On Thursday 19th May, our Year 10 and 12 Drama students headed to Wycombe Swan Theatre to enjoy a performance of Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
We spoke to Chloe (Year 10) to find out more about the trip and the performance.
“On Thursday, we saw the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Wycombe Swan Theatre. After frantic buying of various popcorn and candy floss, we entered the theatre. The set was peculiar, a box-like shape with glowing lines in the form of a grid. We were soon introduced to Christopher Boone – an autistic 15-year-old (and 3 months and two days!) who discovers the dead body of his neighbour’s dog. Intrigued, he begins detective work to find out who killed Wellington – only to find more mysteries and secrets.
The acting, lighting, and sound of this play were spectacular – using minimal props and reusing the space for every scene. I thought the interactive back wall was especially impressive as any lines on the floor would show up on the wall as well. The use of lighting perfectly displayed the environment of different locations within the play, accompanied by ambient sound effects.
The amount of audience engagement was outstanding, and there were moments where actors would appear in the audience rather than on stage, increasing the feel of authenticity and breaking of the fourth wall without directly interacting with the viewers. The play also didn’t shirk away from the use of lighting, sound, and visual effects to display Christopher’s emotions, as seen in the train station scenes that portray overstimulation and allow the audience to feel engaged and to experience it from his perspective.
Every second of this play was engaging, keeping me on the edge of my seat as we watched the events unfold. I really enjoyed the fact that the ‘end’ of the play wasn’t a typical ending with closure but rather an open ending for our own interpretation. Overall, this was a spectacular experience and I would definitely recommend watching the play to anyone!”
