The luck of the Irish — and Izzy

Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 17, 2016

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, meet Izzy, short for Isabella, the Irish setter pet and backstage dog of Piedmont Players Director Reid Leonard. Leonard happened to take Izzy out for a walk Wednesday and couldn’t help but notice how this green backdrop on “Clyde’s Little Acre” and the rollicking, carefree personality of Izzy were a perfect storm leading up to today’s holiday. Izzy is the third in a line of Irish setters who have become favorite mascots through the years of staff, stagehands and actors in the community theater. Leonard named each of his dogs after characters in Shakespearean plays. There was Ariel from “The Tempest,” Sprite (Puck was a mischievous sprite) from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Isabella from “Measure for Measure.” The favorite place for Izzy, now 7, to hang out is the rehearsal room at The Norvell. Piedmont Players’ current production of “Cabaret” continues tonight, Friday and Saturday. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. at the Meroney Theater in Salisbury.