Cave Canem Beware the dog. Each day, roughly 12,000 Americans are attacked by a canine. Minor bites can require antibiotics and occasionally stitches. More serious injuries may need reconstructive surgery and treatment for diseases such as tetanus and rabies. The attacks are rarely fatal; however, 645 people were reported killed by dogs last year. Some of these are perpetrated by feral dogs, but half of all attacks are by the dogs in our own homes. If these statistics make us uneasy, it may be because of the handful of other living creatures who have joined forces with us, dogs feel the closest. The relationship goes back at least 15,000 years, when we were both wild animals. While there is no definitive research on exactly when, where, and how humans first domesticated wolves into dogs, the process might be called our very first act of shaping the world around us. Before we ever planted a single grain or raised a single structure, we tamed and bred dogs to hunt with us. The pact was mutually beneficial. Dogs’ keener senses of smell and hearing allow them to detect potential predators and prey better. Once the prey has been identified, humans emerge as more efficient killers, ensuring the dogs a consistent food supply. Some anthropologists believe it might be more accurate to say we domesticated each other.
THE
DOG PACK PLAY
So when a dog attacks, the wounds go deeper than just tissue and muscle. It feels like a betrayal, an unwelcome reminder of the wolf lurking in a dog’s DNA. If their wild instincts are that close to their skin, what about our own?
—CHAD KINSMAN, PRODUCTION DRAMATURG
Thursday, October 20 at 4PM Friday, October 21 at 4PM and 8PM Saturday, October 22 at 4PM Iseman Theater, 1156 Chapel Street
The Studio Series productions are designed to be learning experiences that complement classroom work, providing a medium for students at Yale School of Drama to combine their individual talents and energies toward the staging of collaboratively created works.
2016–17 SEASON <<0>>