Actor Wanted: Must be patient, well-trained and take direction quickly.
Also, must not bite other actors.
All the dogs auditioning at Draper Historic Theater Tuesday evening fit the bill, but only one will be picked to play Toto in the community theater's upcoming production of "The Wizard of Oz."
The tryouts were fairly straightforward — the dogs had to demonstrate the ability to sit, stay, heel and look cute on stage.
But like a lot of things in community theater, even the basics can be hard to come by. Director Jesse Dolce says he doesn't even care if it's a Scotty, the breed used in the movie. "I need something that can fit in a basket, but I will take anything with a lot of patience," Dolce said.
Twelve-year-old J.D. Leonard brought his adorable Yorkshire terrier, Honey, to audition. While he filled out an application form, which asks about the dog's skills, J.D. addressed Honey: "Honey, sit!"
The dog ignored him, so he tried the next one: "Honey, speak. Speak!"
Nothing. J.D. shook his head.
Snickers the basset and Princess the Shih Tzu each took their turns onstage but without much luck. As soon as her leash was removed, Snickers bolted offstage to investigate the other auditioners.
Dolce isn't asking for much. The dog he's looking for only appears in two scenes. In one, it has to run from offstage to Dorothy, who starts a scene passed out on stage right.
In another, Toto has to follow Dorothy up a ramp and offstage. The rest of the time, Toto will actually be a stuffed dog carried in a basket.
In his community-theater experience, Dolce has learned it's not wise to ask too much of an amateur dog.
When Dolce appeared as Bottom in the theater's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," he had a couple of scenes with a dog. "During one production, the dog got bored and just walked off stage," he recalled with a laugh.
Vanessa Nelson, who co-owns the theater with her husband — and whose own dog tried out — recalled a doggie mishap during a scene in "Annie." Three dogs were supposed to run onstage then out the sides of the theater. Apparently, one felt confused (or mischievous) and ran through the aisles, gleefully treading on the audience's feet.
Nelson also recalled an unscripted animal appearance: "It was during a production of 'She Loves Me.' Somebody left the back door open and the neighbor's cat just ran in and stopped in the middle of the stage. And this actress was right in the middle of her song." But the actress knew how to roll with the punches. "She just stopped and said, 'Oh! Someone let my cat in!' Then she picked it up and did the rest of the song holding the cat."
As funny as such stories are after the fact, Dolce wants to avoid them during his production.
Dolce finally whittled down his choices Tuesday to two finalists: Honey, the spitfire Yorky; and Boni, Nelson's West Highland Terrier.
Boni has at least as much trouble sitting, staying and heeling as Honey, but Nelson has trained her to respond to the name "Toto," and to run offstage when commanded. Nelson has trained dogs professionally and had the time to work with Boni.
It would be an easy choice for Dolce, except that everyone keeps noticing that Honey is quite possibly the cutest, tiniest dog they've ever seen. "You have to admit, Vanessa, next to Honey, your dog looks like a horse," Dolce said, laughing.
Reluctantly, though, Dolce decides it'll be easier to train Boni and breaks the news to Honey: That's show biz. Don't call us, we'll whistle for you. And don't let the doggie-door flap hit you on the way out.
E-MAIL: kwhitley@desnews.com