Preview
Identifier
Curious Incident program_Page_04
Creation Date
9-29-2023
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Theatre and Performance Studies
Description
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Curious Incident explores individuality, neural diversity, and what it means to be different. The playwright Simon Stevens unapologetically investigates the messy, difficult, and yet beautiful relationship between a parent and a teen easily distressed by things that are unfamiliar/break routine. Christopher’s inability to lie, his behaviors, and his mannerisms are indicative of someone living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, Stevens nor Mark Haddon (author of the novel) explicitly state that Christopher has a disability. Therefore, our production focuses on Christopher’s individuality and abilities rather than a perceived disability.
At its core, the story is a detective mystery set in modern-day England. Although there may be intrusions from outsiders, the lens through which we view the show is that of Christopher. Christopher is literal. He sees things in black and white and solves all problems like mathematic equations. His detective work is precise. Once he puts his mind to something, deterring his pursuit of truth is almost impossible. Christopher becomes overwhelmed when his routine is broken, or his worldview is shattered, triggering fight, flight or shut-down responses. We hope the audience can see a little of themselves in Christopher. At some point in our lives, we have all been the outsider. I’d argue that being different is what makes us all extraordinary.
DayDay Robinson
A-State’s Department of Theatre is proud to be accredited by NAST - National Association of Schools of Theatre. For more information on NAST visit https://nast.arts-accredit.org/
Publisher
Arkansas State University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Theatre Program
Keywords
coming of age, outsider, England, book adaptation
