The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

City Theatre announces the first play of our season, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Simon Stephens from the book by Mark Haddon. This production is directed by Lori Ann DeLappe-Grondin (Pride & Prejudice, A Murder is Announced, Shakespeare in Love) with movement direction by Julianna Camille Hess (King Lear, Romeo & Juliet), dialect direction by Kim McCann-Lawson (Comic Potential, Pride & Prejudice), scenic design by Shawn Weinsheink, lighting design by Joshua Anderson and Isaiah Leeper, properties design by Gillian Rains and projection design by Roberto Chacon-Rodriguez.

In Curious Incident, we meet 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. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, 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.

The cast includes an ensemble of students, faculty and community members including Vincent Barnett as Christopher, Janey Pintar as Siobhan, Jonathan Plon as Ed, Kathleen Poe as Judy, Holly Nicola as Mrs. Shears and Dennis Redpath as Roger. The ensemble includes Rosalind Smith, Peter Fuller, Shannon Poe, Maren Bowie, Lydia Cross, Seema Thapa & Sophie Jennings.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time opens on October 4 and runs through October 20. Evenings are at 7:30 and matinees are at 2:00. Performance dates are Oct. 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 (2pm), 19 (7:30pm) & 20.

Our Oct. 19 2pm performance will be a relaxed performance. Relaxed performances are perfect for anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed performance environment – including those with an autism spectrum condition or learning disability.

What’s different?

• the lights in the audience will be up so that it’s not too dark
• you can make noise during the show
• you can come and go as you please
• if you need a break there are chill out areas in the lobby
• We make small changes to the lights and sound (such as taking out strobes lights) so that the performance is more accessible if you have sensory sensitivities.

No special reservations are needed to attend our relaxed performance, but you may wish to buy tickets in advance. All seating is open to first come, first served.

We are offering a special on 10/10 – all tickets are $10!

And finally, we will have a contest for the cover design of Christopher’s book. We will have art stations in the lobby where you can draw what you think the cover should look like and at the end of the performance we’ll select one at random. The selected cover will receive tickets to a future City Theatre performance. We will also showcase all entries in a display in our lobby for the remaining performances. Bring your creativity!