Every fifth-grader at Tortuga Pirate Academy knows just what it takes to be a pirate captain: a strong arm, a big sword, a loud voice and a mean streak a mile wide. How else do you keep a boat full of salty seadogs and scurvy swabs in line?

The Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre 2016–2017 season will continue in February with "The Laughable Legend of Fancybeard the Bully Pirate," an original play by Keith Smith. The show will run Feb. 3-19 with a special Pay What You Can Night preview performance on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The play follows the story of three young buccaneers-in-training who find themselves marooned on a jungle island with the ghost of their greatest hero, the legendary Captain Fancybeard.

They learn that anybody can bully and bluster, but it takes a special kind of courage to be a real leader. The show teaches lessons about fair play, tolerance and an open mind.

Tickets are $10 for AAC members and $12.50 for non-members. For more information about the show, which is about an hour long, visit visit the Arkansas Arts Center website.