How TDF Member Teresa Coico Met Hugh Jackman’s Dog
Member Stories
Welcome to
Meet the Member
, where TDF members let you know which shows they love
Today's member
: Teresa Coico, who joined TDF in 2005. She currently lives in New Jersey and works at Community Education Centers, which runs programs to help prisoners reenter society.
—
Mark Blankenship, Editor of
TDF Stages
: Hi Teresa! Thanks for talking to me today. I'd love to know… when did you start going to the theatre?
Teresa Coico
: My mom took me to see shows. I remember we used to go to the Radio City Christmas Show, and in high school, I remember I saw
Evita
with Patti LuPone. And there were certain shows that struck me, so I'd go repeatedly. In the mid-nineties I saw
Grease
a lot because the actor who played Danny Zuko I knew from my soap opera.
Mark
: Do you still see your favorite shows more than once?
Teresa
: Yes! I have seen quite a few shows numerous times. The last one I loved the most was
The Last Ship
, and I saw that a lot with TDF. The cast was amazing. The story was about a love triangle and about the father and son, and I loved that. And I thought Sting wrote an absolutely beautiful show.
Mark
: What it does it take for a show to make you a repeat audience member?
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Teresa
: Sometimes it's the actors or it just being a lovely show. Sometimes I wanted something that I enjoyed thinking about because I was tired of thinking about other stuff that was happening. I remember specifically when Hugh Jackman was in
The Boy From Oz
, I bought a ticket for my birthday in June. I was floored, and after it was over, I just went right around and bought more tickets. And then in August I lost my dog. And I'm a big dog person. After I lost him in August, I was at that show constantly until it closed in mid-September.
Mark
: Based on the photos you sent me, it looks like you've met a few Broadway stars! Can you tell me how you got your photos taken with Hugh Jackman and
Andy Karl
?
Teresa
: Hugh and Andy both know me, as I have been their fan for many years. They know me by name, and I always get a hug and a kiss when I see them. I have been backstage to see both of them also!
Hugh actually let me pet his new dog, Allegra, during
The River
. Hugh knows I'm a big dog lover, and when he started bringing her to the show, I asked if I could pet her. Someone on the staff usually rushed her in as it was so cold, but one day after I had seen him on the line going in, I never noticed the dog going in. After Hugh passed me and went on to other people, all of a sudden he started calling me and told me to go inside. I was planning to go in anyway as it was so cold, and when I walked in there was a staff member holding the dog so I could pet her. He remembered and told me to go in!
They are both really wonderful men to all their fans, and they have been great to me.
—
Note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity
Photos courtesy of Teresa Coico
MARK BLANKENSHIP