Kelsey's Play About the Play

"When I Get to Heaven, I Hope My Dog Is There With Me" (copyright 2004) Song by Andy Anders. Play written by Andy Anders and Ken Norris Play Review. Intro: The play is set up to the audience by describing the setting and stating that Andy's dog Kelsey is real, and will be played in "your" imagination. Overview: Single chair on stage with dog's bed on the floor, table, etc. The Play uses the 3 verses of the song, "When I Get to Heaven, I hope My Dog is There With Me" Scene 1 Elderly man enters and starts to "interact" with his dog on stage and his wife that has passed. The scene includes many light hearted moments about the dogs' life and personality. It connects with the dog lovers in the audience with lines like, "Tough life our dogs have, room and board, full medical benefits, 401…K..ennel plan, and the vet bills, you'd think we were taking them to John's Hopkins or something!" It evolves into the man's exploring if his dog will be in heaven and includes some Bible readings that are appropriate. Scene 2 The man enters and puts away the dogs' bed in a brief emotional moment reflecting on the loss of his dog. The scene quickly moves into recounting stores about his dog and includes some interaction with the audience, noting the various names of their pets and some of their traits. The scene ends with the man questioning God and why he has been left all alone. He sees a cross on the table and realizes Jesus is with him and he is not alone. This is the key message of the Play. When you think you have lost everything and at your lowest point, you still have Jesus, and he is always with you. Scene 3: The man enters a dark stage with smoke, obviously in Heaven. Again, this is treated in a very light manner with some humorous moments. The Play ends when he realizes he is in Heaven and will be reunited with his family and friends, but his dog may not be there. It ends with an emotional reunion with his dog, in a clever way set up in a previous scene, as the last verse of the song is played. Note: The Play is not really a "Childrens" story about dogs and is probably recommended for ages 7 and older since is does have a few emotional parts. Play length is about 45 minutes.