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By Ashley Rader
Elizabethton Star
Arrgh, matey.
Or maybe it should be paarrrrr-don me matey.
Friday visitors to the Elizabethton/ Carter County Public Library were taught a lesson in manners by Pirate Pete and the Pirates of Politeness.
Pirate Pete was the leading character in a play performed by students enrolled in the Milligan College Fine Arts Academy.
The play tells the story of Pirate Pete, his first-mate Peggy and their motley crew as they travel to rescue Princess Isabella and learn the importance of good manners along the way.
The performance was directed by theater professor Richard Major and was written by college students last fall that were in the Theater for Young Audiences class.
Major and Pamela Adoplhi decided the performance would be a good choice for the fine arts academy students and started preparation on the piece earlier in the week.
“We just started on Monday, and in a short amount of time they have pulled this together,” he said. “They have done amazing with this.”
Dozens of children and their parents came out to the library to see Pirate Pete embark on his adventure.
“I learned to be nice,” said Cheyenne Swecker. “I liked the pirates. They were really good.”
Brayden Blevins agreed that the play taught him the importance of good manners.
“Using manners is a good thing,” Blevins explained.
And, the highlight of the performance? The action sequences, of course.
“When they fought was the best part,” he said. “I liked that a lot.”
Major said this was the first time Milligan College had taken one of the arts academy performances to the public library.
“This was a totally unique performance for us,” Major said. “It is a really nice way for us to connect to the community.”
