dog -- a new play

Dog is a new play by playwright Francesca Pazniokas and directed by Morgan Lee.

When Alice needs a place to crash after dropping out of college, her sister Penny welcomes her with open arms. There's just one catch: Penny's dog, Elmo -- who may not be a dog at all. Dog is an experimental new play about cycles of abuse and the passive violence that keeps abusers in power.

Dog is a play about cycles of abuse. Abuse within families, yes, but also within larger systems. Like the patriarchy. Like white supremacy. It’s a play about the passive violence and complicity that keeps established abusers in power, and generates new abusers. The structure of the play is a faulty mirror, a “semordnilap” just like the title itself.

Dog will run at the Drayton Arms from September 28 - October 2, 2021.

The story

My team and I are working to create work that is bold, engaging, exciting. We're here to ask questions and tackle the hard sh*t. Dog is a story though which the team and our audiences can sit down and engage in a dialogue about all cycles of abuse, why those in the position of power remain there, the use of language in interpersonal relationships, and how we break and change these cycles.

Dog is relevant now more than ever, after seeing domestic abuse reports increasing after January 2020 and throughout multiple lockdowns.

This story is especially important to me for so many reasons. Our responsibility as artists is to wrestle with the truth, which is exactly what this text does. It is an opportunity for our team to come together in this moment and state of the world to shine a light on this truth. 

Written by a queer, female playwright and backed by a female and non-binary creative team, I am so excited to tackle my first proper piece in London, which doubles as my thesis project for my MFA in Directing from East 15. The pandemic has gotten in a way of most theatrical opportunities over the past year and a half, and Dog is a huge opportunity to launch myself and my team into the landscape of London theatre, and continue making connections with artists and creators.

The most important thing to me is that my creative team are paid, especially after such a long period with no work in our industry, and I can't do that alone. Along with a bit of funding from East 15 (this has covered the venue rental cost and part of licensing), it's my responsibility to raise the funds and take care of my team. On a student visa, I am not eligible to apply for UK arts council funding / grants, so I'm asking for your help to make this production a reality. 

Funds? For what?

£1,600 GOAL

£1100 -- Fees for creatives (producer, designer, stage combat, lighting designer)

£200 -- BSL Interpreter (to keep our show as accessible as possible and open to all audiences)

£50 -- Venue technician (required by our venue, the Drayton Arms)

£150 -- Props / Costumes / Set (we're trying to keep these costs as low as possible!)

£100 -- Basic marketing (printing posters, etc -- all design work has been done in-house)

£3000 STRETCH GOAL

£550-- Professional filming (to share with our family and friends outside of London)

£200 -- Show photography, for portfolios

£400 -- Extra licensing expenses

£150 -- Additional prop / set / costume pieces

£100 -- Additional marketing

The University of Essex Alumni will match up to £800 of the funds raised, making your donation go even further!

rewards

Helping us out is amazing, but we think it's a two-way street. Therefore, there are multiple reward levels over on the right hand side that you can choose from! :)

the team (so far)

We just wrapped our audition process, so stay tuned for the cast announcement!

Meet our creative team!

Tyra Hartman, Producer

Tyra (any pronouns) is a BA Creative Producer at East 15. Their passion is the digitization of theatre as well as working closely with other artists that are mindful about representation and diversity.

Ros Chase, Lighting Designer

A second year Theatre Technology student at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ros (she/her) is passionate about theatre and the arts as a form of education and inspiration for young people. Her designs are vivid and symbolic, and she enjoys exploring how creative disciplines can transform atmosphere and aid the delivery of a story.

Lydia Fitzwilliams, Fight Coordinator

Lydia (she/her) is from Hay on Wye, Powys. Currently pursuing her BA in Acting & Stage Combat, Dog will be Lydia's first professional fight direction job.

Max Sutherland, Assistant Director

A Deafened director from the Midlands, Max (they/she) is now based in London and is passionate about musical theatre and new writing. They are entering their second year of the East 15 MFA in Theatre Directing.

Morgan Lee, Director

Originally from Nebraska (USA), Morgan is currently London-based with a passion for new writing, experimental work, absurdism, and working with young people in theatre. She is currently completing her MFA in theatre directing at East 15 Acting School.

follow for updates!

Instagram: @theatre_alatulya

Twitter: @TheatreAlatulya

Help us succeed!

• You don't need to give money to help us succeed! Please share this project with anyone you think would support us – on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, by email, telephone, in a chat over the fence or on your blog.
• In fact, share it with everyone you know as we think it's a great idea, and the more people who know about it, the more likely we are to make this work out brilliantly.
• We'd also love a like or follow on our social media channels (listed above), to help the company grow and our work to be seen by more people!
• And we know we said you don't need to give money to help us, but we'd love it if you did! Please sponsor us and help make this happen.