Thursday, January 29, 2009

Diary of an actor dog...





Hi ya’ll and welcome to my blog! The folks at HGO asked me to share my diary with you and give an insider’s perspective into the life and times of HGO’s favorite show dog….me! Buddy’s the name and barking’s the game (sometimes a little too much, but that’s another story). A Midsummer Night's Dream is a crazy story about a bunch of mixed up humans ... "Oh what fools these mortals be."



Dec. 21st
Well, it’s my first day on the job and boy and I am excited! Everyone seems so nice, but I don’t understand why everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs for hours on end. I don’t think they’re mad, but they’re all so noisy! I think they call that singing…but I am more partial to howling. This Benjamin Britten fella sure has some great sound though.

Already there have been some changes since I arrived. Neil the director added a moment where Adam Cioffari (Who plays Snug the Joiner and later a lion) gives me a bit of his sandwich….I wholeheartedly approve! Wonder if I can specify the kind of sandwich?


Dec. 30th
My second rehearsal and things are going great. Kathy, my chauffer and personal assistant, gave James Kee (who people seem to call JJ) a new type of treat to try, and man do they taste great! Lots of trouble trying to get me to bark on cue though…I can’t quite figure out when they want me to bark, and when they want me to stop. They seem to laugh if I just bark all to time, so maybe I’ll stick with that. We’ll see.



Working with the Mechanicals is fun, they’re all so eager to pet me and play with me. As long as they remember who the top dog is, everything is going to work out just fine.



Dec. 31st
We had a run through today and I finally got to meet the general director of the opera- Anthony Freud. I made sure to come over and say “hi” as much as possible (I know where my dog biscuits are buttered!). There were so many new people in the room, I was so excited it was tough to focus on all the commands JJ was trying to give. I did a great job though, and everyone was so complimentary. The kids in the show really go crazy when I’m around. They smother me with affection…not that I mind it! I love the rubs and they seem to like my wettest of kisses. The run was great, but I was eager to get out and start partying, tonight is the one night I really go overboard with the catnip.

Jan. 1st
HOOOOOOOOOOWLL!!!!! Happy New Year!!! Another 7 years gone by, I tell you, it just seems to go faster and faster. I’m enjoying my time off, but I really miss everyone at HGO.
Since I’m such a well trained pooch, I don’t have many New Year’s resolutions, but here they are:
Chase fewer cats.
Drink out of the toilet less.
Spend more time with the pups.
Work on my tonal opera singing.
And as always….Make sure to steal the Show!


Jan. 12th
Our first time in the theatre and boy is there a lot going on. When I’m on stage in this show I feel like I’m outdoors, it’s so open and green. I barked perfectly today during our second scene.
Matthew Rose… the singer who plays bottom… looks so scary as a donkey! When we took breaks and he was still wearing the costume, I was cowering in fear. It was hard to remember that this is the same friendly guy who I have rehearsed with so much. Everyone took time to calm me down, but I was not a happy puppy being around that monster.


Jan. 13th
I knew I was a star! Neil the director added a scene starring just me (well, and JJ, but who cares?). JJ comes on looking for me because he seems to have lost me; after a little searching, I arrive and bound across the stage. At first it was a little tricky trying to get the timing right. I was a little confused about what I was supposed to do, so I kept on hiding in the wings when I was supposed to come on. This is big time theater… we aren’t in Kansas anymore Toto. Finally the third time I figured it out! I’m amazing in it, and have yet to break character on stage.




Jan. 18th
Our first run with Orchestra. Everything was great, I barked just in the right places, scarffed down half a sandwich, was much less scared of the Matthew-Monster in act two, and had a ton of treats along the way. This job isn’t so bad at all! Now I understand why Lassie was always so happy…


Jan. 23rd
Opening night! I decided I really would pull out all the stops tonight and really steal the show. The first two acts I played it safe and laid low, did as I was told and barked right on cue. Then I made my move in the Play that the Mechanicals perform during act three. Matthew asked me to bark while JJ was singing and boy did I! I never really stopped. I barked through the lion’s scene and some of Pyramus’s death Matthew even tried to shush me during his scene, but I just kept right on barking. The audience went crazy, they were laughing all because of me!


Jan 26th
My good friend Lassie forwarded this to me on Dogbook. That looks like one crazy dare-devil-dog! Good to see Collies out there in the limelight.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/4344372/Pictures-of-the-day-26-January-2009.html?image=4