Gone to the dogs: Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point, N.J., trains Seeing Eye dogs during performances

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When the curtain goes up on the Gateway Playhouse’s performance of the musical “9 to 5,” based on the hit movie with Dolly Parton, the players are counting on some audience members to simply ignore them.

The more blasé, the better.

“It’s really good for them to be able to just relax and be calm during this whole thing,” said Peter Avagliano, the Somers Point technical director. “That’s all we ask of them, is to relax and be calm.”

That’s because they are dogs.

Gateway has partnered with People and Puppies at Work for Sight, an organization that trains puppies to become Seeing Eye dogs for the blind.

“The partnership just means that the dogs are welcome here anytime,” Gateway board chair Katie Calvi said. “They are welcome to learn about the real world by coming to the theater.”

People and Puppies at Work train dogs for The Seeing Eye, the country’s oldest guide dog training organization based in Morristown, New Jersey.

The Gateway theater got involved through its technical director Avagliano, who has trained guide dogs for 21 years. Avagliano’s latest— and 18th — trainee is Mars, a 7-month-old German Shepard who started attending theater at 2 months.

“He was in a crate most of the time just so he didn’t get into any trouble. Then we graduated to being on his leash,” he said. “When we’re working and as actors come in and we start getting ready for dress rehearsals, he’s back on a leash and lying down quietly in the aisle.”

Being a puppy, Mars does not yet act like a fully trained guide dog. He rolls on his back when he wants to be petted, jumps on people when excited and will playfully mouth your hand when you offer affection.

The cast, of course, loves it.

“When he’s here they can come in and decompress a little bit, get a little pet the puppy time,” Avagliano said. “It’s really kind of relaxing for them as well to have a puppy here.”

Serious business

Bringing puppies to the theater is more than licks and ear rubs. The future guide dogs need to learn to stay calm in highly stimulating environments. Being exposed to the bustle of musical theater is crucial to their training.

“Tonight he will be exposed to all the backstage things that are going on,” Avagliano said during a dress rehearsal. “Sound checks, the band will be warming up so we’ll be hearing a lot of the louder music as that happens, the lights are going on and off and people will be coming up and down the aisles.”

The dogs are also invited to attend performances with a full audience. Calvi said the two-week run of “9 to 5” is already sold out, expecting 220 people in the audience nightly. Depending on the availability of the volunteer trainers, up to five dogs could be in the audience for any given performance.

Calvi is not worried about any canine disruption during the singing.

“The notes that you’ll hear, the range is high. The goal is to get the dogs used to all types of noises,” Calvi said. “On our first dress rehearsal the dogs actually fell asleep. Don’t take that to mean that the show is boring, but that’s exactly what we asked them to do.”

Avagliano kept Mars at his side during an interview before an evening dress rehearsal. Mars kept shuffling and audibly whining.

“It’s 6 o’clock, isn’t it?” Avagliano said. “That’s his dinner time. His stomach clock is right on time. So he’s, like, ‘Don’t forget to feed me!’”

Not to worry: Evening performances of “9 to 5” start at 7 p.m.