A pack of 14 “dogs” will take over The Springer Opera House stage this weekend for a production of “Go, Dog, Go!,” based on the children’s book by P.D. Eastman.
The dogs will be played by recent high school graduates and members of the Springer Theater Academy. There are no human characters in the play, which is aimed at young children.
The dogs have jobs, drive, sing, dance, ride scooters, roller skate and go on a Ferris Wheel.
Like Eastman’s 1961 book, the show aims to help children learn basic concepts of movement, color and space. Eastman also wrote “Are You My Mother?” and “Red, Stop! Green, Go!”
Jill Sholits, who plays a yellow dog, encourages parents to study the classic book with their children before coming to the show.
Teamwork
There’s no alpha dog in this story.
“We take turns” being top dog, said Kayla Felton, 18, who will enter Eckerd University in the fall.
Each dog has important role in the play.
“Within our big pack, there are smaller packs and they are color-coded,” said Sholits. The packs are color coded to help children learn to identify colors. The packs are black-and-white, pink, red, green and blue.
“We all have different responsibilities in the pack,” said Leiland Arnholt, 17, who will study at Columbus State University in the fall.
These responsibilities have personal significance to the actors, who were able to chose the breed of dog they wanted to represent.
Each actor was instructed to pick a breed that he or she thought best matched his or her personality.
Jef Holbrook, who joined the Theater Academy in 1997, is directing the show.
He said he wanted the actors to really make the dogs their own, so they would be invested in play.
The show features golden retriever puppies, a Corgi, a Jack Russell terrier and mixed breeds.
Some dogs even have jobs. In one situation, Damian Lockhart, 18, who will soon be a freshman at Kennesaw State University, plays a green dog, who is a foreman at a construction site.
Holbrook has worked his way up from student to teacher at the Springer Theater Academy, said he wants this show to be special.
“This will be a lot of people’s first play,” Holbrook said. “It will appeal to all ages.”
Other cast members
Black-and-white dogs: Matthew Pearson, 18, will go to Georgia State University; Meagan Lord, 18, will attend Chattahoochee Valley Community College.
Pink dog: Hayley Koger, 18, will attend Georgia College
Orange dog: Jess Garcia, 17, will attend Columbus State University
Red dogs: Carrie Dalton, 18, will go to Georgia Southern University; Lloyd Davis, 17, will go to Ryder College; Kayla Felton
Yellow dogs: Hailey Garcia, 17, will go to CSU; Tori Griggs, 18, is unsure what she will do in the fall; Jill Sholits
Green dogs: Jesse Cody, 18, Muhlenberg College; Damian Lockhart
Blue dogs: Jesse Banham, 17, University of Georgia; Leiland Arnholt.
