Dog Opera, a comedy by Constance Congdon

Nov 1st - 4th at The Little Times Square Theatre 300 West 43rd Street, Suite 506, New York, NY, 10036 Stay tuned for rehearsal pix, show facts, and other fun posts along the way! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

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BIG NEWS EVERYONE!

Our priorities are very clear: We want you to donate - not to us - to the Red Cross. Millions of people, including our Director, friends and family, are without power or worse. For our OPENING NIGHT TONIGHT: show your text proof that you have donated to the Red Cross to help TODAY to our Box Office staff and you will be allowed into the show for FREE. The theatre is warm & dry and we welcome each guest showing text proof of your donation with open arms & comfy red seats on the 4th floor of 300 West 43rd Street at 8pm. 

We're all in this together. SEE YOU TONIGHT!

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Meet BETH E. SMITH! Beth plays an alcoholic mother, drag queen, lesbian date, male puppet and MORE in our production! (yes, we do have puppets!) Beth began performing at age 5, with the hope that her older sisters would pay attention to her, and MAYBE take her to the park. From high school through college, Beth performed in and/or directed a diverse array of shows, her first performance being Mary Warren in “The Crucible.”

After graduating from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Theater from the School of Speech (majored in Directing/Choreography), Beth became the Producing Director of the Children’s Center at York Little Theater in York, PA. After eight critically acclaimed years she moved to  Florida to become the Director of the Theater for Youth and Summer Mummer Producer at the Winter Haven Theater. There she produced the Southeastern Theater for Youth Playwriting Competition and Festival.  FUN FACT: She directed a sixteen-year old Karen Olivo as “Anita” from “West Side Story” ten years before Karen won a TONY for that same role on Broadway!

Favorite acting roles from all over the country include Sissy from “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” and Miss Hannigan from “Annie.” While in NYC, she’s done everything from film to improv. Fave NYC performance credits include: Jessie in “Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams” (Gallery Players), Maggie in “Jake’s Women” (Paper Moon Players), musical director and performer for the Billionaires for Bush and her most beloved role of Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd."

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Click HERE to check out the Q&A on NYTHEATRE.COM with our Co-Producer and star Jason B. Schmidt! We bet you didn't know what cartoon characters our show most identifies with. Mm hm... 

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Oh yes. Get your tickets. Get ‘em good. 

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Meet MATTHEW HEALY! Matthew plays a few fantastic characters in DOG OPERA including "Charlie" the NYPD cop who's come to accept his son Peter's homosexuality, and quite alternatively, "Brad" a very, very gay waiter. Learn more about Matthew and scroll down for another CONTEST! 

Matthew Healy was most recently seen as Abraham in "The Lower Depths" with Joyseekers Theatre Co. Select theatre credits include Trigorin in The Seagull and Henry in End of Civilization (Locus Theatre Company); the Aviator in The Little Prince and Hunter in Donna Paradise(Double Helix). Other credits include: Looping (Sackett Group); The Service Project (Drilling Company); After The Fall (Rosebud Prod.); NY Fringe Festival, SoHo Repertory and the Roundabout Theatre Ensemble; regional: Capitol Repertory and Williamstown Theatre Festival; TV: Sex In The City, Law and Order. Matthew has studied at S.U.N.Y. Albany, Webber Douglas Academy in London, and privately with Susan Shepherd and with Alan Langdon (Circle in the Square). Matthew is excited to be a part of this production and would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support.

CONTEST! Guess which fact about Mr. Healy is not true:

He visited 5 cities in Europe in 10 days this past summer

He is a Gemini.

He has twin boys.

His brother met Norman Rockwell, but he did not get to.      

FIRST correct guess wins, so hurry to enter your guess in the comments below with your preferred method of contact to win a FREE ticket to the show! GOOD LUCK!

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                               CLICK HERE TO RSVP! 

FREE FOOD, FUN MUSIC, HILARIOUS HOSTS & CHECK OUT THESE  $1 RAFFLE TICKET PRIZES…

TWO $50 gift certificates to the TKTS BOOTH in Times Square! (that's right, your raffle ticket could win you a Broadway show!) 

Grey Goose Bottle Service For 4 Guests ($230 value!) including mixers & nuts! 

Sunday Brunch For Four ($100 value!!!) includes yummy mimosa pitcher!

All this and more for only a $10 suggested donation at the door and the good karma points for supporting an exciting theatre production in NYC! Please bring friends and neighbors to this amazing private lounge in Queens (where the lead characters in Dog Opera were born and raised!) ALL ARE WELCOME this Thursday night! 

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Meet JONATHAN DRAXTON! Jonathan is playing a total of FIVE (yes, 5!) characters in DOG OPERA. He's also a really nice guy. Check out his bio and our contest below. Leave a comment with the correct answer and the first person to guess correctly wins a free ticket to the show!*

Jonathan is originally from Park City, Utah and is a New York City novice, having just recently graduated from Williams College, where he majored in English and Theatre. His original solo show SOLDIER will be playing at HERE in SoHo from December 11th through the 22nd. He is still seeking funds for his short film, an apartment that allows cats, and an agent. Special thanks to Mom and Dad for their love and support.

CONTEST! Guess which career path Jonathan has not pursued in the past year:

Medical research guinea pig

Show flyer promotions in Times Square

Role player for Special Forces training

Translator for the Spanish version of Groupon

Leave your comment, and fingers crossed! *You must leave your preferred method of contact to receive your winning ticket.

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We, The Producers of Dog Opera's return to NYC, (oh hello, there! *waves*) had an online fundraising campaign just before we applied for the rights. It was a very exciting time to see just how many people supported us bringing this play to midtown.

We made this lil' video to thank our fans and donors on our Indigegogo site! Watch it to get to know us a little and our history with this production...all ticket sales are in support of this dream of ours. Dream with us! GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

*Warning: There may be Carebears making a cameo in this video. They were compensated. We were not.

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Oh yes. Get your tickets. Get 'em good. 

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What IS Dog Opera all about?

First produced Off-Broadway at The Joseph Papp Public Theatre in 1995, Dog Opera follows Peter (Jason B. Schmidt) and Madeline (Darlene Rae Heller), 30-something's who've been best friends since they were teenagers in Queens. They now have Manhattan apartments and separate unsatisfactory sex lives. Maddi has a better relationship with oreos than she does with men. Peter attracts some of the strangest men in NYC and thinks he must be having a problem "down there." Maddie's alcoholic mother, Peter's opinionated father, lovers, hook-ups and friends with AIDS move through their lives. A homeless teenager who is both a thief and a poet (and would rather be called a “whore” than a “hustler” because he doesn't try that hard) address the audience to throw everyone's problems into perspective. Told with sharp wit and talented actors playing over 20 hilarious characters, Dog Opera proves friendship is everything in this city...even when it might not be enough to survive it.

Featuring: Ethan Carlson, Jonathan Draxton, Matthew Healy, Darlene Rae Heller, Jean-Paul Morales, Jason B. Schmidt & Beth E. Smith.

Director: James Grausam

Stage Manager: Jeremy Wilson 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=dogC18

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Rehearsal Sneak Peek! Meet "Charlie" and "Peter." Charlie is Pete's opinionated, and in this scene, inebriated father expertly played by Matthew Healy. You may recognize Jason B. Schmidt playing our 30'something gay male lead "Peter."  Who says Actors don't get their hands (and clothes) dirty?!

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First cast meeting and table read was last night. What an AMAZING group. Tonight...rehearsal begins! It's all really happening. Stay tuned...

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We've got ourselves a theatre! Ain't it pretty?