A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  5w, 5m

Adapted by Simon Stephens
Based on the Novel by Mark Haddon

Simon Stephens’ Olivier and Tony Award-winning adaptation of Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel is a richly theatrical exploration of a touching and bleakly humorous tale.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades

  • Winner! Seven 2013 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play
    Winner! Five 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Play
    Winner! Six 2015 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play
    Winner! Five 2015 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Play
    Winner! 2015 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway Play

Also Available
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: Abridged for Schools

Details

Summary

15-year-old Christopher stands beside his neighbour Mrs. Shears’ dead dog. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes past midnight, and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington the dog.

Christopher has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths, but he is ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. But Christopher’s detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that turns his world upside-down.

Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s bestselling, award-winning novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time offers a richly theatrical exploration of this touching and bleakly humorous tale.

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History
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time premiered at the Royal National Theatre on 2 August 2012 under the direction of Marianne Elliott. On 5 October 2014, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, again directed by Elliott.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

CHRISTOPHER BOONE
ED
JUDY
MR THOMPSON
MR WISE
MRS ALEXANDER
MRS GASCOYNE
MRS SHEARS
REVEREND PETERS
ROGER SHEARS
SIOBHAN
UNCLE TERRY

Ensemble
DRUNK ONE AND DRUNK TWO, DUTY SERGEANT, INFORMATION, LADY IN STREET, LONDON POLICEMAN, MAN BEHIND COUNTER, MAN WITH SOCKS, POLICEMEN, POSH WOMAN, PUNK GIRL, SHOPKEEPER, STATION GUARD, STATION POLICEMAN, VOICES, WOMAN ON TRAIN

Company Doubling
VOICE ONE – MRS. SHEARS, MRS. GASCOYNE, WOMAN ON TRAIN, SHOPKEEPER
VOICE TWO – ROGER (MR. SHEARS), DUTY SERGEANT, MR. WISE, MAN BEHIND COUNTER, DRUNK ONE
VOICE THREE – POLICEMAN, MR. THOMPSON, DRUNK TWO, MAN WITH SOCKS, LONDON POLICEMAN
VOICE FOUR – REVEREND PETERS, UNCLE TERRY, STATION POLICEMAN, STATION GUARD
VOICE FIVE – NO. 40, LADY IN STREET, INFORMATION, PUNK GIRL
VOICE SIX – MRS. ALEXANDER, POSH WOMAN

NOTES
All actors remain onstage unless prescribed otherwise.
There is also a dead dog. With a garden fork sticking out of it.
Scenes run into one another without interruption regardless of alterations in space or time or chronology.

Company Doubling
VOICE ONE – MRS. SHEARS, MRS. GASCOYNE, WOMAN ON TRAIN, SHOPKEEPER
VOICE TWO – ROGER (MR. SHEARS), DUTY SERGEANT, MR. WISE, MAN BEHIND COUNTER, DRUNK ONE
VOICE THREE – POLICEMAN, MR. THOMPSON, DRUNK TWO, MAN WITH SOCKS, LONDON POLICEMAN
VOICE FOUR – REVEREND PETERS, UNCLE TERRY, STATION POLICEMAN, STATION GUARD
VOICE FIVE – NO. 40, LADY IN STREET, INFORMATION, PUNK GIRL
VOICE SIX – MRS. ALEXANDER, POSH WOMAN

NOTES
All actors remain onstage unless prescribed otherwise.
There is also a dead dog. With a garden fork sticking out of it.
Scenes run into one another without interruption regardless of alterations in space or time or chronology.

  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting

    Various locations. The present.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Exhilarating, dynamic theatre which triumphantly expands the boundaries of theatricality.” – Huffington Post

“A beautiful, eloquent, dazzlingly inventive show about the wonders of life.” – The Evening Standard

“This adaptation by the acclaimed playwright Simon Stephens is intensely, innately theatrical; it is also funny and extremely moving.” – The Telegraph

“A profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colours and lights.” – The Independent

“This is the whole package, a rare case of family entertainment that speaks to the heart and brain.” – New York Post

“Be prepared to have all your emotional and sensory buttons pushed, including a few you may have not known existed.” – The New York Times

Photos

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    Image: 2014 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    Image: 2014 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    Image: 2014 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Author
Simon Stephens

Simon Stephens

Simon Stephens is an award-winning playwright.

His early work at the Royal Court includes BLUEBIRD (1998); HERONS (2001), COUNTRY MUSIC (2004) and MOTORTOWN (2006). In 2008 his play HARPER REGAN opened at the National Theatre, and SEA WALL, starring Andrew Scott, played at ...

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