Wednesday12Oct 2016

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal

Directed by Nanci Ruby

Wednesday, October 12, 2016 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. PST
2016-10-12 19:30 2016-10-12 21:30 America/Los_Angeles Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal Go to event listing for more details: https://events.chapman.edu/23079 MC 149 Moulton Hall-O.L. Halsell Foundation Studio Theatre College of Performing Arts copa@chapman.edu

Tickets Required

ALL SHOWS SOLD OUT

MC 149

Moulton Hall-O.L. Halsell Foundation Studio Theatre

General Public

Everyone is welcome to attend

ALL SHOWS SOLD OUT

October 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22

Comedy, mature subject matter:  In this poignant, off-beat and often humorous, “unauthorized parody,” Dog Sees God re-imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations and identity collide and careen toward an ending that’s both haunting and hopeful.

Studio Theatre, Moulton Hall, Room 149
7:30pm - Oct. 12, 14, 15, 18, & 20
2:00pm - Oct. 16 & 22
$20 general admission; $15 senior citizens, alumni and non-Chapman students

Join us immediately after this performance for an engaging discussion of the issues and themes in Dog Sees God.

BREAK OUT OF THE FRAME: What happens when we break out of the frame shaped by societal norms and expectations? This question is explored in Bert V. Royal’s script, Dog Sees God, where the beloved characters of Charles M. Schultz’s Peanuts cartoon come to life and come of age as teenagers in this unauthorized journey. The brilliant simplicity of the Peanuts cartoon allows us, as readers, to see our complex selves in the common woes of childhood.

Royal uses this connection to delve into the angst, the ugliness, and the search for self that is common to the teen years. The narrative of Dog Sees God is not simple or charming; it begins and ends in tragedy. Royal admits in a 2005 interview with NYU Livewire, “I hate teenagers, I cannot stand them. They scare me. I just think it is this period of time when puberty makes you crazy. They’re such nasty human beings.” Despite this admission, Royal creates vulnerable characters that
allow us to laugh and cry for ourselves. 

The courage to break out of a frame, whether that frame be an artist’s rendering, an imposed expectation, or self-created lines, comes at a price. Growth is painful and choice is never easy. Breaking the frame of our own expectations may be the most diffi cult journey of all. Join us as we gather to weep with C.B. at the loss of his best friend, cheer for him as he journeys from bully and bystander to defender of the oppressed and weep with him again. This story rings true because we know that the Peanuts characters never win and so neither do their teen counterparts. 

Life isn’t simple; it isn’t a game we can win but we can gather in community, tell stories and encourage each other to “Break out of the Frame.  – Nanci Carol Ruby, Director


MODERATOR:  Dr. Jocelyn Buckner, Asst. Professor, CoPA, Dept. of Theatre

PANELISTS:  Dr. Kris De Pedro, Assistant Professor, College of Educational Studies; Dr. Nina Lenoir, Professor, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, CoPA, Dept. of Theatre; Susanna Branch, Grants and Contracts Administrator, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration 

 

You can contact the event organizer, College of Performing Arts at copa@chapman.edu or (714) 997-6624.

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