Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Could your dog be the next ‘Pooch-a-rotti?’
AN award-winning opera director is set to paw over the region’s top talent.
The Caird Hall is to play host to the beautiful and romantic opera La Boheme next month.
Set in Paris, it focuses on the love between seamstress Mimi and poet Rodolfo.
As part of the show, director Ellen Kent is looking to give one canine — as well as their owner — five minutes of fame on the big stage.
She explained: “We are looking for one small dog and their owner to play a part in one of our opening scenes in the cafe.
“The owner and the dog will be on the stage for roughly five to seven minutes.”
Ellen has worked with a number of animals on stage.
She said: “This idea of involving local dogs came about around 2006 and it has been hugely popular.
“The show is currently running in Hull where we had more than 62 dogs submitted.
“We will be in Dundee very shortly so we would ideally like to make a decision on this by the end of this week or certainly by next week.”
La Boheme is based on Henri Murger’s novel, Scenes de la vie de boheme.
The show — which had its world premier in 1896 in Turin — is currently on a national tour of the UK.
Ellen added: “The owners will also be dressed in costume, so it will be a nice little cameo for the owner and their dog.
“The dog must be confident and, as you could imagine with French Sopranos, mustn’t be scared of loud noises.”
The show, which comes to Dundee on April 2, has not had any mishaps in the past with canine performers, with Ellen adding: “The dogs need to be well behaved.
“The winner will be invited to the rehearsal prior to the show.”
Anyone looking to submit their pooch in a bid for stardom should send pictures of the dog, along with names, addresses and telephone numbers.
All entrants should submit their applications to jules@ellenkent. co.uk.
She added: “I have been at the Caird Hall a number of times. It is a great venue and I look forward to meeting our new cast member.”
Susan Gillan, Caird Hall manager, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for someone’s little dog to appear on stage at the Caird Hall and become a star in this wonderful and romantic opera.”