Be A Pirate! A one man show written and performed by Thom Mesrobian is coming to the International Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival May 17-31, 2022. The show (rated for ages 13 and up for language and adult themes) will have seven performances in the Orange Venue also known as the Margeson theater, the largest venue at the Orlando Shakespeare Center. Be A Pirate! received its world premiere at the Tampa Fringe Festival in 2021 where it was nominated for four Broadway World Awards and won the venue choice award.

Mesrobian is a veteran producer at both the Tampa and Orlando fringe festivals. His show "Simpleton: The Legend of President Trump" was the critics choice for Best Musical of the Fringe as well as the number one box office draw at the 2016 festival. His next show "Callbacks" was well received by the critics and won Patron's Pick in 2018.

Mesrobian and his company Rogue Stage return this year with a rollicking adventure of stories and original pirate songs produced by David Mesrobian. The show tells the humorous and touching story of how young Sammy Perkins became SharkTooth Sam, the pirate rogue. Be A Pirate! is directed by long time collaborator Mark Hartfield and stage managed by Rogue's resident stage manager, Sarah Welton.

The author is quick to point out that Be A Pirate! Is not a kid's show. "I wrote this show during the height of the pandemic to serve as a (thinly veiled) autobiography of how I found my true calling in life as a professional actor and how to wrestle with the very real challenge of being who you were meant to be in this life." Mesrobian states. He invites audience members to travel to the island of Bocas del Toro with SharkTooth Sam and accept the challenge to Be A Pirate! because life is too short to be someone else.

Tickets are $13 plus a one time purchase of a fringe button and audience members are encouraged to dress like a pirate for the show. For more information on productions from Rogue Stage including its full length musical "Queen of Swords" please go to Roguestage.com.