“Found Dog Ribbon Dance,” a play by Brooklyn, N.Y.–primarily based playwright Dominic Finocchario, opened on the Mahaney Arts Center Seeler Studio Theatre on Thursday, April 4, as the primary of the 2 spring college theater productions.
The concurrently enjoyable, comical, heartbreaking and emotionally advanced play had the viewers laughing one minute and crying the following. The enthusiasm that lead Maggie Blake ’24 and the remainder of the solid had for the play was clearly seen.
The play follows the story of Norma (Blake), knowledgeable cuddler with a heat and alluring persona. Norma by no means desires to make her shoppers really feel uncomfortable, regardless of the some-what awkward service she gives. As the title suggests, Norma has discovered a misplaced — or, as she insists on calling it, discovered — canine and has taken him in as her personal, nonetheless decided to seek out his homeowners.
One day at a espresso store, Norma meets Norm (Ethan Fleming ’24), a shy and endearing barista who rapidly falls in love with Norma. Norma quickly additionally falls in love with the quirky and passionate Norm. Later within the play, Norma faces quite a lot of challenges, together with inappropriate shoppers and shedding her beloved canine, by way of which she learns about herself, opens as much as Norm and divulges arduous truths about her previous.
“It has been an honor to work with the actors who were all so willing to dive into the emotional truths of these wounded characters,” mentioned Olga Sanchez Saltveit, assistant professor of theater and the director of “Found Dog Ribbon Dance.” “These were not easy roads to travel, but they all opened their hearts to the vulnerability each of them must experience in the show.”
Blake emphasised the rawness of Norma’s character arc.
“This play really was a wild ride. I’ve never had a role this big, and bringing Norma to life really was an amazing opportunity,” she mentioned.
A psychology and theater main, Blake described the way in which the play introduced collectively her completely different pursuits within the character of Norma.
“Seeing the world through her eyes and every decision she made throughout the play was such a critical step in the process, and such a cool way to look at the way people are,” she mentioned.
Putting collectively a manufacturing as difficult and concerned as “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” comes with its distinctive set of challenges and struggles. With beneath three months to rehearse, the corporate was in a position to put the present collectively superbly. Not solely did the actors convey their extremely nuanced roles to gentle efficiently, however the set design, music and lights all complemented the present splendidly. The set delivered to life a contemporary studio residence, its luminous white partitions complemented by candles, houseplants and colourful material.
“We learn[ed] to balance our responsibilities to meet the demands of being in rehearsal six days of the week,” Sanchez Saltveit mentioned. “I want to shout out Maggie Blake, who plays Norma and is in almost every scene —she gave so much of her time, so graciously [and] professionally, to rehearse that beast of a role.”
Each member of the solid and crew confronted a novel set of challenges with their function within the play. Hannah Alberti ’26, who performed Miranda, a profession mother struggling to carry every little thing collectively, described probably the most troublesome a part of the present as attempting to suit into Miranda’s voice. “The director had asked me to use a deeper register, so trying to find the balance between using that deeper voice and still having to go through all these highs and lows vocally was a struggle,” Alberti mentioned.
Alberti additionally highlighted the quantity of rehearsal time it took to get the present prepared. “There was a lot of emailing for extensions and late nights, so I used a lot of my daytime for recuperating,” she added.
Claire Hatch ’26 described the challenges of embodying her function of Dog.
“It was a lot of physical acting, which is tricky; I was always asking myself which parts of the character were more human and which were more dog. It ended up being a really interesting blend,” Hatch mentioned.
The viewers was clued into the character’s id by way of pale blue overalls boldly labeled “DOG,” however it was Hatch’s efficiency that made the casting plausible.
Hatch added that she needed to study to catch a tennis ball. “I would say I really honed my fetch skills,” she mentioned.
Sanchez Saltveit expressed the enjoyment she felt engaged on the manufacturing, and the way the play grew on her over time.
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“The whole team, the actors, the crew, our designers and their assistants, everyone who touched this show, helped build this set or the costumes brought so much good will, talent, inspiration even to our process,” she mentioned.“I will miss the collaboration, the shared creativity, the struggles, the laughs, all of it.”
Blake echoed Sanchez Saltveit’s sentiments, and described how such a constructive solid and crew helped them work by way of among the more durable topics the play introduced up.
“It’s definitely safe to say I’ve made some lifelong friends throughout this show and have experienced something completely new to me.”
The ending of “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” left the viewers in shock and suspense, exhibiting them you’ll be able to by no means choose a e-book by its cowl. Norma, as with most of the different characters, started and ended the play as two completely completely different individuals, altering because the storyline progressed. The grace and wonder with which Blake took on the difficult function of Norma was outstanding.
