Swords and Roses Fun Fact #6-Why Does Your Logo Look Like it Does?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

Why Does Your Logo Look Like This?

I decided to focus on our logo since it is also our flag or as they say on a ship "our colors".  October 25th is "Hoist the Colors Day!" on Facebook so if you love pirates ye just might want to hoist yer colors on that day.  

Susan and Maria (the founders of Swords and Roses) had chosen a French identity since they started in a French Renaissance Faire.  They wanted to have a white flag since the French have been known in history to be lovers and not fighters. The three roses represent the three sisters of the group.  Susan, Maria and their "sister" Suki.   Ironically, three roses are also featured in Susan and Maria's family Code of Arms!  Regardless of heraldry, the three sisters grew up and always planned to have a theater company.  Though that has not quite happened yet this logo is one allusion to that dream.  Maria had the idea that since they were a pirate themed show and company the flag should be a skull and crossbones.  The roses formed the skull and the rapiers form the crossbones.  The rapier design alludes to the rapiers that are still used in Swords and Roses fights today.  

In honor of our 15th Anniversary, Maria changed the background of our flag to black in honor of the many nationalities that make-up Swords and Roses today.

 

Meet The Interns!!!

We have been performing for 15 years and sometimes we forget the affect we have on our young audience members.

photo courtesy of Melanie Armstrong

The young ladies pictured above with Angelique and Belle were our very first Number 1 Fans.  Their families just happen to be friends of ours and we were not thinking that the girls would memorize our songs and some of the lines from the shows throughout the years. One year they even came dressed in a mini-Bell and mini-Angelique costumes.  Maria decided that she might just have to start an intern program, since the two girls wanted to be part of the fun.

A couple years ago, Nissa turned 16 and Maria sat down with her parents to go over plans for the internship.  Unfortunately, Nissa had to wait for this year to participate in the internship program due to the lack of local shows being booked.

This year Nissa got her chance...

 Angelique, Nissa, and Captain Bashby

Nissa took pictures, helped unload and load the show stuff, and worked the merchandise table for Swords and Roses.  Hopefully, you will see more of her next summer and possibly in a show now that she is old enough.  

We also had a chance to welcome the other lady of the original First Fans into the internship program this year. If you attended a Super Hero Show this summer you might have seen Meaghan.

 Meaghan, The Trainer, Llama Rama, and The Cleaning Lady

The Sequin Sensation, Meaghan, and The Trainer

 

You will see Meaghan next summer or sooner.  Meaghan will be training with us and you might even catch her in a fight with Angelique next year.

Just a warning, in 3 years we will have another intern!!!

Swords and Roses Fun Fact #5-Who Writes the Scripts?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

Who Writes the Scripts?

William Shakespeare (not one of our script writers)

 When Swords and Roses first started with just Maria and Susan, Maria did most of the script writing.

It was easy at the beginning because so much of the show relied on the sibling rivalry between the two ladies.  Something would happen in the sisters' life and they would say "That would be perfect for a Swords and Roses show!" 

 Belle silencing Angelique in the middle of Angelique's dramatic monologue

Scripts were not given a title until January 2009 with our touring show The Quest For A Cabin Boy.

Before 2009, the scripts were titled General Script-(year).  We did have a Wedding themed show that has become our wedding shower show entitled From Pirate to Princess.  Yes, we do get booked for Pirate themed wedding showers.

Why the change?  The only explanation for this change was that in 2009, Swords and Roses expanded and brought in new talented ladies.  The summer in 2009 was the beginning of a lot of growth in shows and as a company.  With the new talent came the responsibility of  making certain that we were all on the same page...of the same script.

Newcomers were allowed to improv and play within the context of the script and that allowed for the show to remain fresh.  Maria is known for saying "Afterall, this isn't Shakespeare."  With new people came new ideas for scripts.  Lisa Pavia-Higel brought a lot of her wit to the shows.  It was Lisa's suggestion to do a Pirate vs. Ninja show when Swords and Roses was hired for the 2009 St. Louis Pirate Fest.  Maria took her suggestion, wrote a script and then Lisa added funny lines.  It wasn't until 2013, that Maria finally let Lisa take the writing helm and the quality of the script reflects that positive change.

We now have a total of 15 shows that are in Swords and Roses repertory plus Swords and Roses Entertainment boasts 2 additional scripts.  For a list of current scripts that a client can book, check out Our Shows tab at our website

Swords and Roses Fun Fact #4-Why Burgundy and Blue?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

Why Burgundy and Blue?

Piracy is all about looking good, so when it came time to figure out what colors we were going to wear we chose what looked good on us.  Blue looks good on a lot of people and if you have blue eyes it brings them out.  We knew that we needed a contrast between the two characters since people would be voting.  Team colors came to mind.  Susan had to be dressed in blue, because the cast of the St. Louis Renaissance Faire had been calling her The Blueberry of Love when she had been on court as Countess Diane De Poitiers.  Our first venue as Swords and Roses was at the St. Louis Renaissance Faire so it made sense to allow Susan to keep her faire nickname.

The real Countess Diane De Poitiers rocking the blue

 Susan as Diane De Poitiers 1999

So that left me finding a complimentary color.  As you can see from Susan's underskirt we did not have to think long on that complimentary color.  I look good in burgundy so it was settled.  

 Me rocking the burgundy as Queen Gertrude

These colors are still identified as Swords and Roses colors and people know it is us by this color combination.  Not all Captains are blue and First Mates burgundy.  Captains are assigned a color based on how good they look in burgundy or blue and how many Captains we have under a certain color.  Check out our Hall of Captains to see the color assignments.  The First Mates have to adjust their costume depending on the Captain.  First Mate (Now Captain) Maricella Consuela de la Cruz had her seamstress create a double-sided bodice so that she could switch colors easily.

Maricella rocking the burgundy.  We need to get pictures of the blue side!

 The colors we chose also played a significant role in a certain special occasion.

courtesy of Steven's Photography

 

And they affect the song in which the audience chooses the outcome of the fight.

Vote and choose, whom shall have victory

And who ends up blue and burgundy

ending line from The Mug Dance copyright 2000

Swords and Roses Fun Fact #3-How Do You Decide Who is Captain?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

How Do You Decide Who is Captain?

 It's Hard to get a Pirate Council to Happen

The first Captain of Swords and Roses was Captain Belle LeFleur.  After we had decided that we were going to be pirates than the next question was who was going to be Captain.  The next season at the St. Louis Renaissance Faire,  Belle was voted Captain at almost every single show.  Belle considers it payback for the previous season.

courtesy of Matt Pavia-Higel

This casting would set up the kind of Pinky and the Brain relationship that influences the casting of the Captains today.

  The Captain tends to be small in stature and the mastermind behind all the schemes that drive the plot.  Each one of our Captains does bring her own spin on the character.  Some have incredible anger issues, others have Napoleon complexes, and all have their Achilles' heel (did someone mention a stuff bunny named Barnacle?)  Regardless of how tall they are, what color they wear, or what nationality they claim; our captains are "fine examples of a lady piracy." 

The Hall of Captains

Captain Belle LeFleur

 Captain Moira Stewart

 Captain Angelique LeFleur

(starting with our expansion in 2009)

Captain Bonney Black

Captain Holly Rogers

Captain Kathryn (Kitty) Blackheart

Captain Powder Keg O'Brien

Captain Gabriella Bashby

Captain Maricella Consuela de la Cruz

For more information on how to book our Captain and their First Mates check out our new and improved website at : Swords and Roses

 

Swords and Roses Fun Fact #2- Why Pirates?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

Why Did You Choose to Become Pirates?

 

 

We actually did not choose to be pirates...YOU, the audience, did! 

 

 Susan and I actually had a sisterly argument about whether we were going to be chivalrous ladies with swords or pirate ladies with swords.  I knew that I wanted two endings for every show, because I am a fan of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which is a musical that has multiple endings.

 

 So we decided that our first argument that the audience would help us settle would be...Do we choose a life of chivalry or of piracy?  We had our two endings.   Belle played by Susan would be the champion of chivalry, since she played the virtuous sister who had left the court to find her wayward sister.  Angelique played by Maria would be the champion of piracy, since she was in love with a pirate and had gone in search of him. 

Three different audiences each day for the run of the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire would vote and EVERY audience chose piracy!  It would be the only time in Swords and Roses history that Angelique would enjoy complete victory.  Looking back on the choreography, Belle's win was better and flashier.  Maybe we will have to bring it back just so it has its moment of glory.

 

On behalf of Swords and Roses, we thank you for choosing piracy because we would probably would not have lasted 15 years otherwise.  We were ready and in the public consciousness when pirates became popular with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  Thanks to Captain Jack Sparrow and to Jake and the Never Land Pirates we are still riding the piratical waves. 

Swords and Roses Fun Fact #1- Where Did We Get the Name Swords and Roses?

In celebration of Our 15th Anniversary, I will be posting on the 15th of the month a little fun fact about Swords and Roses.

Where Did We Get the Name Swords and Roses?

My sister, Susan, and I had our first taste of stage combat and knew we wanted to create a show displaying our talents of singing, acting and now Sword Play!!!

 Swords and Roses circa 2003 or 2004 (earliest photo found)

We knew that the show would be about 2 sisters getting into random fights and one of our first tag lines was "Sibling rivalry with an edge".

We knew that a show with swords in the title would sell, because WHO DOESN'T WANT TO SEE A SWORD SHOW?!

Maria: Swords and Sisters.

Susan: No.  That sounds like we are fighting nuns.

Maria: Hmmm.

Susan: No. I don't not want to be dressed as a 16th century nun in the St. Louis summer!

Maria:Swords and Siblings.

Susan: Ugh. You have got to be kidding.

Maria: We are the LeFleur sisters, right?

Susan: Right.

Maria: So maybe something flower like to match the fact that we are feminine.

Susan: I know...The Fiesty Flowers of France.

Maria: Sounds like a wench show.  Hmmm.

Susan: No.  I'm a teacher.  I can not have my students see me in a wench show!

Maria: Roses with Rapiers.

Susan: Roses and Rapiers.

Maria: No. Wait, Sis, sell the metal first.  Rapiers and Roses.

Susan: Maybe.

Maria: Then people could say "I need a little R and R.

Susan: Cute.

Maria: I don't want to be cute.  I want people to think we are fierce and then find out we are cute.  We need something dangerous, something that suggests edgy.  What about Swords and Roses? (thinking of the edgy heavy metal hair band from the 1980's called Guns and Roses)

Susan: Swords and Roses.

Maria: After all we sing and sword fight, so we are like an edgy 1980's hairband.  I can hear it now...

We are Swords and Roses, the other heavy metal band!!!"

And the rest they say is history.