brother seafarers and some better regarded land-lubbers as well. Their dances, some many hundreds of years old, are set to music and song from England and The Colonies. Enjoy at your peril as they defy sensibility with fearsome stick dances. Or take a moment to relax and enjoy one of their lyrical yet energetic hankerchief dances. The group is an assemblage of two local morris dance groups who perform in Pirate persona as frequently as they can: Renegade Rose and Bridgetown Morris Men. www.renegaderose.net | www.bridgetownmorrismen.com
An Daire Academy of Irish Dance
Champion Irish Dancers from the An Daire Academy of Irish Dance thrill their audiences not only with the traditional hornpipes, jigs, reels and set dances of Ireland but also with Jim and Lauren Mueller's exhilarating choreography. The name An Daire is taken from the old Irish "daire" (DARE-uh), meaning an oak grove on an island or hill. Like the oak grove, the dancers are encouraged to work together to lay strong roots, continue to grow and always persevere. www.andaire.org
Rhys Thomas, Jugglemania
"JuggleMania" has appeared on cruise ships, in theaters and at festivals in the Americas, Asia and Europe since 1987. From sword balancing to cannonball juggling, Rhys Thomas presents a treasure trove of trickery for all ages. Also, watch for JuggleMania's stilt shenanigans. www.jugglemania.com
Urban Berbers
Urban Berbers are an electric, skillful, and artistic group of dancers who bring the sensuous and powerful tribal dance style to life. Dressed in the varied costuming from the ancient nomadic cultures mixed liberally with avant-garde creativity, the effect of this tribal bellydance troupe is both exhilarating and mesmerizing. Their dance emphasizes spontaneous improvisation within a common tribal dance language. Managed by Paulette Rees-Denis, Directed by Carol Vance.www.gypsycaravan.us
Nomadic Theatre Co presents: Heather Pearl, Stilt-Walker, Clown, Physical Actor, Circus Performer
Heather Pearl is co-artistic Director of the Nomadic Theatre Co. based in Portland, OR. The Nomadic Theatre Co works in physical theatre and clown, striving to create theatre that inspires laughter and interaction. Pearl has a passion for clown because of the real interaction the art form demands, the honesty clowning requires, and the fulfilling gifts and continual lessons the audiences' responses are. For 11 years Pearl has performed at fairs during the summers, starting when she lived in San Francisco, CA. She figures she has logged a few thousand miles on her wooden stilts, not so unlike those many grandparents on the fair grounds walked on. Over the years she has developed close to 20 stilt costumes, often creating new ones for special occasions or to suit new interests. Currently she is working on acrobatic choreography of going to the ground and getting back up while on the stilts. There is always another level to reach for.
The Pirate and his Pet Puppet Show
This popular puppet show by Dragon Theater Puppets is back for its second year at Portland Pirate Festival. A young boy find courage and the truth about Captain Snagglebottom when he receives help from his new friends after losing his parents at sea. Along the way he meets all sorts of great characters as well as a sea serpent who becomes his pet. The sea serpent learns how to be brave and the boy finds his parents, learning that stealing is wrong and teamwork can save the day. http://dragontheater.com