If you watched the 2015 Tony awards you may know about the popularity of the new play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Mark Haddon, Curious Incident won 5 Tony awards that year. The wins included best play, best direction and best lead actor.
Last year the Broadway production of #CuriousIncident won a total of 5 awards at the #TonyAwards! pic.twitter.com/OVK4SVgBLB
— Curious Incident (@curiousonstage) June 12, 2016
Curious Incident along with receiving critical acclaim helped spread autism awareness. The play focuses on the first-person perspective of a teenager on the autism spectrum.
“I find people confusing. The first main reason is that people do a lot of talking without using any words.” pic.twitter.com/Mq2mCa7UEZ
— Curious Incident (@curiousonstage) June 4, 2016
Steven Suskin, Drama critic at The Huffington Post said about the central character, “Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone struggles with what seems to be Asperger’s Syndrome, and any number of sensory overloads trigger massive attacks. Improbable as it may seem, Stephens, Elliott, and the stagecraft of a wondrous design team take us inside Christopher’s mind as it short-circuits—and allow us to share his triumphs as he finds the strength to succeed against obstacles daunting.”
I had the opportunity to sit in on an autism-friendly performance of the play and was simply amazed. The direction and acting is top-notch. Most importantly for those in our community though it is bringing characters with disabilities to center stage. Hopefully with this effort and many more in the future it will help bring an even larger education towards those with autism and special needs.
I currently work with the entertainment industry to bring a realistic portrayal of autism and special needs to their projects based on my experiences with theatre and growing up on the autism spectrum. Need some help on your next project? Contact me here for more details!
