yo ho.

Aboard Calico Jack’s pirate ship, Andy & Mark are drawn to each other through mutual attraction, shared trauma, and a love of games, especially Marco Polo. They meet in a closet to hook up, but discover that they have been hiding a dangerous secret: they’re actually... Anne Bonny & Mary Read. This revelation forces them to carry on a genderqueer love story in the shadows - Anne, exploring her bisexuality for the first time & Mary, discovering that they’re trans. As they are chased and haunted by a myriad of men including Jack (the polyamorous, drag questioning captain), James (Anne’s ex-husband), Chad (a mysterious crewmate who knows too much), The Governor (a pirate hunter with a lengthy body count), & Reverend Thomas (a Reverend who doesn’t like pirates… or trans people), Anne & Mary must become their truest selves before their inevitable capture and ensuing demise.

Read the current draft here.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

yo ho. was read on Zoom as a part of The Artist Co-Op’s Cold Read Residency. The reading was directed by Emily Bubeck, produced by Steph Miller, and featured Hawley Gould, Kayla Zanakis, Joan Milburn, and Chloé Lexia Worthington.

The first Equity reading of yo ho. was on October 14, 2022, at The Chain Theatre in NYC as a part of The Artist Co-Op’s Cold Read Residency. The reading was directed by Emily Bubeck, produced by Steph Miller, and featured Hawley Gould (Suffs, Camelot), Kayla Zanakis, Joan Milburn, Katie Lynn Sinicki, Jordan Donica (Tony Nominee), and Emani Simpson.

yo ho. was developed through The Workshop Theater’s Winter 2023 Intensive from January to March 2023.

A private reading of yo ho. was held at the Dramatists Guild Foundation on April 13, 2023. The reading was directed by Emily Bubeck and featured Lais DeSouza, Natalia Mar Urzua, Stevie Jae Davis, Mackenzie Moyer, and E.B. Hinnant.

yo ho. has been a Finalist/Honorable Mention for the 2023 Parity Development Award, a semifinalist for the 2023-2024 Van Lier New Voices Fellowship at Rattlestick Theater, a finalist for Boise Contemporary Theater’s 2024 BIPOC Festival, a semifinalist for Normal Ave’s 2023 NAPSeries, and a finalist for Et Alia’s 2023 Theater Lab & the 2023 New Roots Residency at Walhalla Farms.

yo ho. was developed through a series of readings as part of the 2024 Intensive Mentorship with the Latinx Playwrights Circle. SMJ was mentored by playwright CQ. Actors in private, developmental readings included Rebecca Jimenez, Laurel Andersen, Carolina Miranda, Claire Clauson, Gabriela Saker, Marx, TL Thompson, Michael Ortiz, Xavier Rodney, Frances Ramos, Stephanie Orta-Vázquez, and Olivia Ros.

The first public staged reading of yo ho. was featured on the opening night of The Tank’s Pridefest 2024 on June 21, 2024. Emily Bubeck directed an ensemble that featured Laurel Andersen, Kayla Zanakis, Natalie Myrick, Gilberto Saenz, Natalia Mar Urzua, and Clare Tumey. The production team featured Kristen Seemel (Stage Manager), Ema Zivkovic (Intimacy Director), Natalia Mar Urzua (Fight Choreographer), Lydia Brinkmann (Lighting Designer), Alex Church-Gonzales (Costume Designer), and Sarah Norcross (Sound Designer).

An Equity reading was produced by the Latinx Playwrights Circle at A.R.T./NY on September 23, 2024. Emily Bubeck directed the reading. The cast featured Laurel Andersen, Carolina Miranda, TL Thompson, Stephanie Orta-Vázquez, Sean Gregory, and Hanna Ventura. Shadie Thompson served as the stage manager.

A staged reading of yo ho. was produced by The 11th Hour Theatre Company at Otterbein University on November 17, 2024. The reading was directed by Nora Shearer, assistant directed by Sammi Robinson & Nabina Ilkaqor, and featured Maya Cidale, Emma Bailey, Simone Gelety, Quinn Seevers, Tenley Stitzer, and Megan Astwood. Gail Sparks served as Stage Manager.