Production of Dog Sees God at Coffeehouse

On Friday, August 13th, 2010 at the PFY Coffeehouse a group of dedicated participants premiered their own production of the off Broadway hit Dog Sees God. They spent many weeks in preparation, working hard to make the play come together for opening night. Our participants are very adept at producing entertainment for Coffeehouse that is emotionally impacting, educational and entertaining for their peers. This play was a hit and everyone in attendance loved it . Brittney, a dedicated participant took on the huge role of director where her strong background in theater was obvious. Brittney was involved in many productions in her high school and at SUNY Fredonia including Suessical the musical, Footloose, and Terror In The Trees. She was also in choir, often as a soloist, for many years and directed the Rent Showcase here at Pride for Youth last year. Rebecca, who played the role of CB’s sister has also been involved in theatre for many years. Rebecca’s first role was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she was just seven years old at her summer camp. She continued going to sleep away theater camp for five years participating in ten more shows. Quoted from Rebecca, “each show has taught me something new that I carry with me everywhere. But the most important and recurring theme I’ve gotten from each show is definitely that working with those you love doing a thing you love is something you keep with you forever.” In the matter of a few weeks the show was put together. The youth rehearsed a few times per week putting in a lot of hard work to make this play possible. One participant, Sam, that played the part of CB, the main character, was very convincing in his role captivating the audience with true emotion. All of the roles played in this show were alluring and entertaining, making a wonderful play. The play focuses on many issues that hit close to home for many of our participants here at Pride for Youth. Dog Sees God is set in a high school setting and addresses issues such as coming out, homophobia, social stigma, social isolation and suicide. With an emotionally gripping yet humorous twist the play gives everyone something they can relate to. It is also quite the eye opener for how the seemingly less impacting issues can escalate into more severe crises. The cast: CB: Sam CB’s sister: Rebecca Beethoven: Thomas Matt: Katerine Tricia: Sarah Marcy: Yelena Van: Mary Van’s sister: Lisa Special thanks to Lisa for putting in extra hard work and helping direct and build sets. Stage Crew: Jeff Amanda Mike