THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
DVC Drama
Arena Theatre - Pleasant Hill, CA
Director: Will Springhorn
Lighting Designer: Sonya Wong
Scenic Designer: Sarah Phykitt
Costume Designer: Tara Maginnis
Sound Designer: Michael Creason
Properties Designer: Saoirse Plafker
Hair & Makeup Design: Emily Haynes/Katie Critoria
Stage Manager: Sarah Martin
Dramaturg: Raquel Basco
Production Manager/TD: Scott Heiden
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who is investigating the death of a neighbor’s dog, Wellington, who was speared by a garden fork. Through his detective work in trying to find out Wellington’s killer, Christopher inadvertently learns a secret about his parents that throws everything he knows into question. The world of Christopher’s head is an abstract one, and lighting complemented that by using isolation with steep angles when we are in the world of this thoughts. However, his head is also where he feels the safest, leading to the use of warm colors and soft beams. In contrast, the real world does not treat Christopher very well, and the lighting used a cool color palette to convey the cold world, with some shifts to warmer colors in moments where Christopher feels safe and comfortable.