Update browser for a secure Made experience

It looks like you may be using a web browser version that we don't support. Make sure you're using the most recent version of your browser, or try using of these supported browsers, to get the full Made experience: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Blackbeard

Jun 18 - Jul 14, 2019

Set sail with the most infamous pirate of all time in a riotous, rowdy high-seas adventure from the creators of The Witches of Eastwick, Brother Russia and The Fix.

After learning he’s a wanted man by the British army, Blackbeard and his merry crew of maritime marauders embark on a fantastical journey across the globe to raise an undead pirate army from the depths of the sea.

Hilarious, wildly original, and immersively staged entirely on a pirate ship, Blackbeard is a fresh musical salute to the Seven Seas.

WORLD PREMIERE COMMISSIONED BY SIGNATURE THEATRE

Book & Lyrics by John Dempsey
Music by Dana P. Rowe
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
#SigBlackbeard
#SigBlackbeard

Performance Information

  • Run Time

    Running time is approximately one hour and forty minutes, with no intermission.

  • Content Warnings

    Blackbeard contains theatrical haze, theatrical smoke and strobe lights.

Specialty Nights

Discussion Nights

June 26 & July 9, 2019

Pride Night

June 28, 2019

Open Captioning

July 14, 2019 at 2PM

Sponsored by

Cast Members

Rory Boyd

Roger

REGIONAL: Opera House Arts: The Fantasticks; Lyric Stage Co. of Boston: Camelot; Actors’ Shakespeare Project: Hamlet; Byre Theatre of St Andrews: The Secret Garden, Honk!, A Christmas Carol. EDUCATION: Boston Conservatory, MFA, Musical Theater; University of Cambridge, BA. www.roryboyd.com

Maria Egler

Maria Egler

La Mer/Morgan

SIGNATURE: A Little Night Music, The Fix, Diner; Elmer Gantry; Sunday in the Park with George; Woodstock, Gone Country; Good Times: TV Theme Songs; Lost Songs of the 80s; 2013 Holiday Follies; Signature’s Funny Ladies cabarets; Hello, Dolly! (Ford’s Theatre co-production, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble); Dirty Blonde; Giant; Crossing; Crossing in concert. NATIONAL TOURS: Gypsy. DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Into the Woods, Ragtime, 110 In the Shade; A Christmas Carol; Kennedy Center: Camelot. Olney Theatre Center: Camelot, The Sound of Music, Cinderella; Studio Theatre: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Washington Savoyards: The Music Man, It’s A Grand Night for Singing; EDUCATION: BM, The Catholic University of America.

Ben Gunderson

Ben Gunderson

Lt. Maynard/Garrick

SIGNATURE: Blackbeard, Grand Hotel. BROADWAY/NATIONAL TOUR: Les Misérables. OFF-BROADWAY: Prospect Theatre: The Hidden Sky; York Theatre: A Time for Singing. DC AREA: Theater Alliance: Still Life With Rocket (Helen Hayes Outstanding Actor nom); Arena Stage: Anything Goes, The Pajama Game; STC: Camelot; Olney: Cabaret. REGIONAL: Engeman: Fiddler on the Roof; Coastal Carolina: Cabaret. TV: The Tony Awards, The Academy Awards, America's Got Talent. LEADERSHIP: Les Mis Mexico & Japan - Musical Staging. EDUCATION: UNCSA; SITI; Odin Teatret; MICHA.

Chris Hoch

Blackbeard

BROADWAY: War Paint, Amazing Grace, Matilda, La Cage Aux Folles, Shrek: The Musical, Spamalot, Beauty and the Beast, Dracula. OFF-BROADWAY: Lincoln Center: Nantucket Sleigh Ride; The New Group: Clueless, The Musical; Playwrights Horizon: Far From Heaven; Encores!: Play it Cool; Die Mommie! Die!; Face the Music. NATIONAL TOUR: Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast. REGIONAL: The Goodman Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Asolo Rep, Goodspeed Opera House, Pittsburgh City Theater, La Jolla Playhouse. TV: God Friended Me, Gossip Girl, 30 Rock, Braindead, The Good Wife, Guiding Light, All My Children. EDUCATION: B.F.A.: Carnegie Mellon University.

Kevin McAllister

Kevin McAllister

Caesar

SIGNATURE: Blackbeard, Grand Hotel, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Helen Hayes nomination), A Little Night Music, Titanic, SCKBSTRD, Brother Russia, The Break, Show Boat, Sweeney Todd. BROADWAY: Caroline, or Change; Come from Away. DC AREA: Round House Theatre: Next to Normal; Washington National Opera: Lost In The Stars; Ford’s Theatre: The Wiz, Ragtime (Helen Hayes winner, Best Actor in a Musical), 110 In The Shade, Freedom’s Song, …Spelling Bee, Violet (Helen Hayes nomination), Our Town, Parade (Helen Hayes nomination), The Civil War; Arena Stage: Five Guys Named Moe; Olney: The World Goes Round, Annie (Helen Hayes nomination), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Kennedy Center: 2013 Gala, James and the Giant Peach, The Phantom Tollbooth; CenterStage: Expanding the Cycle Series; Toby’s: Rent, Dreamgirls, Ragtime (Helen Hayes winner, Best Actor in a Musical); Teatro 101: Brooklyn, Side Show, The Wild Party; Artistic Director, ArtsCentric, Inc. REGIONAL: Sacramento Music Circus: Ragtime. AWARDS: 2016 and 2018 Helen Hayes Award, Best Lead Actor in A Musical; Broadway World’s Performer of The Decade (2020).

Christopher Mueller

Christopher Mueller

Kamikaze/Jake Five Fingers

he/him SIGNATURE: Pacific Overtures, She Loves Me, Simply Sondheim, Assassins, Blackbeard, Passion, Titanic, The Fix, Crossing, Miss Saigon, Spin, Brother Russia, Chess, Sweeney Todd, The Hollow, The Boy Detective Fails, Giant, Kiss of the Spider Woman. NEW YORK: LaGuardia Arts: Chess in Concert. DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods, A Christmas Carol, Ragtime; The Kennedy Center: Camelot in Concert, My Fair Lady in Concert; Olney Theatre Center: My Fair Lady, Carousel, Godspell, Spring Awakening; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Two Gentlemen of Verona (a rock opera); Arena Stage: Redhand Guitar Workshop, Skindiver Reading; Imagination Stage: Dr. Doolittle, Disney's Mulan; Adventure Theatre: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer; Keegan Theatre: The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, RENT. EDUCATION: The Catholic University of America; The London Dramatic Academy. IG: @christopher_mueller

Nova Y. Payton

Nova Y. Payton

Dominique/Sal

SIGNATURE: The Color Purple, We Shall Someday, After Midnight, Assassins, Blackbeard, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Jelly's Last Jam, La Cage aux Folles, Diner, Defying Gravity: Making of a SuperNOVA, Dreamgirls, The Best Little Whorehouse..., Xanadu, Hairspray. TOUR: 3 Mo’ Divas, Smokey Joe’s Café. DC AREA: Round House: Caroline, or Change; Shakespeare Theatre: The Amen Corner, Kiss Me, Kate; Ford's Theatre: Grace the Musical, Ragtime, Freedom’s Song; Olney Theatre: Godspell; Arena Stage: Newsies, Smokey Joe's Café; Kennedy Center: How To Succeed.... REGIONAL: ZACH Theatre: Into the Woods; The 5th: Man of La Mancha, A Night with Janis Joplin; Milwaukee Rep: Dreamgirls.

Lawrence Redmond

Lawrence Redmond

Samuel/Old Man

SIGNATURE: Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, She Loves Me, Assassins, Blackbeard, Grand Hotel, Passion, Titanic, The Fix, Elmer Gantry, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Over and Over, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Working, Sunday in the Park with George, No Way to Treat a Lady (1998 Helen Hayes Award),Three Nights in Tehran, The Rink (1997 Helen Hayes Award), Passion, Cabaret. DC AREA: Ford's Theater: Little Shop of Horrors, Twelve Angry Men; Shakespeare Theatre Company: Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing; Arena Stage: The Great Society, Intelligence, All the Way, Ruined, Passion Play; Round House Theatre: Quixote Nuevo; Olney Theatre Center: Miss You Like Hell; AWARDS: 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow, 2023 Anderson-Hopkins Award for Excellence in Theatre, seven additional Helen Hayes nominations; Multiple DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Artist Fellowships (9/12/25-19/13/12) www.lawrenceredmond.com 

Awa Sal Secka

Awa Sal Secka

Kali Maa/Shanti

SIGNATURE: Ragtime (Sarah), Gun and Powder (Flo), Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon), Broadway in the Park, Signature Vinyl. NY: GODDESS 2021/2023 Workshop (Zawadi), GRACE Workshop (Jackie). Regional: PAPER MILL: AFTER MIDNIGHT (Sassy). BERKELEY REP: GODDESS (Zawadi). DC: KENNEDY CENTER: RENT (Joanne), Me…Jane (Maisie), Chasing the Wind (Abby). FORD’S: Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife), The Wiz (Glinda/Dorothy u/s. THEATRE J: Intimate Apparel (Mayme). ROUND HOUSE: School Girls (Ama), Caroline, or Change (Dottie). IMAGINATION: Cinderella (Cinderella), Charlie Brown (Lucy). ARTSCENTRIC: L5Y (Cathy), AIDA (Aida), MEMPHIS (Felicia). STUDIO: SILENCE! (Ardelia). OTC: Co-Writer of The Joy That Carries You (Winner of the 2023 Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play), Children of Eden Concert (Eve), Avenue Q. EDUCATION: Montgomery College. INSTA: @_kujichagulia_ REP: Nicolosi & Co.

Bobby Smith

Bobby Smith

Odinn/Karl

he/him SIGNATURE: No Place to Go, She Loves Me, Midnight at The Never Get, Assassins, Grand Hotel, Passion, Light Years, A Little Night Music, Titanic, Simply Sondheim, Company, Midwestern Gothic, Road Show, Threepenny Opera, Disney's Freaky Friday, La Cage aux Folles (Helen Hayes Award), Spin (Helen Hayes Award). BROADWAY: Crazy for You. OFF-BROADWAY: Forever Plaid, The World Goes ‘Round, Of Thee I Sing. NATIONAL TOURS: Brigadoon, The World Goes ‘Round. DC AREA: Theater J: Two Jews Walk Into a War; Studio Theatre: Fun Home, A Class Act; The Long Christmas Ride Home; Caroline, or Change; Grey Gardens; Reefer Madness; Jerry Springer: The Opera; Ford’s Theatre: Elmer Gantry, Liberty Smith, 1776, Violet; Metrostage: Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Helen Hayes Award). AWARDS: 2018 Anderson/Hopkins award.

Creative Team

John Dempsey

Book & Lyrics by

John Dempsey (Book & Lyrics) is a New York based writer/lyricist whose works have been widely produced across the United States as well as throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Russia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and other countries. BOOK AND LYRICS: Saved, The Witches of Eastwick, The Fix, Zombie Prom, Dick Whittington and Circles. LYRICS: A Country Christmas Carol and The Reluctant Dragon. In addition, he has contributed lyrics to various editions of Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus as well as Boublil and Schonbergís The Pirate Queen. For his work on The Witches of Eastwick and The Fix he has been twice nominated for the Society of London Theatreís Laurence Olivier Award.

Dana P. Rowe

Music by

Dana P. Rowe (Composer) is an American composer whose musical theater works have been performed internationally with commercial productions in Londonís West End, Russia, Czech Republic, Japan (including Tokyoís Imperial Garden Theatre), Germany, Australia, New York City and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Musicals include See Jane Run!, The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde, The Witches of Eastwick, The Fix, Zombie Prom and The Reluctant Dragon. Mr. Rowe received Olivier Award nominations for The Fix and The Witches of Eastwick, both of which were produced in London by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and later premiered in the U.S. directed by Eric Schaeffer at the Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA.

Eric Schaeffer

Directed by

Eric Schaeffer is the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Arlington’s Signature Theatre. Under his leadership, the Theatre was honored with the 2009 Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theater in America, as well as 90 Helen Hayes Awards with an additional 340 nominations for theater excellence in Washington, DC.

At Signature, Schaeffer directed productions including: Elmer Gantry; Cloak and Dagger; Beaches; Crossing; Miss Saigon; Spin; Hello, Dolly! (Ford’s Theatre co-production); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Brother Russia; Hairspray; Sunset Boulevard; Chess; Show Boat; First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb; The Hollow; Les Misérables; ACE; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Glory Days; The Witches of Eastwick; Saving Aimee; Into the Woods; My Fair Lady; Nevermore; The Highest Yellow; One Red Flower; Allegro; Twentieth Century; 110 in the Shade; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; The Gospel According to Fishman; Grand Hotel; The Rhythm Club; Over & Over; The Fix; Working; The Rink; Cabaret; First Lady Suite; Wings; Poor Superman; Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love; and the Sondheim musicals Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George (Arena Stage co-production), Passion, Into the Woods, Company, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Follies and Pacific Overtures, among others.

On Broadway, Schaeffer directed Gigi, the critically acclaimed Follies as well as the Tony Award®-winning Million Dollar Quartet, Glory Days and Putting It Together. His national tours include Million Dollar Quartet and big. Off-Broadway, he has directed Sweet Adeline (City Center Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert) and Under the Bridge. His West End credits include Million Dollar Quartet and The Witches of Eastwick.

Eric’s regional credits include Ford’s Theatre: Meet John Doe; Goodman: Million Dollar Quartet; Apollo Theatre: Million Dollar Quartet; Mark Taper Forum: Putting It Together (w/ Carol Burnett); Chicago: Elmer Gantry; Los Angeles: Disney’s Snow White. For the Kennedy Center, Schaeffer served as the Artistic Director of the acclaimed Sondheim Celebration in 2002 as well as directing its productions of Sunday in the Park with George and Passion. At the Kennedy Center, he also directed Follies starring Bernadette Peters, Mame starring Christine Baranski, First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb and Gigi starring Vanessa Hudgens.

In 2006, Schaeffer created Signature’s musical theater commissioning program, the American Musical Voices Project (AMVP), in partnership with the New York-based Ted & Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund, to commission and produce new musicals for the American theater canon. Since that time, AMVP has grown to become the largest musical theater commissioning program in the country, providing writers and composers a creative, fertile ground to develop original musicals. Since the program was launched, Signature has commissioned 18 new musicals from composers such as Michael John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon, Joseph Thalken, Adam Guettel, Jeanine Tesori, Josh Schmidt and Joshua Rosenblum, among others.

Schaeffer earned his BFA from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, where he received an Honorary Doctorate in 2012. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Shenandoah University in 2014.

Julianne Menassian

Assistant Stage Manager

SIGNATURE: Girlstar (world premiere), Cake Off (reading). NEW YORK: Pip’s Island, Peccadillo Theater Co, Active Theatre, Hudson Stage Co. DC AREA: Studio Theatre: Bad Jews; Theater J: Yentl. REGIONAL: John W. Engeman Theatre: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mamma Mia; Hangar Theatre: Titanic; Lyric Stage Co. of Boston: Water by the Spoonful; Weathervane Theatre: Les Misérables, Annie Get Your Gun, Circle Mirror Transformation, Shrek; Merry-Go-Round Playhouse: Cooking with the Calamari Sisters; Barrington Stage: 25th Annual… Spelling Bee, Private Lives. TOURS: Roundabout: Cabaret; TWUsa: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, We the People, Henry and Mudge; Royal Caribbean: The Beautiful Dream (world premiere). OTHER: SeaWorld San Antonio, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, 2014 and 2015 Smithsonian Folklife Festivals.

Signature Theatre

4200 Campbell Ave Arlington, Virginia