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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Takes Center Stage with Onstage Excellence and Behind-the-Scenes Magic
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Takes Center Stage with Onstage Excellence and Behind-the-Scenes Magic
Ava Barnard
Ava Barnard
October 16, 2023
October 16, 2023
On October 28, St Andrew’s will premiere its fall mainstage production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a narrative told through the extraordinary lens of Christopher Boone, a young protagonist with a unique perspective shaped by autism. The play not only dives into the challenges he faces in solving a murder mystery but also teaches lessons about resilience, empathy, and tough family dynamics.
The original production premiered on August 2, 2012, at the National Theatre in London. The play was transformed by Simon Stephens into a theatrical production from Mark Haddon's bestselling novel. The heartfelt performance received widespread love for its innovative and technical staging, vivid storytelling, and the special perspective of Christopher Boone as he investigates the mysterious death of a neighbor's dog. However, the people in his community are unsure about his trustworthiness due to his social and communication challenges. His journey challenges societal norms and ultimately becomes an exploration of love and truth.
Mr. Jason Kruger, director of this production, with 27 plus years of theater experience under his belt, plans to demonstrate to the audience that we all process the world differently by vividly portraying the diverse ways individuals navigate the world. Through meaningful scenes, crafted characterization his students learn in class, and creative staging techniques, he aims to shape the viewers' understanding of reality and appreciation for the human experience. After seeing the production live in London, Mr. Kruger said he was inspired to bring this message to St. Andrews, and he wanted to incorporate some of the “cold industrial elements” he witnessed and bring them into his own show to tell a story of a working class community and “how Christopher sees the world very black and white and or mathematically.”
In making sure Christopher's unique journey is being expressed well to the audience the relationship between lighting and technology is very important. The non-linear narrative makes it hard for the audience to follow along, but lighting helps show the fluidity of Christopher's thoughts during various scenes. The play’s lighting director, Mr. Bill Peeler who has over 45 years of technical theater experience and a passion for lighting design, has taught at universities and professional theater companies. He orchestrates the lighting to ensure it follows the path of the show and provides subtle hints to the audience. The tech crew's responsibility is not only to make the play visually appealing but to memorize and seamlessly execute blocking and lighting cues. The magic of lighting, as described by Mr. Peeler, “Is a visual representation of inside the mind of Christopher.” Mr. Peeler invites the audience to experience the narrative through the protagonist's eyes, revealing the internal emotions of the characters. With meticulous planning, discussions, and collaboration, lighting illustrates symbolic messages, effectively sharing the protagonist's emotions, and encourages viewers to empathize with the intricate conflicts in his life. Mr. Peeler's main goal is to create a truly immersive and fulfilling theatrical experience. He said "I'm not in the curtain call, but sitting back in the dark and realizing the show was successful is the best feeling to me."
Junior Kaitlyn Zimmerman, a dedicated theater enthusiast, who appreciates a professional environment and trust when it comes to Theater and Production, takes on the role of Judy, Christopher's mother, a character she describes as kind, sweet, and patient. Zimmerman feels “Art expresses beautiful messages and that bringing people a change in perspective or joy is exactly why I want to do this for my career.” Her strong connections with her peers and Mr. Kruger makes theater the highlight of her day, and she envisions a future in which she continues to pursue her love for the stage, leaving audiences with changed perspectives and moments of joy in “Curious Incident.” She invites everyone to witness an unparalleled experience, stating it's "nothing like you have ever seen before."
Location: Dell Fine Arts Center When: October 28 at 7pm and October 29th at 2pm Cast: James Hill, Andrea Osteicoechea, Owen Almy, Kaitlyn Zimmerman, Johnny Gallick, Will May, LJ LeBlanc, Lili Krengel, Loulou Brown, and Matt Gilbert.
The original production premiered on August 2, 2012, at the National Theatre in London. The play was transformed by Simon Stephens into a theatrical production from Mark Haddon's bestselling novel. The heartfelt performance received widespread love for its innovative and technical staging, vivid storytelling, and the special perspective of Christopher Boone as he investigates the mysterious death of a neighbor's dog. However, the people in his community are unsure about his trustworthiness due to his social and communication challenges. His journey challenges societal norms and ultimately becomes an exploration of love and truth.
Mr. Jason Kruger, director of this production, with 27 plus years of theater experience under his belt, plans to demonstrate to the audience that we all process the world differently by vividly portraying the diverse ways individuals navigate the world. Through meaningful scenes, crafted characterization his students learn in class, and creative staging techniques, he aims to shape the viewers' understanding of reality and appreciation for the human experience. After seeing the production live in London, Mr. Kruger said he was inspired to bring this message to St. Andrews, and he wanted to incorporate some of the “cold industrial elements” he witnessed and bring them into his own show to tell a story of a working class community and “how Christopher sees the world very black and white and or mathematically.”
In making sure Christopher's unique journey is being expressed well to the audience the relationship between lighting and technology is very important. The non-linear narrative makes it hard for the audience to follow along, but lighting helps show the fluidity of Christopher's thoughts during various scenes. The play’s lighting director, Mr. Bill Peeler who has over 45 years of technical theater experience and a passion for lighting design, has taught at universities and professional theater companies. He orchestrates the lighting to ensure it follows the path of the show and provides subtle hints to the audience. The tech crew's responsibility is not only to make the play visually appealing but to memorize and seamlessly execute blocking and lighting cues. The magic of lighting, as described by Mr. Peeler, “Is a visual representation of inside the mind of Christopher.” Mr. Peeler invites the audience to experience the narrative through the protagonist's eyes, revealing the internal emotions of the characters. With meticulous planning, discussions, and collaboration, lighting illustrates symbolic messages, effectively sharing the protagonist's emotions, and encourages viewers to empathize with the intricate conflicts in his life. Mr. Peeler's main goal is to create a truly immersive and fulfilling theatrical experience. He said "I'm not in the curtain call, but sitting back in the dark and realizing the show was successful is the best feeling to me."
Junior Kaitlyn Zimmerman, a dedicated theater enthusiast, who appreciates a professional environment and trust when it comes to Theater and Production, takes on the role of Judy, Christopher's mother, a character she describes as kind, sweet, and patient. Zimmerman feels “Art expresses beautiful messages and that bringing people a change in perspective or joy is exactly why I want to do this for my career.” Her strong connections with her peers and Mr. Kruger makes theater the highlight of her day, and she envisions a future in which she continues to pursue her love for the stage, leaving audiences with changed perspectives and moments of joy in “Curious Incident.” She invites everyone to witness an unparalleled experience, stating it's "nothing like you have ever seen before."
Location: Dell Fine Arts Center When: October 28 at 7pm and October 29th at 2pm Cast: James Hill, Andrea Osteicoechea, Owen Almy, Kaitlyn Zimmerman, Johnny Gallick, Will May, LJ LeBlanc, Lili Krengel, Loulou Brown, and Matt Gilbert.
Expectations vs. Reality for ACL 2023
Expectations vs. Reality for ACL 2023
Halston Fedorowicz
Halston Fedorowicz
October 16, 2023
October 16, 2023
Kendrick Lamar, the Lumineers, Lil Yachty, Noah Kahan, Odesza, and many more: it was a big year at the Austin City Limits music festival, some might even say the best year yet. But did these performances live up to the hype? Each year, an estimated 450,000 people attend the two-weekend ACL festival which is held at Zilker Park. This year, the first weekend of Austin City Limits occurred from October 6th to October 8th, and the second from October 13th to October 15th. If you’ve ever been to ACL before, you’ve most likely been extremely excited to see a specific artist perform but were let down by their show. To find out how expectations collide with reality, I interviewed students before and after ACL, asking them about their most anticipated performances.
Sage Epstein
Senior Sage Epstein said he was most excited to see Lil Yachty because he’s a huge fan and has been wanting to see him in concert since middle school. Epstein explained he was looking forward to the entire weekend since he’ll be leaving Austin soon and it’ll be his last ACL. After the first weekend, I asked Epstein if Lil Yachty was the best performance he saw and he said, “No, my favorite performance was GloRilla. They had the liveliest crowd and everyone had a ton of energy. The mosh pit was excellent and I got to mosh with DLat.” He explained that they came out and started playing Mo Bamba, which really got the crowd going. Epstein said he’d give this ACL a 9/10, and it was easily his favorite year of ACL.
Emily Gregg
When asking Senior Emily Gregg what her favorite part of ACL is, she said, “I really like the first day when you run in through the gates and see everything again. It’s like a flashback to all of the years before and it feels like a full circle moment.” Gregg said she was most excited to see Mt. Joy, as she knows most of his songs. However, after ACL, Gregg said her favorite performance was not Mt. Joy, and instead, she enjoyed Noah Kahan and the Lumineers more. She said she liked these performances better because, “For Noah Kahan and the Lumineers I was front row. I just knew every single song that they played and I was belting my heart out.” When I asked Gregg if there was anything she would change about her ACL experience, she explained that the hardest part about this year was having two people she wanted to see at the same time. Even though Mt. Joy’s performance didn’t live up to her expectations, Gregg said she would rate ACL 2023 a 10/10, and it was the best year yet.
Townes Lawrence
Junior Townes Lawrence said he was most excited to see Kendrick Lamar because, “I really like his music and I’ve been a fan for a while. I never thought I would actually be able to see him in concert.” After the festival, Lawrence said Kendrick Lamar was not his favorite performance because Lamar showed up an hour late, and if Lawrence could change anything about his ACL experience, he said it would be Kendrick Lamar showing up on time. I asked Lawrence before the festival if there was an artist he wouldn’t usually listen to but he was planning to see. He said he was excited to see Odesza because while he doesn't listen to them, many of his friends enjoy their music. Lawrence’s favorite performance ended up being Odesza because they showed up on time and had really cool visuals. Lawrence said he would give this ACL a 9/10, and it was definitely better than last year.
Nica Boerema
I asked Junior Nica Boerema which artist she was most excited to see at ACL this year, and she said Noah Kahan because she knows almost all of his music. She explained that she hoped everyone else would know most of his music too because the concerts are always more fun when everyone knows the artist. After ACL, Boerema said Kahan wasn’t her favorite performance because, “We weren’t as close to the stage as we wanted to be and there were people in front of us who weren’t enjoying the music very much.” She explained that while she did enjoy his performance, it just wasn’t as good as she thought it was going to be. Boerema said that she really liked Major Lazer, which she didn’t expect, and she also really enjoyed the Lumineers. Originally Boerema said she would give ACL 2023 a 7 or an 8 out of 10, but eventually, she decided it was probably the best year so far even though Noah Kahan didn’t live up to her expectations.
While every single person I talked to enjoyed a different artist more than what they were expecting, almost everyone said this year of ACL was their favorite year yet. From the lineup to the overall experience, Austin City Limits 2023 definitely lived up to the hype.
Photo credit: Eleanor Carter
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