What an awesome time we had at the 2025 Swansboro Pirate Fest! We had great crowds and gave 12 performances of “A Merboy’s Journey: A Swansboro Pirate Invasion Tale.” The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the opportunity to entertain young and old alike – and an occasional pirate!!
Our tent was set up in a park with the pirate and wenches reenactors. From this vantage point we had a beautiful view of the water.
Dennis participated in the “Most Wanted” under his pirate alias “Hugo Zogwig Bomblast.” Children who got signatures of all the “Most Wanted” received a prize from the pirate treasure chest.
Dennis, holding Morra the Sea Witch, stands next to signage pointing out the location of the marionette shows.
In Act I the Ghost of Blackbeard sang an opening song to begin the show. The Merboy, bored with life under the sea, dreams of becoming human. Morra the Sea Witch grants him his wish, warning that life on land may not be what he expects.
In a seafaring town in Act II the Merboy is stunned to discover that many of his fish companions strung up and sold for food. The fishmonger dismisses his protests with scorn.
One young fellow shows a bit of kindness to the Merboy by offering a free piece of fruit. The Merboy is touched.
The owner of the fruit stand sends the servant boy back to the store and informs the Merboy that he is getting nothing. She sneers at him, telling him to go away.
The Merboy meets a pirate. The pirate tries to persuade the Merboy to join his crew where he can learn to plunder and kill people for gold. The Merboy is shocked at the thought of such a life. He turns and runs back and jumps into the sea.
In Act III the Merboy has transformed back into his old self. He chances on meeting an old friend, Slickscale. The Merboy tells of life on land. They reminisce about old times and then swim off for new adventures. The Ghost of Blackbeard appears and sings a concluding song and thanks people for coming to the Swansboro Piratefest.
Between the shows we had one unusual visitor. It was a duck. Cyndi fed the little guy some halved grapes (safe for ducks to eat).
Some children and parents gathering for a performance. Before the show Dennis demonstrated how marionettes work as children gathered.
A glimpse of people watching a performance.
Some little ones were too over eager. During shows they tried to reach in and grab the puppets. Our pirate friends loaned us some robe to act as a stanchion. This kept the little ones from touching the stages.
There were many food vendors on the streets. Cyndi and Dennis enjoyed a warm, sweet funnel cake. Yum!
