The Dog is Alive at the Start of the Play

In this new play by esteemed playwright Anooj Bhandari, we go to the suburbs of Pittsburgh, an immigrant family’s dog opens up a portal between the physical and spiritual realms in the middle of an apocalypse. 

Starring powerhouse performer Anahita Monfared as Ruhi, a young person confined to their house due to an impending “end of the world”, they are forced to face the realities of her relationships when her emotional crutch, Moon the Dog, led by the multi-talented MJ Farrell, begins to reach the end of his life. As the grief from the end of the world creeps in, Ruhi begins to open up to the other frequencies that exist around her: a radio frequency (with music from the talented Rachel Jihye Han) and a dancing spirit of their past, embodied by the lively Carter, waiting for them to cross over to the spirit realm. 

Weaved with puppetry, movement, and original score, The Dog is Alive at the Start of the Play pulls from the playful aesthetics of the Twilight Zone to share a story about portals, family, and the parts of us that transcend, despite (or even because of) the ever-shifting world around us.

Join us for one night only, at Dixon Place in Brooklyn to see the magic unfold in person!

Full Cast 

Anahita Monfared- Ruhi

Carter – Shimere

Rachel Jihye Han– The Frequency

Leland Fowler- Radio  

Abrar Haque- Father

Avanthika Srinivasan- Mother

MJ Farrell- Moon the Dog 

Creative Team

Anooj Bhandari-WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Alessandra Cronin- PRODUCTION DESIGNER