Orphaned Dog Stars As Sandy In ANNIE At Starlight Theatre 8/13-30

Starlight Theatre and the Helen Woodward Animal Center have partnered together to train an
"orphaned" dog to star in Annie for their summer season. The adorable one-year old Barney, a
terrier and golden retriever mix, is currently waiting at the Helen Woodward for his debut on
opening night. Together, with owner/operator Rob Kuty of San Diego Pet Training, Barney has
trained over the past few months to perform his first and last stage role as Sandy in the family
musical classic Annie.

This partnership came together as Starlight Theatre, The Helen Woodward Animal Center and
SD Pet Training started to discuss how orphaned Annie is not unlike orphaned Barney, since
both seek to find a family to call their own. As a result, they discussed how wonderful it
would be to help train Barney, an adoptable dog, to take on the role of Sandy, the lovable
street dog, for their production. Fortunately, Barney's foster home has fallen in love with him
and we are happy to say he is no longer an "orphaned" dog. Even so, we're sure his experience
of being without a home over the past few months will make his portrayal of Sandy all the
more real. It truly is like a fairy tale story and hopefully when the curtain comes down on
closing night, August 30th, Barney will be one of the happiest retired dogs in show business.
"When the idea of bringing this to Starlight's stage came about, I can't tell you how excited I
was to make this all happen. Not only do we get to witness something new and thrilling on our
stage in the way of Barney, a specially trained pet for our show, but we get to see him go home
with a fantastic family as well. Everyone is bound to fall in love with Barney's performance and
the story of how he came to be on our stage,", says Carlos Mendoza, Guest Artistic Director of
Starlight Theatre.

August 13 - 30 at 7:30PM

BOX OFFICE (619) 232-7827 (STAR) OR ONLINE AT WWW.STARLIGHTTHEATRE.ORG

TICKETS START AT JUST $10! KIDS ARE FREE ON THURSDAYS AND SUNDAYS!

Starlight Theater in Balboa Park, 2005 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA

ANNIE - THE MUSICAL
New York City during the Depression. Annie lives in an orphanage run by the ill-tempered, Heavy Drinking Miss Hannigan. Like the rest of the children, Annie doesn't like the orphanage and hates Miss Hannigan. Fortunately, Annie meets and befriends Sandy, the lovable street dog, who quickly becomes part of her family and helps to distract her from the horrible life that surrounds her.
When Annie is chosen to spend the Christmas holidays with the wealthy industrialist Oliver Warbucks, Miss Hannigan is infuriated that Annie will be spending the holidays in the lap of luxury. Warbucks is charmed by Annie's spunk and good spirits and is eager to adopt her, but Annie is convinced that one day her real parents will come back to claim her.

ABOUT STARLIGHT THEATRE:
Since 1946, Starlight Theatre has inspired and dazzled generations of theatre-goers, presenting live musical theatre under the stars each summer in beautiful Balboa Park. Performed outdoors, with live orchestra, and actors from San Diego and across the nation - audiences experience award-winning musical theatre in a unique and spectacular 3,575 seat setting! Performances take place from Thursday to Sunday during the Summer Season, next to the Air and Space Museum. For more ticket information visit www.starlighttheatre.org or call the box office at (619) 232-STAR.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Off-Broadway Musical - Top 3

1. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - New World Stages

24% of votes

2. Mexodus - Minetta Lane Theatre

11.5% of votes

3. Bat Boy - City Center

8.6% of votes

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