Skip to content

THINGS TO DO

Events, gatherings, & outings: What to see and do in Dutchess County, NY.

David Engel Pirate School
June 14, 2025

10am

The Stissing Center, 2950 Church St, Pine Plains

This riotous, interactive pirate escapade satisfies children’s universal curiosity for the briny buccaneers of yore, while promoting everyday polite behavior and social-courage.

Now in it’s 24th season, Pirate School! has delighted thousands of families with a mischievous blend of improvisational clown theater and it’s signature brand of boisterous full-audience participation. Parents marvel as their kids become “good pirates,” swaggering out of the theater transformed by this heartwarming family show.

During Pirate School! the bumbling pirate professor Billy Bones, played by David Engel, teaches youngsters 4 and up the finer points of light-hearted mischief. The audience partakes in riotous, joyful competitions that rattle the rafters and zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing and laugh like jaunty Buccaneers.

Featuring an original cartoon-like sound effect and musical score, eye-popping puppetry, eccentric props, adept magic, slapstick swordplay antics, a misbehaving cannon, a talking skull and the world’s only wearable pirate ship, Pirate School! is truly a treasure to discover!