Bark Collar Dog No
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In some respects, bark collar dog no is much
like a lot of other absurdist plays: it’s got wildly dissimilar
characters, excessively hysterical moments, painfully real monologues and
a deceptively simple plot. Even those unfamiliar with the absurdist school
will enjoy the light-hearted but deeply motivated bark collar dog no.
Few directors these days take on absurdist plays, since they are often
difficult to bring across effectively on stage. But this spring at U of
T’s illustrious drama festival, there was one stand out entry: bark collar
dog no. It was a huge risk for the cast and crew, but in the end it paid
off. Not only did it garner a special judge’s award, the show has been
picked up by a downtown theatre for a full run this coming summer.
Written and directed by Mack White, a fourth year theatre student at the
university, couldn’t be more excited, “bark collar dog no is something
I’ve been working on for years. The entire time I’ve been at U of T I’ve
had this play sitting in my drawer, and every year I’d pull it out, and
then chicken out and put it away. This year I didn’t-stage director Alice
Stone convinced me to make a go of it, and was instrumental in getting the
show put on. The reaction at the festival has been unbelievable.”
Made popular in Paris during the inter-war period, the theatre of the
absurd was pioneered by writers like Eugene Ionesco and Samuel Beckett.
The original and funny bark collar dog no harkens back to these while
paving new ground for absurdist theatre here in North America in the new
millennium. Its themes and characters are both obscure and endearing, and
with a brand of that can be appreciated by audiences of all ages.
“I’m just so excited to see it onstage,” says White, “And the fact that
people don’t just like it, they get it, is absolutely the best part of all
of it.” Hot on the heels of its drama festival success, look for bark
collar dog no in its downtown run this summer.
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