Writer, director, and actor Tate Elizabeth Hanyok used a multi-pronged approach to write Dog Mom, an original production running September 24 through October 11 at the Carol Piersol Stage at Firehouse Theatre.
Among those approaches was the “one thing an awful lot of us seem to agree on — our furry friends are angels. They save us, connect us, and give complete strangers something to talk about. I loved the idea of celebrating that common ground,” says Hanyok, a VCU alum.
Hanyok is aware of some of the sad and inhumane circumstances some dogs find themselves in when humans treat them poorly and leave them on their own.
“What has really stayed with me is how civilian rescue groups have taken matters into their own hands, going to extraordinary lengths to get these animals medical attention or to safety. Starts With One Today is one rescue organization I’d especially love to highlight,” she says.
She hopes the play will bring more attention to the rescue efforts of animal organizations and encourage people to adopt.
“If Dog Mom can crack people’s hearts open a little and inspire even a few more animals to find homes, that would be such a win,” she says.
The play, produced by Cadence as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere with partner theaters around the country, focuses on freshly divorced Liz who is not a dog person but reluctantly becomes an accidental dog mom. When she receives unsolicited advice, she feels that she’s doing it all wrong.
In this story of unexpected friendship with a dog, Liz begins to open up to a new kind of love with each dog walk and “finds that the most surprising part of being a dog mom is just how much she needed it,” says Hanyok.
Currently without a dog of her own, Hanyok has been a dog mom in the past. “My goodness, they sure do leave a mark on your heart! I can’t wait for life to slow down so I can be more available to a pup again,” she says, adding, “For now, I have a menagerie of backyard critters that I keep up with, some that I’ve rehabbed and fostered. Possums, squirrels, and a raccoon family that visits often and is quite entertaining. I only wish they would recognize me as their Queen.”
A Creative Community Years in the Making
A Virginia native, Hanyok has a connection to several members of the production. She and Jerold E. Solomon attended VCU at the same time, but Solomon was a year or two further in his academic journey.
“I always thought he was one of the most gifted performers at our school. It seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do,” Hanyok says. “When I learned he was back in Richmond, I remember thinking, ‘if this show ever makes it to Richmond, I would love to see Jerold in it.’”
She met director Rick St. Peter and actor Robbie Winston in her first professional production as an actor in The Taming of the Shrew, which St. Peter was directing at Barksdale.
“I still remember being struck by Robbie’s intricate character work and the depth of his imagination all those years ago. He has such a gift,” she says.
Winston and many other friends from that cast have become her “lifelong friends,” she says. “Some of us eventually made our way to Los Angeles together, so I have Rick to thank for that circle of friends. He really creates community when he directs.”
What Is the Takeaway?
The show’s script impressed St. Peter when he first read it.
“I loved it because I am a dog dad,” he says, adding he believes the universe came together to make the show happen. “One of the great things about this play is that Tate provided great roles for friends of hers in California and for women in their 40s.”
The dogs, or actors in this case, in the show represent the essence of a dog as filtered by human beings. “From the moment the actors enter, it’s very clear that they are dogs,” St. Peter says. “This play is about learning to become comfortable in your own skin and being open to the world around you — to follow your own heart.”
Hanyok hopes audiences see several themes in the play that can serve as takeaways.
“The ones we save may be the ones who save us. Liz thinks she’s rescuing her new pet, Dog, but Dog ultimately gives Liz something she desperately needs: connection, purpose, and a way back into the world,” Hanyok says, adding that another connection focuses on found family and unexpected community. “The dog is the catalyst, but the larger journey is about Liz opening herself up to people and discovering community in places she wasn’t looking for it.”
The remaining two themes — a full life doesn’t have to follow the expected blueprint and the profound legitimacy of the human-animal bond — are also interwoven. The play was born from Hanyok’s desire to create shared laughter and connection at a time when society is fragmented.
Theaters in the rolling premieres have been partnering with local rescue organizations around productions of the play.
“The idea that the show can help spread the magic of rescue dogs while supporting the theaters producing it — I’m over the moon.” Hanyok says.
The production will mount some special events during the run of the play. Following the 2 p.m. matinee on September 27, playwright Tate Elizabeth Hanyok will join the cast and creative team for a post-show discussion.
Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) and the Richmond SPCA will host post-show meet-and-greets and adoption events immediately following the 2 p.m. matinees. RACC will be in the house on October 3 and 10 and The Richmond SPCA on October 4 and 11.
Purchase your tickets here.
