Pirate story time tees up Sunday show at Chevalier

By Crystal Yormick

Aliens made banana bread, cats took over schools, and cupcakes danced on screen at a storytelling event at Moon and Back Bookstore Wednesday evening. Participants could watch in-person at the store or join via Zoom.

Story Pirates, the media company hosting the event, turns stories written by kids into sketch comedies and songs. The company has live events, a podcast, and music videos and will perform at the Chevalier Theater this Sunday.

For about thirty minutes, Lee Overtree, who is co-founder and creative director of Story Pirates — showcased videos and songs the company has produced. He then turned to the kids attending, including three in-person and about a dozen online, for their own ideas.

“I want them to take away that writing their own story and expressing their own creative ideas is really at their fingertips,” Overtree said. “We believe that kids are creative geniuses and that all kids are able to write an amazing story. You really want kids to leave the events believing in their own creativity.”

This event is the first bookstore event he’s done in this format, and he would love to continue them in the future, he said.

“Even though it was through [the] screen, it’s a really healthy way to share ideas with other kids and brainstorm together,” Overtree said.

The event also served as a collaboration between the bookstore, which opened a little over a year ago, and the Chevalier Theatre, said Michelle Smith, owner of Moon and Back. The theater will host Story Pirates Live in-person this Sunday as part of the company’s national tour, during which Overtree and the cast will improvise sketch comedies based on ideas from kids in the audience. Sunday’s show will be the largest of the spring tour, Overtree said.

“Tonight’s event is kind of a way to engage the local community and promote the show,” said Mia Rosen, who is the promotions and marketing coordinator for Bill Blumenreich Presents, the promoter for the Chevalier Theatre.

Moon and Back Bookstore hosts reading events on Wednesday mornings and Saturday afternoons. These events are usually free and occur regularly so people know when they are, Smith said. The store also occasionally hosts weeknight events, like the one that took place Wednesday. This is the first time there was a Zoom option, which makes it easier for people to join, she said, and she added that she hopes to hire another team member soon to increase weeknight events.

One part of the event had kids send in a one-sentence story. Overtree said during this time he could see them realizing they can activate their imagination to express themselves.

“What kids write is not restricted to realistic situations or things that obey the laws of physics,” Overtree said.

Ian McGullam, who attended the event with his son, said he hadn’t come to a storytelling event before but participated in other events the bookstore hosts, such as a stuffed-animal sleepover. He and Charlie are Story Pirates fans and plan to attend Sunday’s event at the Chevalier, he said.

“Moon and Back is a great thing to have in our community, so we keep tabs on what they do,” McGullam said.

Factors like weather, people’s schedules, and familiarity with the author or illustrator play into how many people show up for an event, Smith said.

The Chevalier Theatre does not often do children’s or book-related shows, but if there’s a show in the future or past that aligns with kids again, a similar event to Wednesday’s could happen again, Rosen said.

“This is a great example of being a part of the community and working together with other parts of the community,” Smith said. “As a bookstore it’s important to us to be a part of the community and build those bonds.”