The Arts Center at Duck Creek in Springs, which has enlivened that hamlet with its innovative art exhibitions and music programs, will venture into slightly uncommon territory on Saturday with “I Am a Ship,” a free play reading with live music that will be presented on its outdoor stage at 5 p.m.
Written by Martha Pichey, a longtime Shelter Island resident, the full-length play is the story of two women from the same whaling family who were born generations apart.
When modern-day Pearl, played by Jocelyn Kuritsky, loses her husband without warning, she is left with three young sons in her rundown childhood home. Grief-stricken, she discovers a journal written by her great-great-great grandmother, Eliza (MaYaa Boeteng), a whaling captain’s wife who defied convention by setting sail with her husband. Eliza’s brave journey aboard the Superior in 1858 enables Pearl to find the hope and strength to carry on.
Hundreds of women went to sea in the 1800s. Some took their children, some gave birth on board, and many endured not only seasickness but also the scorn of the crew. “I Am a Ship” draws from nearly 80 journals left behind by women.
“I’ve done extensive local research, and began this journey with ‘Maritime Mash-Ups’ at the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum and the Shelter Island Historical Society,” said Ms. Pichey. “I was obsessed with the New Bedford Whaling Museum as a child, my dad’s hometown. And I was compelled to draw from personal experience for modern-day Pearl, after finding myself widowed with young children at the age of 48.”
The play is steeped in the tradition of seafaring chanteys. Two singers will join the actors onstage with mandolin and guitar to evoke the sounds of the sea.
The creative team includes Meg Gibson, director; Gillian Gordon, creative producer, Estelle Bajou, composer, and John Drinkwater, musician.
The audience has been encouraged to take beach chairs, blankets, and picnics. The rain date is Sunday at 5.
