{"id":58285,"date":"2016-04-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/little-dog-brings-star-power-to-big-cast-of-uri-theatres-stage-production-of-legally-blonde\/"},"modified":"2016-04-12T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-12T00:00:00","slug":"little-dog-brings-star-power-to-big-cast-of-uri-theatres-stage-production-of-legally-blonde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2016\/04\/little-dog-brings-star-power-to-big-cast-of-uri-theatres-stage-production-of-legally-blonde\/","title":{"rendered":"Little dog brings star power to big cast of 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre\u2019s stage production of \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t溏心vlog免费B站 junior trains Chihuahua for spotlight as Elle Woods\u2019 sidekick<\/b><\/p>\n

KINGSTON, RI \u2013 April 12, 2016 \u2013 When Paula McGlasson, chair of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department, selected \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d for the department\u2019s spring musical, she knew she faced a challenge filling out a massive cast of 30 actors to bring the show to life. <\/p>\n


\nBut one role, more than any other, was the most challenging to fill \u2013 Bruiser, the faithful companion of Elle Woods.<\/p>\n


\nMcGlasson, who is directing \u201cLegally Blonde,\u201d knew the show needed a live Chihuahua if she was going to succeed in capturing the pink-infused fun of the story of Elle Woods, a blonde sorority girl who heads to Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend, with her diminutive partner Bruiser at her side.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe\u2019ve done shows such as \u2018Annie\u2019 and \u2018Camelot,\u2019 and several others with animals on stage,\u201d McGlasson said. \u201cWe had a horse on stage for \u2018Camelot,\u2019 right there in the Robert E. Will Theatre. So while we knew having a dog in the cast was a challenge we had to consider, it didn\u2019t deter us from selecting the show.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nIn much the same way that a director must choose the right actor to play a leading role such Elle Woods, McGlasson couldn\u2019t give the role of Bruiser to just any dog. She needed a dog with the right look, temperament and intelligence to play the role. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where Kathleen Leach, a junior in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Department of Animal Science and Technology, came into the picture. Hailing from Williston, Vt., Leach has trained dogs to star in \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d before. Leach worked with dogs to prepare them for a production by Lyric Theatre in Burlington, Vt., so when she saw a flier posted by the Theatre Department seeking a Chihuahua to play Bruiser, she immediately emailed McGlasson.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI just knew I had to be involved,\u201d Leach said.<\/p>\n


\nMcGlasson quickly knew she had the right person to find the four-legged co-star. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cIt was the greatest bit of fortune and she\u2019s an extraordinary young woman,\u201d McGlasson said. \u201cWe absolutely knew we\u2019d have to give the dog training, and I\u2019m so glad it\u2019s a student, and not someone from the outside, who gets to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nTo locate Bruiser, Leach reached out to Murphy\u2019s Paw, a dog grooming boutique in Stratford, Conn., that works with animal rescue leagues to place stray or abandoned dogs. <\/p>\n

Leach, who also trains dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, said Chihuahuas are the most often abandoned dogs in California, so when it was time to find one, she and Murphy\u2019s Paw contacted a rescue league in the Golden State. Leach sorted through batches of doggy dossiers, searching for a Chihuahua that not only fit Bruiser\u2019s look, but also had the personality needed to perform on stage.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI have a list of qualities the dog needed to possess to be the right one for this play,\u201d she said. \u201cIt needed to be a fast learner; it had to work for food \u2013 I do all my training with positive reinforcement; it needed to be a smart dog, engaged, not tentative or shy.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nOnce she located Bruiser and had him flown in from the West Coast, the real work began. With a short turnaround of around two months, Leach needed two hours per day, every day, to teach the rescue dog all the basics \u2013 potty training, sitting on command, heeling. Only after Bruiser had mastered those basic commands was Leach able to begin teaching the dog how to inhabit the role of Elle Woods\u2019 best friend. She also worked with the production\u2019s other dog, Rufus, a 54-pound bulldog, though she said Rufus\u2019s work largely consists of sitting still. <\/p>\n


\nLeach, who is considering a post-graduate career as an animal trainer, said even though she broke Bruiser\u2019s training into several short sessions per day, the dog\u2019s rapid improvement wouldn\u2019t have been possible without Bruiser\u2019s stamina and work ethic. <\/p>\n


\nBruiser can now speak on command, among other skills, allowing her to interact with Anya Fox, a senior theater major from Wyoming, R.I., who plays the lead role of Elle, and hold a \u201cconversation\u201d with Emma Walker, of Naples, Maine, who plays Margot. However, the biggest challenge remains as the production moves closer to opening night. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cThe commands are pretty easy to teach, it\u2019s the bonds that are difficult to forge,\u201d Leach said. \u201cAny change can be difficult for a trained dog. Each set is like a different place for her, and the audience is something we can\u2019t replicate. We did a photoshoot with Anya and Bruiser and it was the first time she saw Anya in her blonde wig. It took a few minutes for her to warm up to Anya before she was licking her nose. Fortunately, we get dress rehearsals to make sure she\u2019s ready.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nBruiser will surely delight audiences as Elle\u2019s sidekick, but Fox said she brings more to the production than just her own stage presence.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI was excited to work with Bruiser and she really helps my character, Elle, come to life,\u201d Fox said. \u201cShe is smart as a whip, which makes it easier for me as an actor to communicate with her.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nAs curtain approaches, time is growing short for Leach and Fox to enjoy the company of Bruiser. Leach has housed the dog since it arrived in Rhode Island, and will continue to do so through the end of the show. She won\u2019t, however, be Bruiser\u2019s primary caretaker much longer. McGlasson knows Bruiser is headed to a good home. <\/p>\n


\n\u201cI\u2019ve had that cutie\u2019s picture on my computer screen since she got here and I didn\u2019t feel right about just using her for the play,\u201d McGlasson said. \u201cWe were thinking about holding an adoption ceremony, or putting an ad in the program for anyone who wanted to adopt her, but we already have two very interested people here in the department who want her. It\u2019s just wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nWhomever brings the Chihuahua into their home will have one high-performing pup on their hands.<\/p>\n


\nPerformances of \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d will run April 21 through April 23 and April 28 through April 30 with performances at 7:30 p.m. in the Robert E. Will Theatre in the 溏心vlog免费B站 Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road on the Kingston Campus. Additional performances will be held April 24 and May 1 at 3 p.m. <\/p>\n


\nPictured above

\n溏心vlog免费B站 senior Anya Fox, of Wyoming, R.I., relished the chance to work with Bruiser, a rescued Chihuahua, in the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department\u2019s upcoming musical production of \u201cLegally Blonde,\u201d beginning April 21. Photo courtesy of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department<\/p>\n


\nBruiser, a rescued Chihuahua from California, will star as Elle Woods\u2019 sidekick , in the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department\u2019s upcoming musical production of \u201cLegally Blonde,\u201d beginning April 21. Photo courtesy of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department<\/p>\n


\n溏心vlog免费B站 junior Kathleen Leach, of Williston, Vt., searched out Elle Woods\u2019 sidekick Bruiser and trained her for the spotlight in the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department\u2019s upcoming musical production of \u201cLegally Blonde,\u201d beginning April 21.

\nPhoto by Nora Lewis, 溏心vlog免费B站\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

溏心vlog免费B站 junior trains Chihuahua for spotlight as Elle Woods\u2019 sidekick KINGSTON, RI \u2013 April 12, 2016 \u2013 When Paula McGlasson, chair of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Department, selected \u201cLegally Blonde\u201d for the department\u2019s spring musical, she knew she faced a challenge filling out a massive cast of 30 actors to bring the show […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}