Totally Toto!

Dorothy and Toto from The Wizard of Oz – name a more iconic duo, we’ll wait. The Pitlochry Festival Theatre know how beloved little Toto, Dorothy’s canine companion, is to audiences, which is why after an extensive audition process they have hand-selected two canine actors they know are ready for the starring role.

Enter stage left; Evie (a brown and white terrier) and Barney (a Tibetan spaniel, Chihuahua cross). The much loved Pitlochry native pooches will join the professional cast of acrobats and aerial artists on stage in the musical spectacular, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, opening next month.

They both agreed they will put their best paw forward and work hard!

The final auditions saw the pooches take to the main stage of the theatre, where they faced applause, an earful of ‘Dorothy’s’ serenading, the Wicked Witch’s antics and other Emerald City activity -  all ensuring Evie and Barney will take stardom in their own little-legged stride for their debut roles.

“I’ve gone with the two most reliable, who performed in front of the audience and consistently did what was asked of them”, says PFT’s Associate Director, Gemma Fairley. But it hasn’t been an easy choice: “Casting dogs has proved much more heart-breaking than casting humans!”

Evie and Barney’s owners-slash-agents are beaming with pride for their respective budding starlets, both excited and grateful for the opportunity. Alex Allan - Evie’s owner - states that Evie is “A wee star to us and we’re sure she’ll shine for Pitlochry Festival Theatre and their audiences”, while Amanda Beeney - Barney’s owner - said, “I sent in his photo for fun and didn’t expect it to get far, but I am so proud of him doing so well in every audition and can see him go far!”.

And for the stars themselves, they both agreed they will put their best paw forward and work hard!

GALLERY

To catch a glimpse of the pup personalities, make sure you book your tickets for The Wizard Of Oz, showing between 23 November to 23 December 2018.

If I were you, I’d catch them in action here before they get picked up by a Broadway scout – and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll sign your programme after the show!

Book your tickets online here.