Dog Mom
SEASON 16In the midst of a mid-life crisis, a hardened New Yorker who is NOT a dog person rescues a stray dog and discovers that sometimes the ones we save are the ones who might save us. A hilarious and heartwarming comedy. Directed by Rick St. Peter.
September 25 - October 10 at Firehouse Theatre
About the Playwright
Tate Elizabeth Hanyok was named one of the Moviemaker Top 25 Writers to Watch and is known for her bold, female-driven comedies. Her genre-spanning portfolio includes the teen romantic comedy Sex Appeal, which she wrote and produced for Hulu, and is the director of the female-driven thriller Friends Until the End, premiering May 2026. Tate produced and adapted the play Love and Baseball, in which she also starred, for HBO MAX. DOG MOM received development at the transformative and extraordinary escape that is Seven Devils New Play Foundry and the exceptional machine that is The Burdick New Play Festival with Florida Studio Theatre. She could not be more grateful for their support and the cohort of NNPN. DOG MOM is her first produced play, and she had the absolute time of her life playing the role of "Dog" for the World Premiere this past November 2025 at The B Street Theatre.
Photo by Steve Acevedo
Production Details
DOG MOM is produced at Cadence as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other partner theaters are B Street Theatre (Sacramento, California), Oregon Contemporary Theatre (Eugene, Oregon), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, Florida), and EnActe Arts (Sunnyvale, California). For more information, please visit nnpn.org.
Rehearsals begin on or around August 31, 2026
Audition Details
OPEN CALL: Sunday April 19, 5-8 PM | RPAA at Dominion Energy Center
CALLBACKS: Sunday April 26, 5-8 PM
Actors will be provided with sides.
Required Materials*:
Headshot
Resume
60-second contemporary monologue
*please label all files with your name
(ex: JIM_SMITH_HEADSHOT / JIM_SMITH_RESUME)
All performers are paid. No phone calls, please.
Open Roles
Liz
Female, at least mid-30s. Independent, wry, full of gravitas and quip—but broken underneath and in deep need of a friend. Her bond with Dog helps her heal and rediscover a version of herself she thought she’d lost, reigniting her desire to explore the beauty of life.
Dog
Female, at least mid-30s. Curious, dutiful, full of wonder and love. A Golden Retriever. (This role should not “act like a dog,” but rather embody the essence of a dog—a dog living in a human body rather than a human living in a dog body. The most human embodiment with dog-like energy.)
Nell
Female, older than Liz. A fast-talking broad who runs hot—a total alpha with a dog who knows she’s boss. A bulldozer of a neighbor with a soft, squishy center.
(Also plays The Ex’s Dog—a shy little bulldog.)
Ruben
Male, close in age to Liz. A well-meaning maniac who is easily riled up by Nell. Can be anxious and explosive, but ultimately a sweet, good boy unaware of his size. Together, he and Nell are twin tornados. As with Dog, this role embodies dog-like essence rather than literal behavior.
(Also plays The Ex, Clay—a well-meaning dreamer.)
Swing
Male, 40s–50s. Covers multiple roles:
Shelter Worker – Brusque, no-nonsense
Lady Jogger – Smoothie-toting, athleisure-wearing, radiant self-care
Male Passerby – Uppity, with big clipboard energy
Jamie – Total gossip queen
Dog Park Goer – A mature woman; grande dame of the dog park
Man – Shady and domineering
Vet – Kind and direct
Accessibility Statement
Dominion Energy Center is a physically accessible space with no stairs necessary to enter the building. If you need assistance, please email our Accessibility Coordinator, Laine, at laine@cadencetheatre.org. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow for adequate planning.
Sponsors
This production is made possible through the generous support of the following (including an anonymous sponsor):
