yo ho.

Written by: SMJ
Directed by: JD Caudill
Fight Direction by: Carly Belle “CB” Cason

The Mark

About the Show

yo ho. charts the journey of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two pirates aboard a campy, sexually charged ship facing immediate threat from the crown. Equal parts historical fantasy and introspective sexual and gender exploration, this play is a deeply emotional reimaging and reminder of queer history.

WHERE The Edge Off Broadway
1133 W Catalpa Ave
Chicago, Illinois
WHEN July 19 – August 29, 2026
SHOWTIMES Thursdays, Fridays
& Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm
PREVIEWS July 19, 23 and 24
PRESS OPENING Saturday, July 25
CLOSING NIGHT Saturday, August 29

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SENSORY FRIENDLY August 2
UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCE August 9
FULLY MASKED
AUDIENCE PERFORMANCES
August 9 & 16
OPEN CAPTIONING August 15, 16, 20 & 21
STREAMING DATES August 27 – 29

AUDIENCE ALERT

  • This production uses realistic staged violence in the telling of the story.

RUN TIME

Approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes (including intermission)

Cast

The ensemble cast of ten, in alphabetical order, features Stef Brundage (they/them, Calico Jack); Sierra Bryn (they/them, Mary Read); Quintin Craig (he/they, Chad/James U/S) William Delforge (he/him, Chad & James); Schnaude Dorizan (she/her, Vanessa U/S); Stephanie Fongheiser (she/her, Anne Bonny U/S); Cris King (she/her, Calico Jack U/S); Rachel Sleek Bañuelos (she/her, Anne Bonny); Makenna Van Raalte (they/she, Mary Read U/S) and Brittani Yawn (she/her, Vanessa).

Production Team:

The production team includes BWBTC ensemble members Line Bower (they/them, technical director); Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, costume designer); Payton Shearn (she/they, production assistant) and Laura J. Wiley (she/her, lighting designer) as well as Maddie Abelson (she/they, props designer); Carly Belle “CB” Cason (they/she/any, fight director); JD Caudill (they/them, director); Kat Coyl (they/them, assistant director); Syd Genco (she/her, makeup / hair designer); Amy C. Gilman (she/her, scenic designer); Alex Kingsley (they/them, sound designer); Meme Matteson (she/they, assistant fight director); Grace Elizabeth Mealey (she/her, stage manager); Talia Neidorf (they/them, assistant stage manager); Alyssa Vera Ramos (she/her, intimacy designer) and SMJ (they/them, playwright).

yo. ho. cast announcement block of headshots

Cast listed clock-wise, starting top-left: CALICO JACK: Stef Brundage (they/them), MARY READ: Sierra Bryn (they/them), CHAD & JAMES U/S: Quintin Craig (he/they), CHAD & JAMES: William Delforge (he/him), VANESSA U/S: Schnaude Dorizan (she/her), ANNE BONNY U/S: Stephanie Fongheiser (she/her), CALICO JACK U/S: Cris King (she/her), ANNE BONNY: Rachel Sleek-Bañuelos (she/her), MARY READ U/S: Makenna Van Raalte (they/she), VANESSA: Brittani Yawn (she/her).

***Ticket sales end 3 hours before curtain. Seats may still be available even if it says no longer available.***

BWBTC will be collecting charity donations for a TBA program closing week of the run.

Accessibility Information

Getting to the space

Parking:

The Edge Theatre does not have a dedicated parking lot or parking spaces for the venue. There is limited paid street parking on Broadway.

Drop off:

If you will travel by paratransit or will be dropped off, we recommend being dropped off at the corner of Catalpa and Broadway, or in the driveway of Hernandez Auto Repair at 5447 N Broadway (which is less than 10 feet from the theater’s entrance).

Public transportation:

The CTA has bus stops immediately in front of or across the street from the Edge Theatre.

  • Northbound 36 (Broadway) Bus to Catalpa.
  • Southbound 36 (Broadway) Bus to Catalpa.

The nearest train stop is the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop, but please note that it is not an accessible station.

The nearest accessible train stops are the Granville Red Line Stop and the Wilson Red Line stop. Both are about one mile from the theater, so we recommend transferring to the #36 bus from there if you need to reduce distance traveled.

The space itself

The Edge Theater lobby and auditorium are physically accessible. There are 4 wheelchair accessible seats as well as 2 additional ‘transfer seats’ in the auditorium. Additional space for accessible seating is available in the back if needed. The theater is equipped with accessible bathrooms, including three all-gender single-user restrooms.

The front doors are not automatic, so we will have a member of the house management team at the doors ready to open them as needed until the show starts. If you arrive after the show starts, you can contact boxoffice@babeswithblades.org. We will also have box office staff watching the doors after the start time to allow access to late seating.

Assistive listening devices are available, and can be reserved by contacting our box office directly at boxoffice@babeswithblades.org.

Please contact boxoffice@babeswithblades.org or 773- 217- 8406‬ with any questions about the theater space and accessibility offerings.