We Players to Present MYTHS OF THE MARINER AND THE MUSE at Hyde Street Pier and Aquatic Park, August 2013

We Players, in partnership with the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, announces Myths of the Mariner and the Muse, an interactive, site-specific performance based on maritime stories and seafaring history. The production will be created for and staged throughout San Francisco's iconic Hyde Street Pier and Aquatic Park, coinciding with the America's Cup sailing races to be held there in August, 2013. More information is available by calling 415.547.0189 or visiting www.weplayers.org. We Players have also announced a special closing night performance of Twelfth Night on Hyde Street Pier and a post-performance “Lord of Misrule” party open to the public on Saturday, October 13.

We Players announces their partnership with local playwright, Daniel Heath. Daniel has lived in the Bay Area since 1995, and shares with We Players a deep love for the San Francisco Bay and stunning environment of the area. His many plays have been produced locally and around the country, and often include components of audience participation. Myths of the Mariner and the Muse marks the first production of an original full-length play for the growing non-profit We Players, who have staged several site-specific productions of Shakespeare plays and two adaptations of The Odyssey at Bay Area landmarks.

We Players is currently in the process of developing this premiere production, collecting stories on their website, via public "story sharing circles" at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and through interviews along the waterfront. The development process will also include ensemble-based rehearsal practices and engagement with and research about the performance site around Hyde Street Pier and Aquatic Park. We Players' website, www.weplayers.org will announce upcoming events related to Myths of the Mariner and the Muse. 

With Myths of the Mariner and the Muse, We Players continues a three-year exploration of the theme of the hero's journey, begun in 2011 with a production of The Odyssey underway aboard the scow schooner Alma, one of the historic vessels in the charge of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and a longer production at Angel Island State Park in 2012.

"Journeys by sea are always fraught with challenge, adventure, and opportunity," explains Ava Roy, the company's Artistic Director. "At the heart of the hero's journey is a search for self, the discovery of other worlds and people, and the ultimate return to one's home. The journey itself is transformational," she continues. We Players is creating Myths of the Mariner and the Muse by exploring nautical adventure stories and the themes of travel and homecoming. In connection with the performance site, the company is researching San Francisco's various waves of discovery, settlement, resource exploitation, and immigration. "We have a strong working relationship with the park site stewards," says Lauren Dietrich Chavez, Managing Director of We Players. "Myths of the Mariner and the Muse will not only utilize the spectacular site at Hyde Street Pier and Aquatic Park, but will also highlight the rich history and current programming of the park."

We Players has added one final performance of their current production, Twelfth Night, or what you will at Hyde Street Pier, Saturday October 13 at 5:30pm, to be followed by a special closing night party.

After the final evening performance on Saturday October 13, We Players will host a closing-night party with live music aboard the ferryboat Eureka entitled “Lord of Misrule,” after the traditional name for the master of revelry during the midwinter carnival of Twelfth Night. Honoring another Twelfth Night tradition, which has its roots in the Roman Saturnalia celebration, guests at the party will be served a cake with fortunes baked inside. Tickets to the Lord of Misrule party can be purchased together with tickets to the closing night performance of Twelfth Night or separately, at www.weplayers.org.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, located on The Edge of San Francisco Bay near Fisherman’s Wharf, is open year-round. Visitors can view exhibits at the Park’s Visitor Center (415-447-5000) at the corner of Jefferson Street and Hyde, and may walk onto the pier to visit the park’s collection of floating historic ships and for breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. Tours, videos and demonstrations are offered daily, including a below-decks tour of the Eureka and a demonstration of setting Balclutha’s staysail. SF Maritime also operates the Maritime Museum housed in the art deco Aquatic Park Boathouse Building at the foot of Polk Street (900 Beach Street). The lobby and veranda of the building are open every day from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The Museum currently hosts rotating exhibits; the Park's Visitor Center can provide updates at 415-561-7100.

Recently honored with Best of the Bay picks from San Francisco Magazine and the San Francisco Bay Guardian for their unique site-specific performance work, We Players’ mission is to transform public spaces into realms of participatory theatre in an effort to remember history, build community, and inspire personal relationship with place. In addition to a version of The Odyssey performed underway aboard San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park’s scow schooner Alma, We Players’ past productions include The Odyssey on Angel Island State Park, and Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Fort Point, Hamlet on Alcatraz, and the currently-running production of Twelfth Night at Hyde Street Pier. According to Managing Director Lauren Chavez, “We Players’ work highlights treasures of our local landscape and celebrates the historical importance and natural beauty of the places where we make art.” 

Schedules and ticketing for Myths of the Mariner and the Muse will be announced in early spring 2013.