Overview
Synopsis
When his beloved beagle is destroyed after a rabid rampage, CB is plunged into such a depression that a literal raincloud starts to follow him around. Suddenly introspective and concerned with the afterlife, he is no longer satisfied with his high school status as a good-looking bully. Writing without hope to a childhood pen pal who has never written back, CB confesses his doubts and fears, and describes his daily interactions with his community: his angst-ridden performance artist sister, aggressive buddy Matt, mean girls Marcy and Tricia, and stoned philosopher Van. When he unexpectedly connects with Beethoven, a childhood friend who had become a target of his group’s homophobic bullying, CB thinks he’s found both a relationship and a means to rebel against his predictable, doormat persona… but he may have to lose everything to gain peace of mind. Sex, drugs, bullying, mental illness, toxic friendships, and dead dogs. are not the first things which come to mind when we think about the children of Charles Schultz’s iconic comic strip, but Bert V. Royal’s Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead is genuine and genuinely moving update for the “Peanuts” gang. a heartfelt comedic drama and strong ensemble piece which explores the challenges of high school, and growing up.
Show Information
- Book
- Bert. V. Royal
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 2004
- Genres
- Drama, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- contemporary (2000s), a school, a doghouse, a wall
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Professional Theatre, Includes Late Teen, Early Teen Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Following a reading in May of the same year, Dog Sees God premiered at the SoHo Playhouse during the New York International Fringe Festival in 2004, where it won an award for Best Overall Production, Directed by Susan W. Lovell, it featured Michael Gladis as CB, Benjamin Schrader as Beethoven, and Melissa Picarello as Van’s Sister. After another reading, the show received it’s first Off-Broadway production in 2005, with Eddie Kaye Thomas as CB, Logan Marshall Green as Beethoven, Eliza Dushku
to read the context for Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
“Dear Pen Pal”
CB, a “handsome, though currently sullen” teenager, writes a letter to his pen pal -- a pen pal who never wrote back to him when he was a child -- and hopes that the pen pal is “still there.” He talks about a recent trauma: his beloved beagle dog contracted rabies, slaughtered the yellow bird who was his friend, and had to be put to death. After his dog died, says CB “the raincloud came back, and everything went to hell…”
“Canis Exequiae”
CB and
to read the plot for Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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