Dave the Brave and the Pirateers
When the famous pirate Dave the Brave and his faithful first mate Marisa the Cowardly discover a map leading to the Treasure of Prophecy, they know they must follow it! They need to find the treasure before Dave’s archnemesis, Lady Legs, for whoever holds the map controls destiny! Dave and Marisa hire the Pirateers, a group of five misfits (and one puppet!), to help them, but the trip won’t be smooth sailing. Along the way, they’ll have to deal with rapping crocodiles, singing sirens, and mischievous seagulls who are all determined to stop the ship for their own reasons. And of course, Lady Legs herself has a few tricks up her own sleeve…
With a flexible cast size of 13-20+ with mostly gender-neutral roles and 7 easy, jaunty songs, Dave the Brave is a one-hour musical suitable for both elementary-school and/or junior-high kids. Staging and costuming can be as simple or elaborate as desired.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
With Analyn Boydston
What inspired you to write this musical?
I was writing all the time anyway. When my dad encouraged me to start writing plays, I thought— why not? I’d been in a lot of children’s plays as a kid myself, and I liked the idea of passing down the innocent joy I remembered through stories with fun characters and exciting settings.
What's your favorite part or line in the show? Why?
My favorite part of the show ended up being the Crocodile Rap because of how much the kids loved it. They were dancing around, pumping their fists, chanting in unison— I could feel their energy!
Where did the characters come from? Are they based on people you know? Or tell us more about the characters. How did you make them unique for your show?
When I wrote the characters, I tried really hard to make sure every single character was one I’d be happy getting at that age. I wanted the personalities to be BIG so that everyone got a moment to shine. Even within groups, I tried to give each Siren and Crocodile a sense of individual personality, so every kid would feel like their role was unique.
What did you try to achieve with this show?
I wanted a show that would be flexible enough for any group to put on, but more importantly, I wanted a show that the kids would have a BALL with. I wanted them to go home singing the songs, thinking about the story, and coming up with backstories for their characters— and from what I saw, I succeeded in that goal!
Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
Thank you for your interest!