So where'd the talking dog come from?

by Matthew A. Everett • June 17, 2008 • Would you believe it if I told you the talking dog was spawned by a talking purse? Dog Tag, the second part of my upcoming Fringe double feature, was originally written as a companion piece to another short play penned by my friend Anne Bertram and me for Theatre Unbound's 24 Hour Play Project. Our director on that project, Touched By A Handbag, wanted to mount a Fringe show version, which of course would need some additional material to flesh out the 45 minutes. The 24 Hour Plays tend to run only about 10 to 15 minutes. Touched By A Handbag revolved around a mother, a daughter, and the healing power of a beligerent talking purse. No, seriously.

Single White Fringe Geek (and Mom) is the blog of Matthew A. Everett, one of four bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

Anne and I wrote one piece that was a prequel to Handbag, and then another thematically linked short, Dog Tag. If fashion accessories could bring a mother and daughter together to discuss issues around the notion of beauty, what could get two men together to discuss love? A dog, of course. If you can't express yourself to another human being, sublimate through the affection you feel comfortable sharing with a pet. In a moment of whimsy, we named the dog Percy. (Or, to be honest, I named him, and Anne let me get away with the pun.) Percy can be understood by the audience, but not his owners, the estranged Ed and Paul. He says a lot of the things the guys can't bring themselves to say. Can he bring them back together, acting as go-between? Maybe... The original Fringe show never came to pass but... The folks at Louisiana State University behind the 2008 Outworks festival of new GLBT plays picked Dog Tag to be part of the fun, and we road-tripped down to Baton Rouge to see it. That was a lot of fun, but it's also nice to know we'll now be able to share it with our friends here in town as well. The opening of the script can be viewed here Rarig Center – U of M campus Arena Stage Minnesota Fringe Festival Friday 8/1 at 7pm Saturday 8/2 at 10pm Wednesday 8/6 at 10pm Thursday 8/7 at 5:30pm Saturday 8/9 at 8:30pm Next up, casting... Entering his sixth year of blogging about the Minnesota Fringe Festival (and bringing Mom along for the ride as a guest reviewer), Matthew A. Everett is also a local playwright and three-time recipient of grant support from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Information on Matthew and his plays can be found at matthewaeverett.com.