Where exactly did Charlie Brown and the other childhood heroes from “Peanuts” end up? Right on the stage of “Dog Sees God,” an entirely student-directed production conducted as part of the Black Box Festival at Elon University April 24-28.
The festival, produced in part by Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor society, is the only organization-funded student opportunity to direct a full-length show. After three months of intense rehearsals, the festival opened to the public.
“Dog Sees God” revealed the “Peanuts” characters in high school as athey faced drugs, sex, parties and the stresses of fitting in. Senior Dylan Moon, director of the play, said the relatable topics were perfectly suited to a college audience.
“The show shows they are not the perfect little children we remember them as,” Moon said.
Although many theater shows are driven by the need to entertain, there is still a very serious point the play tried to convey to its audience, Moon said.
“I hope people will see it and kind of think about maybe if they weren’t the nicest person to somebody in school,” Moon said. “If it makes the audience think afterwards, I will pretty much consider it a success.”
Freshman Meg Machonis said she believes the issues of the play were timely, especially on Elon’s campus.
“The company dealt with such heavy and relevant topics in a beautiful and poignant way,” Machonis said. “I saw the show three times and each performance was new and thrilling. ‘Dog Sees God’ was hilarious and heartbreaking — a show that everyone must see in their lifetime.”
“Dog Sees God” and “A Man of No Importance” switched off each night in the Black Box. The latter, a musical about an amateur theater group and their director, Alfie Byrne, took place in Dublin. Alfie, played by senior Clark Kinkade, struggled with his identity, much like the grown Charlie Brown, or CB, in “Dog Sees God.”
Like many other theatrical productions this year, “A Man of No Importance” required students and faculty to work for months. Rehearsals took place during Tuesday-Thursday class periods for most of the semester, expanding to weekends from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. as opening night approached.
“It is a labor of love, but it does take many hours to create art,” said Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, associate professor of dance and director of “A Man of No Importance.”
Kurdziel-Formato said it is crucial for students to attend shows like those featured in the Black Box Festival. Students should seize the opportunity to see shows for free, when it will cost more than $100 to see Elon students perform in other venues after graduation, she said.
Moon agreed it is vital for students to take advantage of the free admission.
“I know it’s tough to make every single one, but every once in a while, just take the night off,” Moon said. “It’s nice to get away sometimes, and hear some beautiful music and hear a really good story.”