Royal, who is currently adapting his "unauthorized" Off-Broadway hit for the silver screen, has seen numerous regional productions of the work, which follows the famed Peanuts character Charlie Brown, now named CB, and friends into their tormented adolescent years.
"No longer concerned with baseball games and flying kites, CB questions the meaning of life after his beloved beagle dies from rabies," press notes state. "Teen angst and wicked humor merge with surprising tenderness as we are reintroduced to familiar faces with more than a few unexpected twists: CB's goth sister, his burnt-out best friend, a school bully with a secret past, and a potential new love."
The cast for the Dallas-area premiere will feature James Chandler as CB, Chelsie Ashton as CB's Sister, Drew Wall as Van, Taylor Williams as Matt, Jared Brewer as Beethoven, Stephanie Stuart as Tricia, Mary Jerome as Marcy and Lindsay Neinast as Van's Sister.
Inevitable Theatre Company producing artistic director Robert Neblett stages the production with a creative team including Justin Barisonek (scenic design), Jared Land (lighting design), Laurie Land (costume design), Paul McKenzie (properties), Maggie Belanger (stage manager), Austin Tindle (violence coordinator), and Robert Neblett (sound design).
Neblett said in a statement, "I welcome this production as a refreshing alternative to the more classic holiday fare that audiences usually find onstage each December. Dog Sees God is not 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' by any means, but it is a play that has the power to touch your heart and soul in unexpected ways, while at the same time making you laugh out loud till it hurts." Originally presented at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, Dog Sees God made a commercial Off-Broadway transfer with a cast of young celebrities including Eddie Kaye Thomas ("American Pie," Smelling A Rat) as CB, America Ferrara ("Ugly Betty," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") as CB's Sister, Keith Nobbs ("Phone Booth," Romance) as Van, Eliza Dushku ("Bring It On," "Tru Calling") as Van's Sister, Ian Somerhalder ("Lost," "Rules of Attraction") as Matt, Kelli Garner ("The Aviator," "Thumbsucker") as Tricia, Ari Graynor (The Little Dog Laughed, Brooklyn Boy, "Mystic River") as Marcy and Logan Marshall-Green ("The O.C.," The Distance From Here) as Beethoven.
Royal is a GLAAD Media Award winner for Dog Sees God, which also won the Excellence Award for Best Overall Production for its 2004 world premiere at the New York International Fringe Festival.
Tickets for the Inevitable Theatre Company production of Dog Sees God are available by calling (972) 215-8059 or by visiting www.inevitabletheatre.org.
The Inevitable Theatre Company performs at the Bath House Cultural Center, located at 521 E. Lawther Drive in Dallas, TX.
