School of Performing Arts presents ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’
The University of Maine’s School of Performing Arts presents “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” with opening night on Nov. 15 at Hauck Auditorium.
Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at math 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.
It is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher finds himself under suspicion. Determined to solve the murder mystery, he carefully records each fact of the crime. His detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.
The play has won five Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards. It’s adapted by Simon Stephens based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. Daniel Bilodeau, associate professor and chair of the Division of Theatre and Dance at UMaine, calls it “outstanding” with a “great sense of adventure.”
This show was “the No. 3 most-produced play in 2018 and has received critical acclaim globally. It is a well-written, heartwarming story of growth, healing and hope,” says Mary Jean Sedlock, lecturer in theatre, production manager and technical director at UMaine. “It also provides numerous opportunities for scenic, lighting, sound, costume and projection elements to ‘push the envelope’ a bit. It’s a great show to provide worthwhile challenges to a broad range of students, both on stage and off.”
Guest artist Cary Libkin directs a cast of 10 students in the UMaine production, which will run for seven performances: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15–16 and Nov. 22–23, 2 p.m. Nov. 17 and 24, and 10 a.m. Nov. 21.
“Sharing the space with actors who are bringing life to these amazing characters is such a thrill,” says Libkin. “The production is wildly theatrical, and it will be exciting to see how our particular creative artists bring the play to life.”
The actor playing the role of Christopher, Elijah McTiernan, never leaves the stage.
McTiernan, a third-year music education major with a theatre minor, says his experience in the role has required “infinite research, being humble and listening.”
“The main character has autism, so we need to understand and respect that in our show. We still find ourselves trying to figure out what that means — there isn’t an exact answer,” McTiernan says. “My goal is to try and make that (representation) as respectful and as artful as I can.”
And that has developed both from research and from McTiernan’s own experiences with family members, friends and others on the spectrum.
“Come with an open heart,” McTiernan says to audience members. “It’s a beautiful piece of art that is brilliant and emotionally impactful.”
“While Christopher’s autism is never mentioned, it is clear he is on the spectrum. We are honored to bring to the campus community a play that centers on a neurodiverse character,” says Libkin.
For 25 years, Libkin headed the musical theatre degree programs at Penn State, where he was a professor of theatre. He retired in December 2015. Libkin also was Penn State’s Nagle Musical Theatre Endowed Chair of the school’s musical theatre BFA program, and MFA programs in directing for the musical theatre stage, music directing and vocal pedagogy for musical theatre. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and is an active freelance director. Directing credits include work at Steppenwolf Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Music Theatre of Wichita and Pennsylvania Centre Stage. Libkin now resides in Maine and continues to work as a freelance director, teacher and master clinician, coach and musical theatre program consultant.
Tickets are $12 and available online or by calling the box office, 581.1755. Admission is free for students with a valid MaineCard. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Birdie Sawyer, 581.2584, fredrick.sawyer@maine.edu.
The show is co-sponsored by the School of Performing Arts and the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series.