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Date: 2/21/2022
LUDLOW – Starting on March 10, the Exit 7 players will be showcasing “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” a play that takes a deep dive into neurodivergence and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy.
Gilana Chelimsky, who plays the teacher in the play, said it starts as a boy named Christopher’s investigation into the death of a dog a la Sherlock Holmes.
“‘Curious Incident’ is a story of a 15-year-old, heavily neurodivergent kid in England and he finds a dead dog and decides he is going to solve the case of who killed the dog because he is very interested in Sherlock Holmes because it is logic and the way his mind works, that is why the title sounds like a Conan Doyle kind of story,” she said.
Michael Budnick, the play’s director, said the play does not fall into one specific genre.
“It is a drama and a comedy, a thriller, it is extremely moving and kind of defies description in the way it is done, some parts are so exciting, some parts are so dramatically moving, other parts will make you laugh and other parts will make you cry,” he said. “It is like real life.”
As a result of Christopher’s investigation, Chelimsky said he learns about himself and the world around him.
Budnick said the story takes place from Christopher’s perspective and provides a deep dive into what neurodivergence looks like.
“It is really inventive because the novel was written in 2003 and it was unique because it was written from the point of view of this neurodivergent kid as if Christopher himself was writing about his experiences,” he said.
Before the novel was adapted into a play, Budnick said he was unsure of how the theatrical version would look.
“I was skeptical at first that anyone could turn it into a play but the way he did it is incredibly inventive, it is a play within a play, it is his teacher and him talking about the play he is going to do for his school, so we are in and out of that play,” he said.
After reading the book when it came out, Budnick said he stumbled upon the theatrical version by chance.
“I first read the book in 2003 and then about five or six years ago when I was first starting to get interested in directing and looking at plays, I wanted to do, I came across this one by accident. I got a hold of the video U.S. touring production and I was overwhelmed,” he said.
Budnick said he did his own research about “Curious Incident” by reaching out to professional’s and people whose lives were affected by ASD.
“Before I even decided to do this, I talked to people who are on the spectrum or familiar with people on the spectrum because it never really says in the novel or in the play he is on the spectrum, we just know he is different and has many of the characteristics we would formerly call Asperger’s,” he said. “It is universally very highly regarded for telling an important story from a unique point of view.”
To help properly demonstrate neurodivergence and ASD, Budnick said he looked for actors with personal or professional history dealing with those type of disorders.
“We tried very hard for this production to have people who were neurodivergent or had experience in their lives with people who were neurodivergent in the families or worked with neurodivergent kids or adults. Pretty much everyone that is working with us has some connection to ASD,” he said.
Budnick said this play hits close to home for himself.
“It spoke to me personally because I have a stepdaughter who is on the Asperger’s end of the spectrum and I myself test out right on the edge of the Asperger’s spectrum,” he said. “I think like many people I resisted the idea of diagnosis, but I do know I am neurodivergent.”
As the play largely takes place in a school setting, Budnick said the set design is simple but still creative.
“The whole thing is graph paper, the floor, the walls and we project onto it. In one scene he even draws onto it, so it has a very cool feel and is meant to reflect his organized mind,” he said.
While Budnick described it as a straight play, which is a play that is not a musical and relies on spoken word, he said the experience is different than most other straight plays.
“It is not your typical straight play, it is not just actors, scene and lights, this is a truly immersive experience for the audience member and you need to try to bring that in and we do that through clever staging, clever sets and a combination of light, sound and music which gives the emotional feel for every scene,” he said.
By using the combination of effects, Chelimsky added that it allows the audience to see how Christopher perceives everything.
Budnick spoke to the quality of the actors in the play, including its lead, Lucas Gonsalves.
“We have an amazing cast who just embody so many different characters through space and time as we move and of course we have an incredible lead who himself is only 15 years old. Lucas has been able to handle this role amazingly and it is really nice to have a believable teen on that stage,” he said. “Watching him embody this character of Christopher and taking on certain stimming behavior that someone who is neurodivergent and developing his own way to bring Christopher to life has been fascinating,” he said.
Gonsalves said playing Christopher has been a unique experience.
“It is a completely different experience because most other plays are written for a neurotypical audience to be acted by neurotypical people and to play neurotypical characters. Right off the bat that is something completely different; Christopher has so many different things about him that it is a unique experience to learn about neurodivergence, especially being able to play Christopher’s character,” he said.
Jason Rose-Langston, who plays Christopher’s father and specializes in psychotherapy with families, said he used his work experience to help prepare for the role.
“I also bring the experience of working with parents and if you are a child therapist you are primarily working with the family as a unit. A lot of my performance as the father is the difficulties, the conflicts and the true helplessness that I try to bring to the character is taken right from families I have worked with over 20 years,” he said.
Rose-Langston added that the play was delayed into March because a month-long hiatus in January due to COVID-19 concerns.
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” runs at Exit 7 Theater which is located at 37 Chestnut St. and has show times on March 10, 11, 18, 19 and 20. Tickets can be purchased online at exit7players.org.