Theater Department Premieres '80s Spring Comedy Dog Eat Dog

NICANOR WILLIAMS/DEERFIELD SCROLL

Deerfield Academy’s spring play production, Dog Eat Dog, will premiere on Tuesday, May 19, in the Black Box Theater, with the closing show on Saturday, May 23.

First performed in March of 1983, playwright Mary Gallagher’s dark comedy Dog Eat Dog is set in a future American depression in which wealthy suburbanites are forced to rapidly change their lifestyles and confront questions of morality, desperation, and change. Deerfield Theater began working on the play at the beginning of the spring term with director Vincent Rougeau, an English and Philosophy Teacher who also acts as an instructor for the Theater co-curricular. This production marks his first time directing a play, as well as his final one at the Academy before he begins law school in the upcoming school year. 

Dog Eat Dog doesn’t have a single recording on the internet, with little reference materials. Besides a short New York Times article reviewing the Hartford Stage Company’s premiere version in 1983, there is no evidence of other stage companies putting on the show, let alone mentions in catalogs or magazines. Mr. Rougeau described his approach to the production as “artistic liberty,” noting that “it’s both frightening and freeing” to direct. 

This play is not Mr. Rougeau’s first project at the helm, as he has previously assisted in directing The Play That Goes Wrong and Alice by Heart. Nevertheless, “[Directing Dog Eat Dog is] liberating because there is no reference point,” Rougeau explained. “What we’re kind of doing is the raw, textual work that an original Broadway cast might do, where they’re reading a text for the first time, interpreting it, and trying things for the first time and seeing how it works.”

Given this lack of source material, Mr. Rougeau emphasized the numerous directorial possibilities he could take. He said that after a while, “we got to the freedom part, where I felt as if there was no one right way things could be done.” Describing specific scenes, he noted how “we’re going to try it another way, and because [the play’s] not set in stone, we get to make these choices and play with it in a cool and creative way.”

When asked about the play’s most pivotal moments, Mr. Rougeau cited the end of Act One and the finale. He described Dog Eat Dog as a moral play, saying it “asked a lot of questions and held up a mirror.” In particular, Mr. Rougeau stated that these two instances are “really when those questions are asked and sometimes Gallagher provides an answer, sometimes a question.” He explained that these questions often concern moral ambiguity and the validity of others. To keep the storyline relevant, Mr. Rougeau attempted to “shape [the play] to reflect more current values and more current experiences.”

The narrative of the play centers on 11 cast members, specifically the passions, events, and emotions of a couple, Al and Marina Foley, played by Tyler Long ’26 and E.C. Tate ’28. Meanwhile, the secondary characters, their neighbors in the play, Charlie and Colleen Flynn, are played by Jack Nielen ’28 and Julia Pantano ’29. The two sets of husbands and wives live in grand houses, now dilapidated, with some abandoned and empty. Mell Gussow, the writer of the New York Times article, observed that “in a once luxurious neighborhood, as one character observes, ‘abandoned houses are leaning into the wind.’” Alongside the newfound poorer conditions, the homeless rake the streets, and food is scarce to come by; adults eat cookies and drink milk while munching on canned beets, canned tuna, and excessive amounts of tofu.

Despite its thought-provoking moments, Gallagher employs various details and running gags to heighten the play’s comedic elements. When asked about these easter eggs, Mr. Rougeau said that “if we do [them] correctly, a lot of the humor should feel close to home, as it’s following a family who's facing a financial crisis for the first time in their life, and a lot of the mannerisms also become the source of humor and intention.” One such joke is reflected in the production’s set design, which as Theatre Technical Director Rick Mauran stated, is the first all-cardboard and cheapest set in Deerfield Theater's history. The comedic aspect of the play is also emphasized in its costumes, with Costume Designer Karen St. Pierre creating outfits with accentuated features such as ruffles and sharp colors. For instance, the main couple of the play were forced to wear curtains out of destitution.

Regarding the play’s technical aspects, the lighting for the Black Box Theater for this production is managed by Cam Bloch ’28. He will direct the lights eastward, with the set facing west. This leaves just under 120 eastward-facing seats for the audience, with more than enough room to sit on the floor, if needed. The backdrop has multiple levels and even has a working gas bulb hanging from the ceiling walkway. Mr. Mauran also mentioned that “[the gas bulb] was the most difficult part to create because it is generated with real electricity, and connecting it through wires from the above-walkway was quite challenging.”

Though the cast and crew have spent hundreds of hours on the show, Mr. Rougeau commented how “it’s a little stressful, though I’ve sort of geared up to it. I had a vision to share with people, and [the play] felt like a natural extension of that. I’ve grown a lot, and with that, the kids too.”