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Jul 23, 2009

Toy theater: 'Eight Days Without a Dog'

Sandy: 'Eight Days Without a Dog'

Related to the article Toy Stories.
 
 
Sandy. Photo by Dan Froot."The play is based on Sandy's relationship with her dog, and the story of when it went missing for eight days," Froot said. "The feeling of attachment that Sandy had was so loving, you feel like on the one hand, it's no different from any other master and pet, and on the other hand, the one thing that's anchoring this woman is her love for this dog, and now it's been taken away. People can really empathize. You say, 'I know what it's like to love a dog. What if that was everything to me and I lost that?' It's not hard to understand.

"Sandy lives in her van and parks it in a different place each night. She's always trying to get a job, and she goes to food kitchens. Her day is very busy. She goes to the food pantry, she has to get to the food line in time, and she recycles to earn a little spare change, she goes to the clinic, she goes to her social worker to get a check, she has to maintain her van, she has a lot of errands."

Froot designed Sandy's story to be performed without words, exclusively with items from the 99-cent store, where she does all her shopping. When she begins her frantic search for her dog, the delicate balance of her life – getting to the food line on time, keeping in touch with her social worker to continue getting assistance – is overturned and her life becomes more unstable as she searches for her emotional tether.

Return to the main article or watch excerpts from Froot's other plays:

Leo's story: 'Dawn'
In the most classic example of traditional toy theater, this story is told through two-dimensional cutouts representing Leo on a bench in downtown Santa Monica, and his observations of the people and things that pass by him.

Robert's story: 'What the Fireman Said'
Froot used stationary figurines, marionettes, papier-mâché and more to tell Robert's entire life story in 20 minutes.