ASF Set to Make History with “Because of Winn-Dixie”

Never before has there been a musical where the main character is played by a dog. But that’s exactly what’s happening at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The musical is called  “Because of Winn-Dixie.” It’s adapted from the beloved book with the same name. Alabama News Network got a sneak peek at what goes into the big production.

The dog goes by “Winn-Dixie” in the play, but his real name is “Bowdie” and his director tells us just what it takes for the dog to play the main role.
“He’s trained with positive reinforcement. If an animal doesn’t want to go on stage and have fun, it’s not going to do it 8 times a week. I learned that with the very first ‘Sandy’ that I trained for the original production of ‘Annie.’ And that’s the theory behind this show,” said Animal Director Bill Berloni.

In the musical, the dog’s owner is a young girl named Opal who has a special connection with the dog both on and off stage.

“I have never worked with a dog on stage and its been one of the best experiences ever. So between getting to hang out, having sleepovers, working with Bill and Bowdie, it’s been amazing,” said Gabriella Pizzolo, who plays “Opal.”

“They have sleepovers and she feeds him and he is a family member to her. So they are very close and the relationship you see on stage, it happens in real life,” said Berloni.
The story tells the tale of Opal finding the scruffy, yet charming mutt in the supermarket and naming him “Winn-Dixie” after the store.

And then you see how this stray pup ends up teaching the audience a lesson we can all learn from.

“A little kindness to the least of us and a little connection to the least of us can really help. So that’s kind of what we want people to take away… That sometimes it just takes a little small act of kindness to change the world,” said writer Nell Benjamin.

The musical opens January 27th. For more information, click here.