The director of Northwest Missouri State University's adaptation of "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" Kathryn Bilbo was kind enough to talk to me about her vision. In this telling of the story, she wants to focus on the triumphs that Christopher achieves through the show. Many of the things that Christopher focuses on throughout the show are not the obstacles themselves, but the way he overcame them. "He thinks about the hard things in the light of overcoming them." Bilbo also said that "we are not trying to fool the audience" with our adaptation, that she wants the audience to be able to see subtle transitions within the show because much of the story is about truth, so we never want the audience to feel like they are being lied to. The events that take place on the stage are all in Christopher's memory except for the ending, and we want the audience to feel as if they are remembering it with him.
Here lately we have been living in a world where understanding of one another has been very divided. We often think in stereotypes and judgment when we should be striving to be more accepting of the differences around us. With the election coming up, much of America has divided views and less understanding of the people around them. Christopher's story isn't one of selfishness, it is one of trying to navigate the world around him the best that he can. Throughout the story, Christopher is often confused by the words of others and doesn't view the world in a way that the people around him do. I think that we can all relate to that feeling that Christopher portrays throughout the show of trying to solve mysteries and better understand the world around us. When I spoke to the director, she used many specific words to describe Christopher's thought process. "Logic, order, he has a very symmetrical mind that is forced to pivot through the course of the events in the play, and the audience is learning how to adapt with him." It is important to understand that many of the people around us are learning how to adapt to their circumstances, and we are all trying to figure out how to adapt together. We as individuals all have a different and unique experience, and we must be able to show each other a little grace and understanding during both difficult and triumphant times.