Shelagh Hackett used to hate the dog park. Now, she’s written a musical about it.
DOG PARK! The Musical: A Workshop Production will take the stage at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse from Nov. 13 to 15, five years after Ms. Hackett first ventured to the dog park.
Ms. Hackett had always walked her dog, Chaka, on the beach, and was never comfortable with dog parks.
“It all felt kind of like manufactured sociality or something to me,” she said “I just dreaded it.”
But after a knee injury left Ms. Hackett unable to take Chaka for long walks, she decided to try out John G. Rogers Dog Park in Vineyard Haven, at the end of Holmes Hole Road.
Chaka needed the exercise, and soon, Ms. Hackett found her community.
“I was very reclusive at first, but the scene at the dog park kind of changed my world,” she said. “I loved watching the dogs interact with each other, and then I got to know people, and it was actually really interesting…It became a very healing place for me through all seasons.”
Soon, Ms. Hackett decided she wanted to write a musical about the scenes at the park. She taught herself to play piano and began writing songs from the perspective of dogs she had met there.
Ms. Hackett worked on the musical on and off for years, completing a first draft two and a half years ago. She gathered friends for an initial reading.
“That was wonderful because I was so nervous, and everyone was just lovely and supportive,” she said “It’s been a process since then of tightening it up. I’m still nervous, but it’ll be exciting.”
Ms. Hackett is also the house manager at Circuit Arts, so the partnership to put on the production was a natural fit. She said she has a lot of admiration for the organization.
“They’re very supportive of new work and giving people a shot, and really supportive of taking a chance. I just love that about Circuit Arts,” she said.
The musical has a cast of 15 actors, with eight people playing dogs, seven playing humans and Ms. Hackett playing the piano throughout. The crew had their first rehearsal this week.
“So far, my favorite parts of the musical are the group numbers where the dogs are singing and dancing,” she said. “I could hardly play the piano because I was laughing so hard and having so much fun watching everybody.”
Ms. Hackett emphasized the lightheartedness of the show, calling it “45 minutes of raucous dog fun.”
“It’s a really simple play. Part of the point of it is it’s not a Pulitzer prize winning piece of writing. These songs aren’t going to win any Tonys,” she said. “It’s a simple, easy piece of fun that’s just from my heart.”
At the same time DOG PARK! touches on true human connection and community. “It’s about connection and how you find safety and who you find it with, whether it’s a human or your pet,” she said. “It’s about love and real connection.”
DOG PARK! takes place at the Playhouse on Friday Nov. 13 and Saturday Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., with a matinee showing at 2 p.m. on Sunday Nov. 15.