About This Show
Pirates and Ninjas has three segments, each written by a different writer, and each evocative of a different time period. The first segment (in chronological order), Pirates and Ninjians, written by Simon Russell and Maria DeLuca and directed by Maria DeLuca, is set in the late 15th Century. To fully appreciate this portion, it helps if you have at least a nodding familiarity with Pirate Talk. If you’re completely new to the lingo, you’ll still get by. Naught, a pirate captain, is in pursuit of the ships of Columbus and crew who are, as it turns out, actually ninjas. Naught’s design is to overtake the Pinto from behind (this is a pirate adventure, after all). Once there, he encounters the Princess Ninjem, described in the script as a "beloved national clown." It’s an epic confrontation.
The Orb of the Seven Dragons, written by Eva Anderson and directed by Maria DeLuca, is told in the manner of a 1980s style choose-your-own-adventure, which is to say, there are a lot of narrative alternatives available. Lao Tsu and his cult of wicked ninjas are in pursuit of the mystic Orb of the Seven Dragons. Woe to our world if they attain it, for they would use it to draw our world into the other-dimensional Realm of the Unknown, where we would be in the thrall of the evil Dark Lord for eternity. Can the ninjas be stopped? And by whom?
Pirates and Ninjas, written and directed by Lissa Sherman, is ostensibly a modern-day adventure, but is presented in a manner reminiscent of a silent movie. A pirate and a ninja, who coincidentally reside in proximity to each other, meet and confront each other. In the process, they observe similarities in addition to their striking differences.