Review & Interview: EVERYBODY LOVES PIRATES

1. What is it about pirates that appeals to everyone and why will our readers love your show, "Everybody Loves Pirates?"

It's kind of a mystery why so many people love pirates, because they are really just a bunch of criminals...but I think they represent a certain freedom that people seem to relate to.  It's hard not to be intrigued by someone with a wooden leg and an eye-patch.  Our show takes a whimsical look at the pirate lifestyle, while hoping not to encourage youngsters to take up a life of piracy.

2. Can you give us a hint about one scene (or scenes) in the show that our readers will not want to miss?

We have a few crustacean superheros that make a daring and dramatic rescue.

3. You use 15 handmade puppets in the show. How are only 3 people able to manage such an astonishing feat?!

Because we are hidden behind a curtain, we are able to work each others characters, lip-synch for each other, and get away with a lot of tricks that an actor on a stage couldn't.  We have also designed some props that attach to our heads so we can keep our hands free to work the puppets.

4. Growing up, was puppetry the unifying factor for harmony between the three of you?

Actually, we play with puppets a lot more now then we ever did as children.  When we were growing up, we definitely used to spend a lot of time putting together different skits to put on for our parents, but not necessarily with puppets.  Our mother would encourage us to be creative, and we enjoyed acting out scenes from records we listened to.  It wasn't until later in life that we discovered that puppetry was a good way to express ourselves.

 5. Since you are 3 siblings who travel and work together, do you have any advice to parents about helping their kids to get along better with each other?

I think our parents really encouraged us to respect each others ideas, and that simple act can really make a big difference when you’re working together on a show.  Because we have so much history together, we tend to have similar ideas about how a puppet show should go, which is helpful when we're building a show and rehearsing.  If we ever disagree about something, we usually have a vote...and because there are 3 of us, 2 to 1 wins.   

6. After college, how easy was it for Erik to recruit his siblings and turn it into a family business?

Getting Brian and Robin interested in puppetry was easy.  We all had an interest in theater, but none of us had much experience.  Puppetry was a good way to be creative and perform, while still being able to hide behind a curtain, so I think that element appealed to all of us.  When we first began performing puppet shows, we just did it for fun, with no idea of making it our job.  After a few years of doing shows, we began to realize the potential for making it a business, and we had enough performance opportunities to quit our other jobs and do puppetry full time.  

7. Do you find it hard to adjust to some of these bigger cities (Atlanta) in your travels?

One of the best perks of doing puppetry for a living is the ability to see so many different places.  It's exciting to come to a place like Atlanta, and we try to take advantage of seeing as much as we can while we're down here.  The larger cities can be a little intimidating at first to get around in, but now that we've been here a few times it feels very familiar and comfortable to be here.  

 8. What are some of your favorite pirate words and phrases?

I've always had a fondness for "Shiver me timbers", although I've never had any idea what it means.  "Scallywag" and "landlubber" also have a nice ring to them.  And, of course, you can't forget "Arrrrrrrrgggghhhh."