Alberta Theatre Projects is holding an open casting for their upcoming season’s performance of Wizard of Oz, although the company is looking for four-legged actors instead of two.
Haysam Kadri, Artistic Director of Alberta Theatre Projects, said that they’re looking for the perfect Toto to act alongside Dorothy, in the holiday production.
“There’s something magical about having a real dog on stage. It brings an extra level of charm, and I’ll say unpredictability, to audiences, especially families. So, yeah, it’s exciting.”
Although Terry, a Cairn Terrier, played Toto in the 1939 classic film alongside Judy Garland, Kadri said that it wasn’t the breed of dog that ATP was looking for, but the right star power.
“We’re not just looking for a cute face, although that totally helps. The ideal Toto is gonna be calm, confident in busy environments, responsive to commands, comfortable with performers, music, and the audience,” Kadri said.
“We’re treating this like any other professional casting process, and we need a performer who can handle the environment and the stage. So it’s integral, like Batman and Robin. It’s Dorothy and Toto, right? So, it’s really important to have the right dog.”
He said the ideal dog candidate or two for the role has to be small enough for Dorothy to carry and to fit into a basket prop on stage.
Kadri said that meant that Fergus the bulldog, who stole hearts during last season’s Theatre Calgary performance of Legally Blonde, wasn’t up for the role, despite being a fan favourite.
“Although we would love the Fergus, that amazing bulldog, we’re looking for a certain type of dog. There’s size restrictions that we’re limited to, but for the most part, we’re just excited to see the, shall I say, local talent, come and do some auditions for us,” he said.
Just like how last season’s Theatre Calgary performance was the first time a dog had been on the Max Bell Stage in more than a decade, Kadri said that this would be the first time since ATP last staged The Wizard of Oz in the early 2010s to have a dog actor.
The open casting call was also a rarity for the company when it came to animal auditions, but the goal was to have a local animal actor play the part, so it would be unlikely to see Peggy—aka Dogpool—make a second return to the city, Kadri said.
Auditions for Toto will be held on August 13 at the Werklund Centre (formerly known as Arts Commons).
Interested dog owners are being asked to send a photo and a short description of their dog to auditions@atplive.com, by 4 p.m. on Aug. 4.
Kadri said that having a live dog on stage would probably steal the show for the Wizard of Oz, it would also be the biggest musical that the company has ever done in its history.
“We are upping our game. We really want to showcase our community on this stage, and this will be the largest musical that ATP has done in its history. We’re probably going to have 22 people and a dog on stage. So we’re putting out all the bells and whistles,” he said.
For full details on the audition, see albertatheatreprojects.com/artists/auditions.
The Wizard of Oz will be performed by ATP, in collaboration with Forte Musical Theatre, from Nov. 25, 2025, to Jan. 4, 2026. Tickets are available at albertatheatreprojects.com/whats-on/2025-26/wizard-of-oz.
