The Department of Theatre Arts is kicking off its spring 2022 season with the production, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” with performances taking place March 4–11 at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre. The play will feature the long-awaited in-the-round, or 360-degree format, seating.
Greta Hicks, a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre major, said that she believes this is a “must watch” play.
“The characters offer something for everyone. I think everyone who comes to the show will be able to relate to the characters and circumstances at some point,” she explained. “Walking out of the theater, I hope people will be encouraged to live their lives with more compassion for others because you never know what they're going through.”
The play, adapted by Simon Stephens, is based on the novel by Mark Haddon and is directed by Nilo Cruz, a Miami Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. The audience will get an enhanced experience with the in-the-round seating that places the stage at the center of the room surrounded by the audience.
“We have the opportunity to tell a story from the eyes of a beautifully candid and observant boy, who cannot help but tell things as they are,” said Emilia Torello, a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts musical theatre major. “By doing it in the round, we are adding a layer of intimacy to an already deeply intimate play. You will fall as deep into this world as those of us up here on the stage.”
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” centers on the protagonist, Christopher Boone, 15, who is described as having behavioral challenges. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his street, but when he is suspected of killing his neighbor’s dog, Christopher takes a journey that upturns his world while reaffirming his very existence. Although it is never explicitly stated that the character is on the autism spectrum, the play is based on Christopher’s unique depictions of how he sees the world.
Torello plays the character Siobhan, who is Christopher’s long-term special education teacher. She points out that being able to see everything through Christopher’s eyes is an entirely unique experience compared to other plays performed at the Ring.
“The beautiful thing about this play is that you get to see Christopher’s story played out in a very magical, complex, and endearing way. It’s full of both magical realism and very real moments of conflict and struggle between Christopher and his relationships with the people around him, as well as their relationships with each other through Christopher’s eyes,” she said.
Given the context of the play, the Ring Theatre is partnering with the University of Miami–Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). Michael Bush, artistic director of the Ring Theatre, emphasized that the collaboration with the UM-NSU CARD program will elevate audience outreach and inclusivity.
“The choice of producing this play fits in beautifully with our mission. It gives our students a chance to work on world class material with a world class director while also creating a safe space for anyone, for example the members of CARD, to come and enjoy live theater in whatever manner they wish,” Bush explained. “I think our job as educators at this great University is to make sure that there’s a seat at the table for everyone.”
Michael Alessandri, executive director of UM-NSU CARD, explained that the program is continually on a mission to create autism friendly places and spaces for its clients and their families throughout South Florida. The program’s initiatives have resulted in autism-friendly arts centers, urgent care facilities, museums, dental care practices, airports, and more.
“With the arrival of the spring production, we saw an opportunity to bring our regional initiative to campus. This actually represents our first such partnership on the Coral Gables Campus, and we couldn’t be more proud to start in this way,” Alessandri said.
“This partnership is so important to us because in addition to bringing our expertise to the community, we hope to also bring the community to our campus to experience the multitude of social, recreational, and cultural experiences we have to offer,” he added. “Our autism-friendly programming makes it more feasible for our CARD families to take part in these experiences with a greater level of comfort.”
In conjunction with the partnership, the Ring Theatre will hold a panel discussion that will take place on Wednesday, March 9, before that night’s performance. It will center on the topic of autism in the context of the play. Staff from UM-NSU CARD and self-advocates will be part of the conversation.
“Demystifying autism for the general public is one of our key goals at CARD and having these courageous conversations about neurodiversity with a wider audience is very helpful in achieving that aim,” said Alessandri.
