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Fall Play Preview: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Fall Play Preview: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By James Bohanek, Upper School Drama Teacher & Fine Arts Academic Leader

513 words | 2-minute read, 1-minute watch

Durham Academy Upper School is thrilled to present THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens. This 2015 Tony Award-winning play centers on 15-year-old Christopher, who has “an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers.”

Christopher discovers that someone has killed his neighbor's dog. “Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered (the dog), and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world” (Dramatists Play Service). The Independent (UK) called the play “just terrific … a profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colours and lights … dazzling.”

The Upper School Fine Arts Department is particularly excited that the production aligns with our Upper School English curriculum, as Haddon’s novel served as the summer reading selection for Erika McCarthy’s senior English literature class: Banned Books. This is a fantastic opportunity for students who have read Haddon’s novel to see the world brought to life visually on stage and to engage in dialogue about the issues and themes raised in the book. As Shreya Rao ’25 writes: “By banning this book, we eliminate the opportunity for readers to engage with diverse perspectives and have exposure to neurodiverse thought processes. While there is debate on whether The Curious Incident accurately represents neurodiversity, what is undeniable is its ability to start conversations about it.”

 

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Kenan Auditorium
Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.*

Reserve your tickets at www.da.org/reservations

Admission: FREE
Running Time: Approx. 90 minutes (plus one intermission)
Rating: PG–13 (some profanity and adult content)
*Saturday, Oct. 26: Arrive early (4:15–7 p.m.) to enjoy food truck fare courtesy of Dine for DA.

Featured in the cast are the following Upper School students: Janna Cloninger, Naomi Gibson, Conor Hernandez, Maya Patel, Henry Roberts, Anneke Schmidt, Nick Shaikh and Ry Tarpey. The student production team includes Stage Manager Ajibola Nureni-Yusuf, Assistant Stage Manager Avery Houser, and Assistant Technical Directors Leo Sorin and Myles Zapotoczny. The following students collaborated on tech crew in sets, lights, costumes, props and sound: Grayson Auman, Matelon Barber, Lexie Chen, Kayla Cloninger, Ethan Edghill, Stella Edwards, Matthew Farnworth, Lee Gilson, Soren Hecimovich, Derick Lee, Annie Muir, Donovan Napoli, Julian Pasos, Nicholas Rodriguez, Siddharth Srivats and Andrew Vaughn.

A shout-out to Mr. Edghill’s Technical Theatre class for their work on the set and lights as well: Hazel Daly, Gibbs Durack, Ethan Edghill, Stella Freelon, Lee Gilson, Derick Lee, Emily Simmons and Elizabeth Wilber.

So reserve your tickets now and join The Curious Incident cast and crew for a thought-provoking and emotionally powerful evening of theatre. See you at the show!