Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre has enjoyed great success working with canine performers, such as the three dogs who played Sandy in last year’s production of “Annie.” [Read, “Three dogs who play Sandy making their theater debuts in Broadway Palm’s ‘Annie’.”]
Now, the theater wants to cast two to three terriers to play the part of Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.” So, the theater wants to hear from you if your terrier is calm, good with children and adults – not to mention scarecrows, tin men and cowardly lions – and is comfortable being held and walking on a leash. Any additional tricks or stage-friendly skills are a bonus.
The theater is double- or triple-casting the role so that each canine superstar gets plenty of rest between performance dates.
Rehearsals for “The Wizard of Oz” begin on June 11. Performances run from June 26 through August 8. The selected dogs will be needed for some rehearsals, technical run-throughs, and scheduled performances.
Photo submissions are due by May 17.
MORE INFORMATION:
This is a paid gig.
During shows, each dog will be cared for by an assigned “Dog Handler,” and owners are welcome to remain on site with their pets in a designated area.
Owners who believe their dog has star potential are invited to submit photos of their pup(s) to casting@broadwaypalm.com by May 17. Additional details will be shared after submissions are received.
In “The Wizard of Oz,” Toto is always present, always alert, often the first to notice what others miss. He reveals the Scarecrow’s vulnerability and exposes the Wizard’s trickery. Within the context of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” Toto represents Dorothy’s intuition, guiding her into the adventure, providing insight along the way, and helping her negotiate the threshold guardians she encounters along the way.
In the movie, Toto was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry. She was adopted by Hollywood dog trainer Carl Spitz, who saw in Terry the potential for a film career because of her natural charisma and uncanny ability to understand what was expected of her in ways that astonished cast and crew alike.
Prior to “The Wizard of Oz,” Terry appeared in 20 films, including “Ready for Love” with Ida Lupino and “Bright Eyes” with Shirley Temple in 1934. Because she was expressive, obedient, and able to convey emotion without words, Terry was cast in the role of Toto even though she was a female and in the original book, the dog was male.
Judy Garland, who was just 16 at the time, formed a special bond with her and asked Spitz repeatedly to adopt the dog.
Terry died at the age of 11 in 1945, her film credits far more extensive than many of her human contemporaries. Despite being one of the most famous dogs in history Toto never received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That honor has been reserved, to date for just three dogs — Strongheart, Lassie and Rin Tin Tin.
Following a campaign by fans and historians, a memorial for Terry was erected at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in 2011. It features a bronze statue and plaque, a fitting tribute to a dog who helped define one of cinema’s most enduring classics.
Toto has been played, of course, by other dogs in remakes and spin-offs, such as “Return to Oz” (1985) and “Emerald City” (2017). Toto has returned to the land of Oz in “Wicked: For Good.” His brief appearance has provoked considerable controversy. In the scene, Toto is on a leash as he walks alongside Dorothy on the yellow brick road. Fans have speculated in social media that this represents Dorothy and the Wizard’s efforts to control, silence and manipulate animals, which is antithetical to L. Frank Baum’s use of Toto to represent Dorothy’s intuition. But in actuality, Toto was leashed for safety reasons as the yellow brick road in “Wicked: For Good” was located near a body of water.
It’s hard to imagine Spitz needing or Director Victor Fleming tolerating a leash for Toto for any reason. Clearly, Terry remains the gold standard for the countless animal actors who have followed in her paw prints.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
