What would happen to the Peanuts gang if they were in high school today? “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” uses this question to explore issues of adolescence, including sexuality, drugs, language and a blockhead’s place in the world.
“We know those characters, we know those friendships, but they’re not healthy anymore,” said Director Brian McKnight. “The adult world and high school has corrupted them, and they’re damaged.”
Though the play’s characters are based on the Peanuts gang, McKnight playwright Bert V. Royal simply uses them to address the world of high school today.
“I think Royal’s brilliance is nobody escapes adolescence undamaged, particularly now,” McKnight said. “I think Euripides did the same thing for the Greeks, (but) he didn’t do it with as many f-bombs.”
One of the R-rated parody’s storylines focuses on a blossoming romance between CB, a Charlie Brown character played by Steven Brotherton, and Beethoven, a Schroder character played by Corey Schall. Their relationship causes conflict because they haven’t been taught how to communicate, according to McKnight.
“They’re dreadfully mean to each other, but that’s what high school is,” McKnight said. “I think that’s what America is… Americans don’t know how to treat anybody with respect anymore. All they know how to do is cut down their friends and cut harder at their enemies.”
“If that’s what they see their parents doing, then that’s what high school is,” he added. “It has become about destroying the people and the relationships around you rather than embracing (them).”
Everything—cast, props, stagehands and audience—will be on the stage, according to McKnight. The background will take up one side of an imaginary square on stage, the audience will take up the other three and the play will take place in the middle, a technique known as a three-quarter black box.
“There’s something communal about a black box that’s very different from other kinds (of theatre),” McKnight said. “Thematically there’s something about that intimacy. It’s a very intimate script. It really gets at you.”
Because of the limited seating, McKnight recommends getting tickets early. He believes the play will be well received when it debuts on May 7, but he knows not everyone will enjoy it.
“In the end, if you hate it, if you have this strong reaction to it, the playwright wins,” McKnight said. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not. If you have a reaction to it, that’s the purpose of art, so the artist wins.”
Tickets can be purchased online here. For more ways to purchase tickets, visit the Theatre Department online.