April is National Autism Awareness month. 

While autism spectrum disorders are becoming more visible in the public eye thanks to television shows such as ABC’s The Good Doctor, there are many who still know very little about the neurodivergent community. 

Indiana Musical Theatre Foundation is seeking to change that with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, beginning Thursday, April 17, at the University of Saint Francis North Campus Auditorium.

Eye-opening show

The show’s director, Darby LeClear, is enthusiastic about bringing this production to the Fort Wayne stage for the first time. 

“I saw Curious Incident on Broadway back in 2015, and it totally rewired my brain,” she said. “I had not heard of the show before. I kind of went on a whim, and it was such a magical experience. Just seeing some of the ways that the theatricality can create, kind of inflict on the audience, the experience of what overstimulation feels like, I think that’s a really incredible medium for that kind of story. I just love what it’s able to do, and the perspective it’s able to give people who might not have experience with an autistic person in their life.”

LeClear even mentions that the show helped her to realize she had struggles with overstimulation as a young person and had never realized it until she experienced the show. 

In Curious Incident we meet Christopher (Thom Greving), a 15-year-old who has a brilliant mathematical mind but difficulty dealing with the sounds and stresses of everyday life. 

After being falsely accused of killing a neighbor’s dog, Christopher decides to investigate the crime. The secrets he unearths prompt him to leave his trusted teacher and familiar streets of his hometown for a life-changing train trip to London.

The Cast sets the scene

When originally produced on London’s West End and on Broadway, Curious Incident was a technical powerhouse, using surround sound, visual effects, and projections to create the sensory experiences LeClear has aimed to create on a more local budget. 

“When I got approval to do the show with (IMTF CEO and Artistic Director) Andrew (Sherman), I told our technical director, Jacob Ziegler, ‘Hey, I want to get crazy with this,’ ” she said. “So, my compromise was, our set is mostly made up of acting blocks and a platform. It’s a very minimalist stage, but in doing that, we’re able to create a ton of different locations. 

“We’re probably going to have a little bit of haze during our subway sequence, and we will be doing some projections. We’re going to try to capture as much of that very cool theatricality that they were able to do on a Fort Wayne budget.”

Part of this is achieved using the cast of Greving, Parker Hickey, Michael Coale, Kat Hickey, Kate Black, Caleb Curtis, Grant Blauvelt, Chloe Price, and Lincoln Everetts. 

“Most of our actors are playing about five to six characters, but they’re also playing a lot of the set pieces,” LeClear said. “So, at different moments, they’re playing parts of Christopher’s consciousness at different points. They’re playing characters in the background. They’re really creating these locations with the blocks and with their bodies and their intentions.” 

This ensemble mentality was so critical to the production that LeClear brought in Gabriel Walburn, an expert in devised theater, to help the actors better explore the physicality and create the cohesiveness needed for the ensemble to perform in this way.

Worthwhile experiment

Not only has the production utilized an expert to help the ensemble connect with their physicality, but also with the autistic community that they will represent. 

“We had a guest speaker, Tas Hopkins, who is an autistic person, and gave us a really in-depth presentation about what autism is like as a kid. What is it like growing up?” LeClear said. 

“Tas has done a lot of research, and they’re going through college to study behavioral studies and specializing in autism. So that was really rewarding to get to have that additional perspective and have some of the science behind it, and really get to dive into some of the things that are caused by autism that some people might not think about.”

LeClear is embracing the scheduling of the production in Autism Awareness Month to help further visibility for the neurodivergent community. 

“I would hope that this production would increase some understanding from people who may not have experiences with someone who is an autistic person,” she said. “I’m really excited about the way the play just blurs reality in a way that really can help others understand those sensory experiences and kind of make it more personal. 

“I think a lot of people are very scared of autism, which is very strange to me. And so I’m hoping that seeing this show, seeing this beautiful story, going on this journey with Christopher, will just, you know, really bring it home to people that this is something that people live with, and it’s not scary, and life happens, sometimes it’s difficult.”

But LeClear doesn’t stop there. She’s also excited to share the company’s innovative staging with Fort Wayne audiences. 

“I’m hoping it also encourages other theaters to take bold chances and do something crazy once in a while,” she said. “This show is very different stylistically than a lot of what is happening in town, a little less commercial, I guess, and a little more experimental. 

“I’m hoping that will also encourage other theaters to tell stories like this and approach stories that include more diversity, and that we can just make our community stronger by being more aware of those stories and handling them with care.”