Liz, a tough-as-nails New Yorker in the middle of a messy divorce, stumbles across a stray dog she has absolutely no interest in keeping. Instead, she tries her best to do the responsible thing and foster the dog, at least temporarily. Yet the line between “just helping” and “falling in love” soon blurs—turns out, the dog is the one rescuing her right back.

“Dog Mom,” penned by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok, starts previews June 24 and officially opens June 26 at Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre in Sarasota, running through July 26. The play isn’t just another “person meets pet” comedy: it’s part urban survival tale, part unexpected friendship saga. The story looks at how unwanted responsibility can morph into joy and self-discovery, all wrapped in laughter and those small moments that make a found family feel real.

If the show feels honed and ready, credit some behind-the-scenes groundwork. Last year, “Dog Mom” had a script-in-hand reading at the Burdick Reading Festival at FST, where it took the audience by surprise. The play was a clear hit. This summer, it gets its full world premiere.

Tate Hanyok’s script, gentle, funny, and bitingly honest, finds its match in director Nancy Rominger. Rominger is new to FST, joining in 2024 after twelve seasons shaping new work as associate artistic director at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She knows how to bring out all the messy, complicated heart in a brand-new play and has done so with a roster of recent FST hits.

Onstage, Katharine McLeod slips into Liz’s shoes, while Kelsey Leigh Stalter takes on the dog, literally. In a nod to A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia,” the canine role, is played by a human actor. This artistic choice lets the audience see things from the dog’s perspective and pushes the comedy and pathos even further. In past productions, FST has used real animals, cats and dogs alike, but here, the choice to use an actor deepens the connection and keeps the focus on the relationship.

Rounding out the cast are Ryan G. Dunkin as Ruben, Marina Re as Nell, and Kraig Swartz covering as the swing. Creative support comes from scenic designers Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, costume designer Madison Queen, lighting designer Kate Landry, and sound designer Nicholas Christensen. Fight choreography is by Brianna McVaugh, with Shira Lebovich and Kate Johnson running stage management.

“Dog Mom” finds its power because family often arrives when we’re not looking, and sometimes in the most unexpected form, like a stray with muddy paws. The play delves into the vulnerability of opening up and the surprises that happen when we risk connection. It’s hard not to see yourself in Liz, or to remember a time a pet became a lifeline.

The journey for “Dog Mom” didn’t end with a single reading. After its FST debut, the play underwent further workshops at the Seven Devils Playwrights Foundry in Idaho and joined the National New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere program, a signal of faith in its potential. This means theaters across the country are producing it, building a conversation about love, loss, and second chances that stretches well beyond Sarasota.

Hanyok herself brings a strong resume to the table. She wrote and produced Hulu’s “Sex APPeal,” directed Lifetime’s “Friends Until the End,” and starred in “Love and Baseball” on HBO Max. Before Liz and her four-legged friend hit Sarasota’s stage, Hanyok even played the role of the Dog in an earlier production.

Florida Studio Theatre, now the biggest subscription theatre in Florida and one of the largest nationwide, keeps building on its mission: make theatre that’s intimate, present, and accessible, all while telling stories that speak to how tangled, funny, and bittersweet real life can get. Under Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST has grown from a small company in 1973 to a hub of five theaters in downtown Sarasota, serving over 225,000 people a year across its range of programs.

Yes, “Dog Mom” is funny. Yes, you’ll leave with your heart a little fuller. But it’s also a reminder that unexpected connections, fur, flaws, and all, are what make us whole.

To see “Dog Mom,” head over to FloridaStudioTheatre.org or call 941-366-9000 for tickets. Maybe bring a tissue. And if you love dogs? You’re in for a treat. Family, finding hope after heartbreak, and learning that sometimes the riskiest connections are the ones that save us.

Click here for tickets and more information.

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