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Director’s Notes

When I was offered to direct Sylvia at Avila University, I was thrilled to have a chance to work on an A.R. Gurney play. I had the good fortune of working with him at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. I understudied the role of the daughter in his 4-character world premiere play The Cocktail Hour. He was an absolute joy to watch him work and continually rewrite and develop the script.

SYLVIA, written in 1995, is a rather unusual comedy because the title role is a dog that is played by a human. His other plays include Love Letters, The Dining Room, and The Cocktail Hour. A.R Gurney, who passed away in 2017, admitted that the play was rejected by many producers because “it equated a dog with a woman, and to ask a woman to play a dog was not just misogynist, but blatantly sexist.” Mr. Gurney did not agree, and he once noted that his play has a “timely message of the need to connect in an increasingly alien and impersonal world. There is a need to connect, not only to a dog, but to other people through the dog.” He wrote the title role for Sarah Jessica Parker who also originated the role on Broadway.

Working on this play, through A.R. Gurney’s perspective, I find this play utterly charming. We both share a deep love for our dog companions. He touches on the challenges of a long-term marriage between Greg and Kate that gets unexpectedly interrupted by a stray dog that he brings home. Sylvia, the dog, represents to Greg a longing for a deeper connection to his wife, his world, and his life. All of a sudden, Kate must fight for her marriage and discover what is most important in her life.

My dog, Buster, was invited to rehearsals as a muse for the cast and he loved every minute of it. And I think everybody felt a little happier seeing Buster in the room.

As Greg proudly pronounces, “We should all have dogs. It should be put in the constitution”.

—Jan Rogge, Director