The Peck School’s 2024-25 theatre season ends this week with “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a critically acclaimed Tony and Olivier Award-winning play by Simon Stephens based on the novel by Mark Haddon.
Directed by Ralph Janes (Teaching Faculty III, Theatre Education & Directing; Area Head, Theatre Education), this play features a complex staging that immerses the audience in the mind of the main character, Christopher, and allows theatre students to enhance their skills as performers.
The staging of “Curious Incident”
The stage setup of “Curious Incident” is a large part of PSOA’s approach to telling this story and navigating its complex topics.
“There’s a lot of ‘tech’ to do with this show, and part of that is because the show comes from Christopher’s mind,” said junior JoHannah Wiggins. “There are a lot of different moving pieces and a lot going on.”
The tech Wiggins is referencing includes a collection of TVs that hang above the stage, five screens with projections surrounding the stage, and a large ramp that extends from stage left to the audience.
Throughout the show, the screens show what is happening on stage from different perspectives, including Christopher’s via a body cam. Actors operate the rest of the cameras that capture the show on stage.
“We’re taking a lot of the tech stuff into our own hands,” said Wiggins. “Almost all of us are almost always on or near stage and always engaged in it… It’s been a long time since a contemporary, tech-heavy show has been on Mainstage.”
This setup has provided a fresh experience for the cast and crew, with Wiggins noting how it has been a positive opportunity for everyone to learn and grow.
“While it’s uncomfortable at times, we’ve really jumped in and embraced it,” said Wiggins. “There are a lot of different people collaborating to bring this together.”
With so many set pieces for actors to get comfortable with, the crew has played a vital role in ensuring a smooth production. Junior Autumn Gill, who plays Christopher’s teacher Siobhan in the show, specifically praised the work of the stage managers in bringing this show together.
“The stage managers are amazing,” said Gill. “They’ve made sure that we know our blocking so when we went into the space, I was like ‘Oh, I know this.’”
“Curious Incident” has also benefited from an excellent director in Janes, whom Gill has also been highly appreciative of through this process.
“Ralph is one of my favorite people to work with,” said Gill. “He has genuinely been the best guiding hand in this crazy theatre world… He took time out of his day to do accent work with me. You can’t really get that one-on-one time anywhere else.”
Preparing to work with the tech
To mirror the professional theatre world, students did not step on stage and work with the show’s technological aspects until two weeks before opening. While this can prove stressful for some, Gill and her fellow cast members were taught to be well-prepared to ensure a smooth transition.
“This is the most prepared I’ve felt for a show,” said Gill. “We were off book by spring break, which was only two weeks into production… It’s felt like I could go on and do a Broadway show tomorrow.”
To help prepare, theatre students had the stage setup taped out in their rehearsal space so they could get used to the staging. Sophomore Zane Kurs, one of the actors who plays Christopher, described how these preparations were crucial to getting familiar with the production.
“Finally getting onto our set, there’s a sense of familiarity,” said Kurs. “It’s less strange for me than one might expect because while this is my first time on this ramp, I feel like I’ve walked it hundreds of times.”
For many, including Kurs, the professional atmosphere of this production has made the whole experience more exciting and fulfilling.
“We’re doing this as close to the way as it’s going to be in the field while still being given the chance to learn,” said Kurs. “We want to get prepared for that professional practice while still learning, as that’s what we’re here to do… I find it really helpful.”
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” opens on April 30 and runs through May 4, 2025, at the Mainstage Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit the PSOA events calendar.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25