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C H . F a i r v a l l e y ' s K l u g e

Shakespeare in Love?

Taming of The Shrew
1981

WITH STARS
(Left) CH. Fairvalley's Hearty Tanya CD
(Right) CH. Fairvalley's Kluge
with actor, Len Cariou

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In 1980, I was living in Stratford, Ontario and one day during the summer, an unexpected phone call gave Kluge a whole new career direction!
It was the casting director at the world famous Statford Festival Theater wishing to speak to me about using a couple of my dogs in the upcoming play, "Taming of the Shrew".

We met on the beautiful grounds of the Festival Theatre ----------->
to introduce Kluge and his half-sister, CH. Fairvalley's Hearty Tanya CD, to the two young actors who would be handling them during the performances. Everyone seemed to hit it off well and after several dress rehearsals, Kluge and Tanya's acting careers began!

Stratford Festival Theatre
Stratford, Ontario Canada
August 1989

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They did extremely well waiting backstage in pitch blackness for the cue to appear on stage. When the moment arrived, Kluge and Tanya would run out ahead of the actors into the bright lights and the sudden gasps of the audience who were surprised to see them there! When their actor's lines were delivered, they and the dogs would run off the stage, go under the stage where I would be waiting to recieved them. We would then quietly go out the back way and head for home.

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Kluge and Tanya appeared in all 30 performances of "Taming of the Shrew" which starred Len Cariou (who has appeared in several movies as well). The CBC decided to televise this particular play and although had to be made to fit with a certain time frame, the Director opted to keep the portion with the Rottweilers, a part of the entire broadcast becasue he was so taken with them.

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Several years later, we were once again approached by the Festival Theatre and I had to train four dogs for their subsequent appearances in 32 performances of "A Midsummer's Night Dream".

Kluge and Cassie

Kluge and Cassie took it all in stride even though they had to wear a flowered band around their necks!

After the experience of having my Rotties appear in the Taming of the Shrew, the next Solera litter were all named after Shakespearean plays.

My return to the work force curtailed Kluge's acting career and I had to turn down the opportunity for him to appear in the play, "School for Scandal". Although the theatre held numerous auditions for dogs to apply for a role in this play, none of them were judged suitable and no dogs appeared.

It was so wonderful to be 'owned' by such a stable, versatile dog that could handle anything that came his way. No wonder I loved him so much!

Gloria
1999

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Gloria Royal

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