All Arminda

Quick! Grab your phone and dial 336-272-0160. When either Amanda or Justin answers the phone, tell them Arminda told you to call and order tickets for the whole family (yes, seriously) to see Shipwrecked!, but you want “Adventure Seats.” Call first, then finish reading to understand why.

Here’s my disclaimer: I have none, except I happen to be a season ticket holder at Triad Stage, and saw this show on Wednesday night, October 17. When my friend Karen and I arrived, my box office buddy Justin asked if we wanted to upgrade our seats to “Adventure,” and of course we said, “yes!”

BEST DECISION OF THE DAY.

You probably have both seat and sock envy right now, and I don’t blame you. That’s literally how close I was to the stage the entire performance, and Player #1 (Laura Esposito) even complimented my socks during one scene in which she engaged me in conversation.

Here’s a better view of how awesome the Adventure Seats really are. See the big rectangular wooden structure that’s slightly raised in the center of the room? Yeah, that’s the stage. Now look at the four corners that are perfectly positioned with pillows for both your bum and your back (plenty of support and cushion) – those are the Adventure Seats! And that’s me and Karen waving at Amanda, who was so kind to run up to the mezzanine to take our picture! Oh, and see all those sad people in chairs? They’re totally envious of our most excellent seating arrangement.

Here’s a shot of the entire cast of Shipwrecked! Yup. Just three of them, but wow did they put on a performance worthy of a cast of 50. Pictured left to right are Laura W. Esposito (Player #1), Greg Jackson (Louis de Rougemont), and A.Z. Kelsey (Player #2).

What’s all the excitement about? Why am I going on and on and on about this show? Why am I insisting you go to (at least) one performance? Because I said so should suffice, but since it probably won’t, here are some other (less) important reasons:

1. Sailing ship on the high seas
2. Greatest dog EVER
3. Buried Treasure
4. Giant sea turtles
5. True love
6. Castaways
7. Adventure
8. Acrobatics
9. The Queen of England
10. Hand-to-hand combat

There probably aren’t enough great things about the actors, the story, the directing, the set design, or the creative use of the strangest props, that I can recommend to you, but if you will take my word for it, you truly don’t want to miss this delightful journey on an adventure you won’t soon forget. But take everyone; the performance is family-friendly and will be well-worth your time together.

Oh, and here’s where my earlier disclaimer benefits you. Since I’m a season ticket holder, I get additional tickets at a discounted rate. Rich Whittington, managing director of Triad Stage, said I could extend a 25% discount to you for this show! You can use discount code (SHIP25) either online or at the box office, but remember to mention the code before completing your sale. Triad Stage has extended performances of this show (read: they’re selling out shows in record numbers, and audiences are demanding more so they’re adding additional performances to accommodate everyone and making it as affordable as they possibly can for clean fun family entertainment for you) through Sunday, November 11.

And those Adventure Seats I love so much? They’re only $10.