You remember when a couple of weeks or so ago I floated the idea of a dog park fundraiser? And the people at the park thought I was joking or those that didn't think I was joking thought that while cute it might be offensive?
Turns out it's not. Not at all. Not only not offensive but not even an original idea!
But we still talked about it. We were thinking of who would be cast in what role, knowing that the roles would have to be double or even triple cast - Not one person that Dogger would be in a leading role.
Even I felt that a more delicately proportioned dog would be a better choice for Mary, I mean, I'm not blind. Dogger is a bit generously sized to believably play a 15-year-old-girl. I'm not into dressing lamb as mutton, I'm into color blind but not lamb as mutton. I draw the line. It doesn't look right. And besides, there is an absolutely adorable little lab mix that would be perfect as Mary. Through a baby blanket over her head and she would own the role. And since most of the dogs at the park are fixed, there is no reason that Peyton the walker hound couldn't also play Mary or that Emma the boxer couldn't be Joseph. It would be more inclusive than color blind casting, it would be gender blind! Anybody could play anyone! it would be like a doggy version of I'm Not There! Only with 100% less pretension.
Even with that in mind, I still think Zeus the guide dog would do really well as Joseph and he would look cute with little Lulu/Mary. We have two very handsome Great Danes that would be great as two of the three wise men, I thought about the young St. Bernard would do well as the third. The rest of the players could be played by a rotating cast. It would make for more people in the audience as well as keeping the show fresh.
The one thing that bugged me though. We talked about which dogs would play which(lead) parts and no one mentioned Dogger! I mean, everybody wants their dogs to play Mary and Joseph and the rest of the above the title parts. There was one couple with a German Shepard who saw it playing Baby Jesus! I mean really! It's a small dog part or if failing to find the right small dog, a part for a large, swaddled flashlight, but really, it's not going to a 95 pound-er, no matter what a sweetheart it is: The Baby Jesus does not have fangs. We would be going for as much accuracy as possible with an all canine cast - If they wanted their Shepard to A Shepard? No Problem! It's about being true to the source material I mean if that couple could come across with a six week old Shepard, then we could talk Baby Jesus.
There are those that would kill for their dog to play Donkey and others that would give you money for their dog to have the chance to play "laying down camel" and you would be surprised at how much attention "2nd lamb" stirred up. The Boston terrier group got insulted and splintered off to set up their own scene in the small dog park after a Great Pyrenees person pointed out that he had never had a creche that included piglets .
And yet, I was the only one who saw Doggers star potential. They insisted on seeing her as a rather boisterous large dog with some anger management issues. They saw her playing her part more in the scene painting and costume sewing end of the production. Which is fine for me, but Dogger is a STAR! Dogger needs to be front and center! Dogger needs to be in the spot light! I see Dogger as The Angel! A glowing, beeyotiful figure!
In good part because Dogger has what the other dogs do not
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