‘Dog Sees God’ reimagines Peanuts as real teenagers at Act Out Theatre in Taylor Jan. 12-14
From a press release:
What happens when members of the beloved Peanuts gang hit their teen years? Find out when the Act Out Theatre Group presents Bert V. Royal’s “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” in Taylor, which opened on Jan. 5 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 14.
This is not your parent’s family-friendly cartoon.
“The show displays many stereotypical situations known to happen in high school settings but, at its core, it’s much more,” said James Daly, the show’s director. “Often, we sweep our problems under the rug and bury them deep away from the world around us. ‘Dog Sees God,’ while doing so in a sometimes superficial way, rips the guts out of the characters and lays them across the table for everyone to see.
“It’s the perfect example that no matter how ‘successful’ or even just ‘normal’ our lives might appear to everyone else, we are all suffering from something and are just trying our best to get by.”
Audience members will witness the characters’ reactions as they come to terms with life, death, and everything in between. Much of the introspection is spurred, in part, by the death of CB’s beloved dog.
The show features a cast of eight local actresses and actors. Shea Quinn of Clarks Summit is featured as the piano-playing Beethoven.
“Playing Beethoven is a really interesting experience because it’s a character I really relate to, yet he reacts differently to situations than I do,” Quinn said. “I think it really makes you hypersensitive to the fact that all teenagers are going through the same issues as these characters and the different ways that people respond to these situations.”
“Dog Sees God” is somewhat of a departure from the typical Act Out performances.
“Primarily, we are a workshop-based theatre and focus on the growth and development of young performers,” said Dan Pittman, the theatre’s artistic director. “However, with this show, we wanted to appeal to a different audience base and show the lives of some of our nutty childhood favorites after they grew up. This show is under parental discretion; the use of suggestive language, sex and drugs is prevalent throughout the show.”
“Dog Sees God” continues on the Act Out stage (408 N. Main St., Taylor) on Friday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15, and reservations can be made in advance by calling 717-504-0829 or by e-mailing actouttheatre1@gmail.com. Tickets are also available at the door. Prepayment is not required.
