Actor's Packet (PDF)

Dramaturgy/Research Packet Dog Sees God by Bert V. Royal The Cartoons: - First penned in 1947 by Charles M. Schulz under the title Lil’ Folks - Rebranded as the Peanuts in 1950 (Schulz himself hated the new name) - From 1952 until his death in 2000, Schulz published regularly in Sunday Papers, creating 17,897 comic strips in over 2,600 newspapers worldwide, printed in 21 different languages. - Adapted for the screen with numerous television specials & movies over the years - The Peanuts Movie (2015) - It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) Charles M. Schulz: - Born in 1922, Schulz spent the majority of his childhood and life living in and around the Twin Cities of Minnesota (Minneapolis & St. Paul) - Even as a child, he had a love and talent for drawing and cartooning, frequently sketching his own childhood dog, Spike, the inspiration for Snoopy - His lifelong nickname “Sparky” was given to him by an uncle, referencing a horse named “Spark Plug” from one of his favorite cartoons growing up - He was known for being an awkward and timid, yet brilliant child, making few friends in high school, yet managing to skip ahead two “half-grades” - In 1943,his mother died and he was drafted to serve in WWII - He spent 2 years serving as a Staff Sergeant from 1943-1945 - Upon returning from war, he soon worked for many lettering and cartooning companies, before beginning to produce his own work beginning in 1947 - He married his first wife, Joyce Halverson in 1951: - They had multiple children together - They moved from Colorado Springs, back to Minneapolis - By 1972, their marriage was in trouble as Schulz admittedly was having an affair with 25 year old, Tracey Claudius - He married his second wife, Jean Forsyth Clyde, in 1973 - They lived together in Sonoma County, California, until his death in 2000 - He was heavily involved and passionate about ice hockey, even opened a rink in his name - He was heavily involved in the Methodist Church for much of his adult life - Described as a deeply spiritual person, and even at the height of his religious involvement, never belied his faith or god were things that could be easily defined - “complicated” - He also taught sunday school for a period of time in the 1960s Charles Schulz & The Peanuts: - Much of Schulz’ work was somewhat autobiographical: - Many of the characters were based on people in Schulz’s childhood in MN & adult life - Linus was based on another cartoonist, The Little Red-Haired Girl was based on an unrequited love, Peppermint Patty was based on a cousin, Snoopy was based on his childhood dog, & Charlie Brown was of course based on himself - Many of Schulz’s personal beliefs & experiences came through in his comics & characters - Linus and Charlie Brown often acted as vessels for Schulz to share his own voice and philosophies “I suppose there’s a melancholy feeling in a lot of cartoonists, because cartooning, like all other humor, comes from bad things happening.” - Charles M. Schulz Our Playwright - Bert V. Royal: - An openly gay screenwriter, playwright, and former casting director, based in LA - His sexuality frequently finds its way into his work - Born in Colorado in 1971 before moving to Florida, where he grew up until moving to New York at 21. Much of his work relates back to his own childhood - Quit job as casting director to write Dog Sees God (2005) - Most of his credits remain in film to this day, and has virtually no professional theatre credits outside of our script - He wrote the original “spec” script for Easy A (2010) - In 2009, Royal said of our script, that “seeing kids whose lives are more fucked up than our own can be cathartic” - Important to him that this story takes place in the early 2000s, a time when both homophobia and transphobia are constant cultural conflicts in the US The Peanuts → Dog Sees God: While we see many drastic changes to our characters, many through lines remain: Charlie Brown → CB: - Charlie Brown has grown up, and while he is now grouped in with the “cool kids”, he is still ultimately just as thoughtful, sensitive, and insightful as he was written as a child. - He is still poked fun at, but is now much less the bud of everyone’s jokes. - “He’s not purely a loser” - Christopher Caldwell - He continues to ask questions, critically thinking and attempting to find meaning in a world full of chaos, while struggling to find confidence and love for himself. This isn’t too different from the self-deprecative “everyman” we all knew and loved. - Charlie Brown is very much based on Schulz himself, and we see him grow up into an equally complex and human character as his author. Sally → CB’s Sister: - As a child, Sally frequently showcases herself as incredibly kind-hearted, while navigating struggles of her own. - She holds a deeply-rooted hatred of school and the absurdities of our education system. However, she excels with language, often playing with words and theatricality. - Much of this holds true as she grows up, as she continues to gravitate towards the theatre and language, while she also continues to re-invent her own identity numerous times over the course of our play. - Her generosity carries over into adolescence, as she is one of the only characters willing to befriend Beethoven. Linus → Van: - As a kid, Linus was always incredibly intellectual and thoughtful, acting as the group’s philosopher, discussing ethics and morality, and frequently quoting thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emmerson in the comics. - In many ways, Linus acts as a lens into Schulz’s heart and mind. - In our play, even though Van is no longer strolling around with his blanket, he is just as wise, spouting beautiful and poignant language left and right, smoking a lot of weed, and describing himself as a self-proclaimed “Bhuddafarian”. - Linus was named after a friend of Schulz’, who was also a cartoonist. - Linus’ blanket would eventually help to coin the term “security-blanket” in the dictionary, and was inspired by Schulz’ own children. Lucy → Van’s Sister: - In childhood, Lucy’s character was often “mean”, playing tricks and picking on Charlie Brown and others. - She also offered up blunt and harsh advice to many of the characters, often found at her lemonade stand that doubled as a psychiatrist’s office. - She possessed what Schulz described as “misguided confidence”, something he thought was incredibly “funny”. - As she gets older, many of these traits stick with her. She is certainly still angry, and we learn that she spends the entirety of the play in a mental hospital, after she sets fire to the Little Red-Haired Girl’s hair at school. She was previously romantically involved with CB before our play’s start. Pig-Pen → Matt: - As a kid we know little about his background. After a surge in popularity in a 1960s comic strip, Pig-Pen became a regularly recurring character in The Peanuts. - During childhood, he is often made fun of for playing in the mud, being dirty, and having a comial cloud of dirt and dust follow him everywhere he went. - As he grows up, we learn what a toll this name-calling and his home-life takes. - He torments and bullies Beethoven constantly, is toxic and sexually-obsessed, is outwardly homophobic, a massive partier, and is also supposedly CB’s “best friend”. - We learn his family grew up below the poverty line, his father had left the family, and he was eventually taken by Child Protective Services for neglect. He largely embodies the phrase, “damaged people, damage people”. Schroeder → Beethoven: - As a kid in the cartoons, Schroeder is often seen playing the piano, and is a relatively kind and neutral character in the strip. - He is often used as a ploy for other characters to voice themselves, as he is typically quiet and disinterested with many of the other characters. - This carries over into adolescence as he is a young virtuoso, currently obsessed with Chopin, and is constantly bullied and excluded for his potentially being gay/his sexuality. - After the events of the party and hooking up with CB, Matt beats him up and breaks each of his hands, which ultimately leads to his suicide towards the end of the play. Peppermint Patty → Tricia: - Originally based on a cousin Schulz had growing up on his mother’s side. The name came to him when he was speaking with her, and saw a York peppermint patty in his home. - During childhood, Peppermint Patty was best friends with Marcie, and it was established that the both of them went to separate elementary school from the other kids in the cartoon. - She is described as being a “tomboy”, expressing a lack of concern for traditional gender roles, and is often responded to by Marcie with the phrase, “No sir”. - She struggles with school, often comically misunderstands things, but is also a fiercely loyal friend, having what Schulz described as a “devastating singleness of purpose”. It is also thought that her mother was absent/her father often worked late and also wasn’t around much. - Now, as a highschooler, Tricia is still best friends with Marcie, and they both attend the same school as everyone else. - She is a massive partier, and it is pointed out that she may have her own issues surrounding repressed homosexuality and identity. Marcie → Marcy: - During childhood, she always acted as Peppermint Patty’s best friend and a sidekick of sorts. - She was always incredibly intellectual, booksmart, and as Schulz put it, “she sees the truth in things”.

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