TheatreFace
Putting a Face on Theatre
Ok, I'm considering doing "Annie" for our school musical, however, my hunch is that our tech director will not let me use a real dog onstage. I will of course ask, but I want to start working on a back up plan. I have thought about a puppet, remote control, stuffed animal, cartoon. All of which have pros and cons. I would love to hear what others have used for shows when they could not use a live animal and what were the pros and cons.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by George on -
How the f___ can you even consider doing Annie without a real dog? And what say does the TD have anyway?
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Permalink Reply by Mark Modzelewski on -
In my situation the TD is master of the universe.
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I don't know what the age range of your students is, but we did Annie, Jr. as a summer drama camp recently, and we cast one of our Kindergarten girls in the role of Sandy. It kept the pressure off of the actress playing Annie so she didn't have to worry about whether the dog was going to behave or not, and we didn't have to worry about using fake looking puppets or animatronics. It gave us the opportunity to showcase the talent of one of our younger students (she even joined in singing in "Tomorrow" with Annie), and it was a big hit with the audience.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Modzelewski on
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I teach high school, but I like the idea of maybe pulling in a younger kid to be involved. I have been contemplating a puppet and animatronics also, but can think of a bunch of drawbacks to both.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Bauer on -
I like the idea of using a younger student, or even a high schooler, to play the part of Sandy. Look at the revival of "Into the Woods" about 7 years ago-they used a person to be Milky White and it was great! It gave new life to the character. There's always that one kid who doesn't necessarily want a huge role too or doesn't want to sing at all or by themselves and this would be the perfect role for them.
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Permalink Reply by Katie Cooper, Flying Producer on -
Mark - Live theatre is open to this exploration in the audiences mind. Bill Berloni, professional animal trainer is an excellent resource for a real dog. He is experienced and I think his dogs are actual rescues. He is a saint and incredible to work with! If you are looking to not use a real dog, feel free to let me know your dates of production - I work with ZFX Flying effects and we have a "Nana" costume that is often rented out for Peter Pan. I can send you a picture. Having a student performer play "Sandy" would give yet another student the opportunity to perform. If you don't rent our costume, or if it is unavailable i would recommend looking into dog costumes. Just my 2 cents.
You can email me at KCooper@zfxflying.com
Best of luck to you!
Katie Cooper
Flying Producer
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Permalink Reply by Kurt Scott on -
re: No dogs on stage ???
We used a remote~control toy 4x4 car.,.
google- Dave Brotsky, Vernon BC. for info.
iam kurts@dellmail.com
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne DuCharme on -
Hi Mark,
I stage-managed a community theatre production of "Annie" which used two identical Old English Sheepdogs. One could do some of the tricks, and the other could look forlorn. And one was deaf! So, there is a downside to working with real dogs. (although I adore dogs and loved every minute of it.) Have you considered putting a kid into a dog costume? You get one more student in the cast and they will certainly be able to remember the blocking.
There is something magical, though, about a real dog on stage. Many schools do "Annie" and they usually use real dogs. Where are you located, by the way? Good luck with this dilemna,
Suzanne
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Permalink Reply by Mark Modzelewski on
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Thank you everyone for your replies! They have given me some goo dideas to ponder. I am in the process of getting the rights so it's time to really get down to business. I am located in AZ. I am leanng towards using a student from our middle school to help us in our high school production. I need to nail down my overall concept before I make a final decision though. So I am open to any other ideas people might have. Thank you!
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Permalink Reply by Joey Paradise on
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I might I askw hat you see as drawbacks for the puppet?
First, I would again suggest stressing the use of a real dog for the show, but if that fails, a puppet "Sandy" can work wonders.. I have seen several puppet "Totos" and puppet "Nanas". The success of a puppet, obviously, depends on how you design it, who handles it, and how it fits in with the concept, so there is no reason why it can't work if the decision is made early and taken into consideration.
I can't find the video clip at the moment, but here is a picture of a puppet "Nana" from the new adaption of Peter Pan recently staged in London's Kensington Gardens. While I disagree with many choices made for this production, I really enjoy the Nana puppet and it worked well in the video clip that I saw. They made no attempt at dressing the puppeteer in black (which WOULD distract), but simply put him in period appropriate garb. The puppet itself seems to be fairly simple - a solid body with the attached head and 4 legs that hang free. The weight is supported by the handle on the back and there is a small handle at the back of the head to manipulate that..
http://blog.visitlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/trhcharlesan...
Best wishes for your show!
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Hi Mark, my name is Scott, and I'm pleased to meet you. I'm a director and I may be able to help you.
There are several solutions here that will work.
One solution is, in certain scenes, have the audience hear the sound of a dog barking off stage.
Add some lines like this
Annie walks offstage and then
Annie: "Come on Sandy"
Sandy: "Bark Bark"
Or, if you need to have Sandy in front of the audience without having a real dog on stage, there are several children's pull toys that will work. Below are two links that have ones that you may like for about $25.
If the links below aren't active, then copy and paste them into your browser's address line.
http://www.nextag.com/International-Playthings-Pull-Along-532466332...
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3368824
Have Annie pull the toy out on stage with her during the appropriate scenes. But be careful about buying one that makes sounds when it's pulled. It may be distracting. If you like one that makes sounds when pulled, it may be possible to turn off or dismantle the sounds.
Or if Sandy needs to move independently of Annie, have one of the stage hands pull the toy across the stage with a piece of invisible wire (fishing line). But be careful with the blocking in this case so the actors don't accidently trip on the wire or tangle or break it.
Or, if Sandy doesn't need to move during the scene, a stuffed dog will work. Just place it on the set at an appropriate location where the audience can see it. You might have Annie say something to it to call attention to it.
Or you can use a stuffed dog and have Annie pick it up and carry it with her, and put it down if appropriate. With the right hidden hand movements, it could be made to look like it moves.
If she puts it down on stage, I recommend someplace in the background. Maybe something like this.
Annie puts Sandy in a chair near the back of the set ands says "Stay Sandy".
Or if premanufactured toys are out of your budget, have your stagecraft crew make a dog using plywood, dowel rods, fake fur, wheels, and anything else that's needed.
Or, as others have mentioned, a puppet dog would work well too.
And finally, if you can't use a live dog, this may be a blessing in disguise. Sometimes animals don't follow directions very well. Smile.
Bottom line, try a few things and see if you like them.
I hope this helps and let me know how it turns out.
Director Scott Miller
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Permalink Reply by Mark Modzelewski on
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Wow, these are great. Thank you everyone for your help. I have sent in the royalty request. Now it's time to start trying out some of these suggestions! Thank you so much. There are some really great ideas!
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