The Echo Theater Company’s “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” uses its clever characters to capture audiences of all ages

By Iman Bakhit

Staff Writer

The Echo Theater’s “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” is a pleasurable, engrossing, and relatable play that is enjoyable for all ages.

“Found Dog Ribbon Dance” presented the audience with the scene and atmosphere of an almost perfect production. Although the romanticized plot started to wear down near the end of the play, it was made up for by the talented actors, innovative set, cleverly written characters, and well-designed seating arrangement.

The play circles around the life of a professional cuddler, Norma (Amanda Saunders) in an unknown city in the Pacific Northwest. She soon finds a missing dog without a name (Daniel Hagen) and tries to look for his owner.

Photos from the Found Dog Ribbon Dance;

She meets a man named Norm (Steven Strobel) and together they take to each other. Minor interactions with many of Norma’s clients help advance the plot. As the search for the dog’s owner advances, so does the chaos that will either, in the end, ruin or repair Norma’s life.

Each character in the “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” was original in their own way, as they represented the different ages of society. There were characters spanning from hesitant high school seniors, relentless business workers, to wise old men. This assortment in characters gave the production diversity which is important because our society and its cultures are greatly expanding, so it’s very relatable to the general public.

The portrayal of the two main characters perfectly emulated the feelings of anger and embarrassment. Even the awkwardness felt genuine. With every joke they made, the audience was sure to respond with laughter. The ‘dog’ greatly influenced the audience, because although the actor simply wore a shirt with the word ‘dog’ on it, did not speak, and never walked on four legs, he perfectly captured the essence of one and therefore was perceived as one by the audience.

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Although the set consisted practically of a small rectangular bed and a few other things scattered around the room, it was modern and established a naturalistic atmosphere. This is important because the setting becomes relevant to the plot. Through the smallest objects dispersed around the room, the personality of Norma’s character was truly evident, making her actions seem standard.

There were seats surrounding the outline of the small, compact theater. They were at close proximity to the actors, and it made the audience feel as if they were in the middle of all the action.

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The plot’s genre is realism, so although it’s verisimilitude made its characters and events believable, it did not include any action or adventure, which resulted in it becoming repetitive and slightly lackluster after a while. “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” has a down-to-earth premise, and due to this, becomes a bit dry.

The unique characters, skilled actors, and offbeat plot made the “Found Dog Ribbon Dance” an enjoyable and satisfying production to watch. It surely does not disappoint its audience, whoever it may be.

“Found Dog Ribbon Dance” is playing at the Echo Theater every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from January 18th to March 12th. Tickets range from $5 to $34.

Echo Theater Trailer – From January 18th to March 12th at the Echo Theater in Los Angeles, the Echo Theater Company hosted the Found Dog Ribbon Dance play. Dominic Finocchiaro, the writer, Alana Dietze, the director, and two of the main characters, Steven Strobel and Amanda Saunders, discuss the plot of the play and what inspired them to create it.