Steady She Goes at Overture Center for the Arts

Forward Theater Company presents the world premiere of Steady She Goes by Erica Berman, directed by Brian Cowing, as part of World Premiere Wisconsin. The play traces the real-life story of Mary Ann Brown Patten, who in 1856, at 19 years old and pregnant with her first child, took command of the clipper ship Neptune's Car after her husband and captain fell gravely ill during a voyage around Cape Horn. Facing a threatened mutiny and treacherous seas, Patten navigated the ship safely into San Francisco, becoming the first woman known to command an American merchant vessel. The production features Matt Daniels, Maya Danks, Sam Frank-Taylor, Seth K. Hale, Andrew Linden, Andreas Transø, and Jennifer Vosters, set to a current of classic sea shanties.