The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Projection Design

I am generally able and as far as I know so is everyone on the creative team. The original book this play is based on which shares the name does not specifically dictate which disorder Christopher has. The play, traditionally, depicts Christopher as Autistic. The original author has also mentioned specifically Asberger’s.
Bottom line: I will use the term “Autistic” to describe Christopher, but there is nuance in every diagnosis. The intention is not to be reductive but to share the experience of this character effectively in this format.

This play is about an autistic teenager who undergoes a traumatic event which sets him on a path that will result in him learning the truth about his family.

We decided that the identity of projected content in this production should be to give the audience additional ways to relate with Christopher by representing his mental state.

A great example, here is a video of Christopher riding the subway alone for the first time. He’s trying to reach his mother in Willesden Junction.

We were trying to evoke how such a loud environment full of people that are not interested in talking or answering questions could be crippling. Christopher does succeed in reaching his destination, but the experience is harrowing.

Images

Here we see Christopher discovering a series of letters his absent mother wrote to him. His father had been hiding these letters, but Chrisptopher found them.

This next sequence takes place on Christopher’s train ride into the London area. The London Subway, similar to other large cities, only goes underground (for the most part) when you get pretty close to the city. Outside and into the countryside the rails are all above ground.

At this moment Christopher is riding past various farms with sheep and cows and is having a brief almost out-of-body experience.

Christopher loves Math. Here he is celebrating that love.

At one point Christopher is apprehended by local police and the contents of his pockets are strewn out on a table. This is another of those out-of-body experiences we wanted to help represent with projections, in this case seeing his personal belongings, things very important to him, treated so callously is causing a great deal of stress.

This is one of the emotional peaks of the show, Christopher is finally reunited with both his parents but the circumstances leave him adrift in a storm.

Director: Jerry Dixon.
Scenic: Mark Wendland
Lighting: Amiya Brown
Costumes: Cynthia Savage
Composition: Curtis Moore
Sound: Brent Warwick