Synopsis (From the Newark Star-Ledger): "Are people who live in trailers necessarily 'trailer trash'? Playwright Sandra Perlman is out to refute the stereotype in 'In Search of Red River Dog.'

"Though Paulette and Denny live in a 'sardine can,' they're an eloquent and devoted couple, thanks to Perlman's fresh dialogue. Not that the young marrieds don't have problems. Denny's out of work, which doesn't help Paulette's dreams of going to college. Worse, their baby has died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Their prospects have tarnished in the few years since Denny nearly became the football team's MVP, and Paulette almost won the title of the town's Apple Butter Queen.

"The playwright spends the second act replacing the couple's dreams of a better life with far less savory alternatives. She suggests that there's no escape from such a lower-middle-class life, and that poverty will eventually overwhelm even the brightest minds. What makes this a genuine tragedy is Perlman's ability to rouse sympathy for these two kids, who had the raw material to succeed."

"Once again New Jersey Repertory Company proves itself to be a fledgling playwright's best friend, consistently giving new plays most remarkable productions. This is one of its better choices"
- The Newark Star-Ledger

"Sam Shepardesque in a stark, reality driven, highly emotional way" - Asbury Park Press

Performance rights must be secured before production.

About the Playwright: Sandra Perlman is an award-winning member of the Cleveland Play House Playwrights' Unit. She has premiered more than a dozen plays in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Cleveland. Sandra is the recipient of two Ohio Arts Council fellowships in playwriting for In Search of Red River Dog and Cliff Diving. Her ten-minute play Covers, was a finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville Shorts Festival and was premiered by The Cleveland Play House Lab Company in 1994. A former writer-host for PBS television Channels 45/49, Perlman has also taught and lectured about playwriting.

In Search of Red River Dog was first seen at the University of Ohio (Dayton) and received its professional premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Company in October 2000.