Four dogs get their showbiz break in Stratford Festival adaption of ‘Annie’

Four dogs will share the Stratford Festival spotlight in the upcoming adaption of “Annie,” based on the award-winning musical.

Domino, Clue, Cappuccino and Uno are the furry friends who will take turns playing “Sandy” alongside the other adult and child actors in the show.

The dogs were introduced to the cast and crew during Friday’s rehearsal, ahead of the show’s debut on April 19.

While putting a puppy on stage isn’t new in the theatre world, having the pups and a group of child actors is a big challenge for the show’s crew.

“It’s never a dull moment,” said director Donna Feore. “We might be insane for doing this, but I think it’s going to go great.”

Harper Rae Asch, a child actor who’s playing the titular Annie in the Stratford show, will be working closely with Domino, Clue, Cappuccino and Uno.

“I’m a dog person and I don’t have a dog of my own at home, so it’s really nice,” she said. “This is a family show, so I think dogs are a really important part of what makes it so family-friendly.”

The cast is made up of 11 child actors and four of them are from Guelph, Cambridge and Kitchener.

“I’m going to be an orphan, but I’m also going to be understudying ‘Annie,’” Olivia Padfield of Cambridge told CTV News on Wednesday. “It was so cool and nerve wracking because I finally realized that I’m actually a part of something this awesome.”