Palm Springs, CA

The Bent Theatre is closing out the year with a bold choice: Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, a darkly funny and deeply affecting play about friendship, identity, grief, and the brutal honesty of high school life. Directed by Larry LaFond, this production promises a mix of sharp humor and emotional punch that will sit with audiences long after the lights come up.

Running December 5–21, 2025 at The Bent Theatre at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, Dog Sees God reimagines characters inspired by Charles Schulz’s Peanuts—now as teenagers stumbling through grief, desire, cruelty, and the search for meaning. Written by Bert V. Royal, the play is an “unauthorized continuation” and parody of the comic-strip world, using familiar archetypes to explore substance use, sexuality, bullying, mental health, and the consequences of silence. Wikipedia

At the center of the story is CB, a once carefree “golden boy” whose world collapses after his beloved beagle is put down following a rabid attack. Struggling with grief and big questions about the afterlife, CB finds that his old social standing and party-friendly persona no longer offer any comfort. His friends aren’t much help: his sister is lost in an endless identity crisis, his best friend is a tightly wound tough guy, and his classmates are more interested in gossip, parties, and self-preservation than genuine connection.

Isolated and restless, CB reaches out to Beethoven, a former childhood friend turned school outcast, who has long been the target of homophobic bullying and casual cruelty. What begins as an awkward reconnection slowly turns into something braver and more intimate—a relationship that forces CB to confront who he is, what he believes, and how much he’s willing to risk to be honest.

Around them, the rest of the ensemble offers a painfully recognizable portrait of teenage life: friends who joke instead of listen, peers who turn away when things get hard, and a culture that would rather look “cool” than be kind. The play doesn’t shy away from difficult topics—sex, drugs, bullying, mental illness, toxic friendships, and suicide—but it uses them to ask real questions about responsibility, regret, and the cost of growing up without guidance.

What makes Dog Sees God so striking is its balance: it’s laugh-out-loud funny one moment and unexpectedly heartbreaking the next. The characters may echo the “Peanuts” gang we grew up with, but Royal’s script and The Bent’s production invite us to see them—and ourselves—as complicated, flawed, and painfully human.

Dog Sees God is a strong ensemble piece, and LaFond’s direction is poised to lean into that: giving each character a clear voice, allowing the humor to land without undercutting the serious themes beneath it. For audiences, it’s not just a trip down memory lane with reimagined comic-strip kids; it’s a candid look at what happens when innocence collides with the realities of adolescence.

Performance Details

• What: Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
• Where: The Bent Theatre at the Palm Springs Cultural Center
• When: December 5–21, 2025
• Tickets: Available at thebent.org

Due to language and mature themes, Dog Sees God is recommended for mature teens and adults.

D. Wesley Spencer, Ph.D., is an educator, writer, and arts advocate whose work spans communication, performance studies, and creative development. He is the co-author of Universal Creative Intelligence: How the Arts and Sciences Propel Human Advancement, a book exploring how creative thinking shapes learning, leadership, and human progress. As a columnist for The Palm Springs Tribune, Wesley covers theater, concerts, film, dining, local talent, and cultural events throughout the Coachella Valley. His reviews are known for their warmth, clarity, and deep respect for the power of the arts.     service.to.others.cci@gmail.com  Universal Creative Intelligence: How the Arts and Sciences …