NORTH-EAST lapdogs are being offered a place in the limelight in an opera at one of the region's leading theatres.

Sunderland Empire will stage a production of Puccini's La Boheme and Verdi's Rigoletto from Tuesday, March 28 to Saturday, April 1, and a canine performer is needed for La Boheme.

"The dog will be on stage for about ten minutes in a scene in a cafe in which the character Musetta has gone out shopping with her lover's money and buys a little dog," said a spokeswoman for Ellen Kent and Opera International.

"We are looking for a well-behaved dog, under two feet, such as a shiatsu or pomeranian. It will appear on stage with its owner, who will be in full costume.''

The double production, performed by the Ukranian National Opera of Odessa and Chisinau National Opera, will also feature a golden eagle - in Rigoletto - called Isla.

Isla, who goes on stage with handler Derek Tindall, from Lincolnshire, appears in one scene in which it spreads its wings to their full 7ft span.

Anyone interested in auditioning their dog are asked to send their details, along with a photograph of their pet, to Liz White, Ellen Kent and Opera International, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TZ.