'Putting dogs in the limelight': The Acting Company raises funds for animal rescue group ResQpaws

Nov. 24—Directors Corinna Hayes and Tanda Phelps are extremely excited to present "Bark! The Musical," which is set to open at The Acting Company in Yuba City on Friday.

This production marks a special collaboration between local theater artists and a nonprofit animal rescue group known as ResQpaws.

ResQpaws states that its mission is to rescue abandoned, abused, and injured animals as well as offer rehabilitative services and vital health care procedures such as vaccines, spays, or neutering. The group often collaborates with other local animal services to foster and help place pets in need of assistance. Sutter Animal Services estimates that it shelters more than 3,600 pets each year and has repeatedly stressed its need for more "fur-ever" homes.

With these struggles in mind, paired with their own personal experience working with rescue animals, Hayes and Phelps have teamed up to offer one of the more unique community productions of the year.

"My job as a director for 'Bark! The Musical' is to not only try to put on an amazing show, but to also try to do what I can to continue fundraising efforts for a local shelter in the Yuba-Sutter area," said Hayes. "I always heard great things about ResQpaws from Anthony Dost so I asked their nonprofit director, Angela Christensen, if their shelter would like to partner with The Acting Company for the run of our show and they were excited to do so."

Conversations with the show's composer further solidified the group's intentions to make "Bark!" a unifying holiday endeavor centered around animal welfare in the community.

"'Bark! The Musical' was written by David T. Francis with the intention of supporting animal shelters wherever his show is being performed, and so far these collaborative fundraising events have raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for shelters nationwide," explained Hayes. "David is the one who highly encouraged me to do fundraising events for my rescue of choice. He is very inspirational and his love for animals just shines throughout the beautiful music featured in this show."

Since casting in mid-October, the "Bark!" production crew has initiated a "Dog Star" picture contest and a Dutch Bros Coffee give back day. The contest resulted in $650 raised for ResQpaws and seven featured pups — Cooper, Panda, Deeder, Suki, Auggie, Walter, and Dash. Pictures and bios for each canine, along with 25 other entries, will be featured inside The Acting Company's lobby during the run of the show.

The Dutch Bros giveback day occurred on Nov. 17 at its Yuba City, Marysville, and Live Oak locations. During this time, one dollar of every beverage purchase went back toward supporting ResQpaws.

"Dutch Bros really impressed me with not only giving us a give back day but they also said that they would like to pay their workers to volunteer their time helping ResQpaws as their way of giving back to the community while also trying to foster a love of volunteerism within the younger kids that work there," added Hayes.

Following in the "Bark!" tradition, local shelter animals will be brought to the theater to greet guests during select matinee performances. Additionally, directors intend to install a display board in the lobby featuring adoptable pets or those in need of a foster home.

"We thought it would be cute to put little Christmas bows on the picture of each animal that gets adopted throughout the run of out show," added Phelps. "It's been very inspiring to help get dogs in the limelight and share our passion for animals."

The Acting Company's production of "Bark!" features a cast of six including Diane Lee Haas, Nicole Podolskaya, DJ Justus, Grayson Hayes, Caleb Schauer, and Jaie Wilder. The latter may be of particular interest to the local thespian crowd for his reputation of being talented yet elusive. Wilder holds degrees in both theater and music but hasn't been as prolific onstage as he may have been in the past. His deep friendship with Phelps inspired him to join the show, an experience that he has immensely enjoyed.

"This show is amazing and I can't wait for people to see it," said Wilder.

These acting talents will also be joined by live musical accompaniment, under the direction of James Lohman, a former principal of the Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts and the current director of community partnerships with Marysville Joint Unified School District.

"We are really grateful for the support and hope to see more animals find homes for the holidays," said Angela Christensen, director for ResQpaws.

About the show

"BARK! The Musical" is a family friendly production written by David Troy Francis with lyrics by Gavin Geoffrey Dillard and Robert Schrock. The plot centers around a day in the life of six dogs at Deena's Doggie Daycare. Characters include a little puppy who yearns to bark like a real dog, an opera singing poodle, and a street mutt who raps and sometimes cross dresses as a chihuahua. The entire show is presented from the dog's perspective.

"BARK!" made its world premiere in 2004 at The Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles, receiving rave reviews including a Critic's Choice award from the Los Angeles Times. It ran for two years and became the third longest running show in Los Angeles history, receiving nominations for Best Musical Score & Best Choreography from the prestigious LA Critics' Drama Circle Awards.

The show has since played in Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Arizona, California, Florida, Washington, and North Carolina, with its first international production in Brazil performed in Portuguese.

The Acting Company's production will open Friday and continue for the next four weekends until Dec. 17. Performances are scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets cost $20 per person with an opening weekend discount for seniors, students, and military families. Advance reservations are preferred.

Tickets may be purchased online at actingcompany.org or at the theater box office from noon to 2 p.m. on weekdays excluding holidays. The Acting Company is located at 815 B St. in Yuba City. For more information, call 530-751-1100.