by Brandan Ngo
Staged Radio Drama, Radio Broadcast, Fully-Staged Production, or Virtual Theatre, MISSING DOG is a very flexible piece.
A hard-boiled detective scours the streets of Chinatown looking for an elusive pup — but some stones are better left unturned, and some answers can more easily be found in therapy. Needless to say, this mystery is a comedy.
RADIO HOUR is a co-production between Salt Lake City’s Plan-B Theatre Company and the University of Utah’s Public Radio station KUER’s Radio West.
The play can be done solely as a radio broadcast, or it can be done LIVE onstage with a radio show set up with actors on mics and SFX and MUSIC provided live, or both.
Artwork by Aaron Asano Swenson, courtesy of Plan-B Theatre. Used by permission.
PLAY DETAILS
- 12 CHARACTERS: 7m, 4f, 1 non-gender specific (doubling to a cast of 2m 1f) [Could be fully cast with 12 performers in a live production.]
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Detective Jack Mihaff — (M1)Katherine Trillby (Kitty) — (F1)Mayor Butteface — (M2)Miss Butteface — (F1)Junior —
Jeon Yeong —Trainee Jimmy —Little Fan — (F1)Leni —Thug —Officer —
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- COSTUMES: optional street clothes (carefully chosen, of course) or fully costumed 1920s clothing for live performance
- SETTING: Should either be a ‘radio station’ setting, or use virtual projection scenery for a full production or Virtual Theatre
- SFX essential
- RUNNING TIME: Under 1 hour
- ORDER #3391
REVIEW
• Salt Lake City Weekly — Plan-B Theatre Company/KUER Radio Hour: The Case of the Missing Dog
After 15 previous installments, Plan-B Theatre Company’s Radio Hour project—collaborating with KUER on broadcast performances in the style of vintage radio drama—is hardly a brand-new concept, especially for returning artists like actor Jay Perry (who has been part of every previous installment). That doesn’t mean it can’t be a fun new experience for folks like playwright Brandon Ngo, who penned The Case of the Missing Dog in a humorous homage to old-school gumshoe tales.
But more than just playing within the detective genre, Ngo is having fun with the particular requirements of writing for radio. “I knew I would have to rely on pure dialogue-driven storytelling,” Ngo shared in a Plan-B blog interview. “Every plot point, every joke, every moment of character building relied entirely on dialogue. It was an exciting challenge and I soon discovered this was my favorite kind of dialogue in media: indulgent, extremely drawn-out monologues where, for no particular reason, characters divulge to each other way too much information about their thoughts and intentions. Film Noir.”
• The Utah Review — Radio Hour Episode 16: The Case of the Missing Dog, by Brandan Ngo, presented by Plan-B Theatre, KUER-FM’s RadioWest
Welcome to the 16th episode of the Radio Hour series as part of Plan-B Theatre’s partnership with RadioWest, hosted by Doug Fabrizio on KUER-FM (90.1). Today, during the live RadioWest Friday broadcast, which begins at 11 a.m., The Case of the Missing Dog by Brandan Ngo will receive its premiere. For fans of The Naked Gun and other hilarious comedies featuring bumbling characters who become accidental heroes, this episode is a must.
Ngo says in an interview with The Utah Review that he enjoys exploring the cornball possibilities of characters such as a hopelessly incompetent gumshoe. “Discovering the story, I was inspired by old-time radio serials and detective dramas and I loved the red herrings and craziness, which are part of The Naked Gun and the sketches of the Carol Burnett show,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure that as much fun as it was for me to write, it also should be fun to perform.”
He plays up the noir mood for the story’s setting, which is in the 1920s. As he explained in a Plan-B blog post, “I have always loved the hammy 1920s trans-Atlantic American dialogue. It sounds to me equal parts elegant and corny, characters waxing poetic about their inner thoughts and emotions, unable to keep it down because their love and hatred are bursting at the seams. So I indulged and I wrote and wrote and wrote, and this radio play is what became of it.”
Directed by Cheryl Cluff, the production features music by Dave Evanoff. Ngo adds, “I’m excited most for the music we’re going to use for the backdrop of this 1920s detective noir story. I love the smoky, hardboiled musical vibe that usually accompanies stories like this, and hearing such music in the context of this silly story makes me giddy.”
“Fast-paced comedy animated this strange smart sendup of noir detective stories. Ngo gave the actors a basket overflowing with the lines that ensemble actors relish for these types of stories. Perry has a knack for adding just enough creepy, weird tones to these types of characters. Reeder was great as Kitty and as Miss Butteface. Bennett puffed up the self-inflated importance of Mayor Butteface with great effect. Evanoff’s scoring gives heft to the period vibe. This would make a fantastic live stage production.”
PERUSAL MATERIALS:
The PERUSAL SCRIPT of The Case of the Missing Dog contains the first half of the play. Click the icon below:
VIEW other plays in the RADIO HOUR Series HERE
VIEW our list of other plays available as Staged Radio Plays HERE
LISTEN to the original broadcasts from KUER’s Radio West Productions HERE (This will take you off the LBT site)
PRODUCTION/REHEARSAL MATERIALS:
(Any PDF purchased will be emailed to your email address — if you need to provide that to us (not the one on your PayPal account?), email us. CDs will be mailed to a snail mail address. Do not purchase rehearsal materials or pay for royalties until you have performance clearance.)
- Script in PDF format — Order #3391a : $35.00 (from which you will be authorized to copy for your production)
- First Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3391d : $40
- Second Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3391e : $40
- Professional Royalties will be quoted upon application
- EMAIL us for rights and information. Be sure to give us anticipated performance dates and the address of your group and, if different, your theatre. Please also include a contact name and phone number.
PRODUCTIONS
- Premiered by Plan-B Theatre Company and KUER’s Radio West program, 2023
- PHOTOS from the Plan-B–KUER production Photos by Brian Albers
BILLING CREDITS
The following is how the credits should read in all programs, posters, fliers, handbills and other promotional advertising for the show:
THE CASE OF THE MISSING DOG
Episode 14 of the RADIO HOUR Series
by
Brandan Ngo
NOTE: The names of the Playwright(s), Composer, Lyricist, and Bookwriter shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the play. (In a press release all type, will of course, be the same size.)
ALSO:
THIS NOTICE MUST APPEAR IN ALL PROGRAMS, ON ALL POSTERS AND PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND INTERNET ADVERTISING/WEBPAGES FOR THE PLAY:
“THE CASE OF THE MISSING DOG is presented through special arrangement with Premiére Theatrical Licensing on behalf of Leicester Bay Theatricals. All authorized materials are also supplied by LBT, www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com”
From the catalog of
