The Tony award-winning play based on the best-selling novel,The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, will return to Portland Center Stage from November 27 to December 24. The production follows a 2020 run that was already playing to packed houses when it was canceled one week after opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows Christopher, an exceptionally intelligent (and exceptionally honest) 15-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who is under suspicion of killing his neighbor’s dog. Determined to find the true culprit, Christopher’s detective work takes him on a deeply personal quest that upturns his world.
Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Marissa Wolf, who previously directed Curious Incident at KCRep, will direct once again. “To re-launch Curious Incident feels like a powerful, whole-hearted circle,” says Wolf. “This play resonated deeply pre-pandemic, but in choosing to stage it again for the 21/22 season, the play creates new space and depth to celebrate the resilience of a community, and the beautiful complexities of being human.”
Most of the artists will return from the 2020 run, including Jamie Sanders, who reprises his starring role as Christopher. While at KCRep, Sanders talked about how his experience with Tourettes Syndrome informs his portrayal of Christopher. “I have a different set of circumstances than Christopher. I have Tourettes, and it causes me to be sensitive to the world around me, particularly to touch and sound,” Sanders said. “Like Christopher, I perceive rules in the world that I have to follow but that no one else sees, and for me, that’s an everyday reality.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is based on Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel of the same name. It was adapted for the stage by Simon Stephens and received its world premiere at the Royal National Theatre in 2012, before moving to the West End. The play opened on Broadway in 2014 and went on to smash hit runs internationally.
Portland Center Stage’s first sensory-friendly performance will be offered for Curious Incident on December 21 at 7:30 p.m. This family-friendly performance is designed to be enjoyed by all and will include adjustments for those who are on the autism spectrum or have other sensory issues. The production and theater environment will be altered, including modifications to sound and lighting, and audience members will be invited to enter and exit as needed during the performance. A quiet space will be available for people who want a break.
PLAYWRIGHT SIMON STEPHENS
Simon Stephens is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been translated into more than 30 languages and produced all over the world. He is a professor of playwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University, an associate playwright at the Royal Court Theatre, the artistic associate at the Lyric Hammersmith in London, and the Steep Associate Playwright at Steep Theatre in Chicago. His work includes Bluebird,Herons, Port, Christmas, Country Music, On the Shore of the Wide World, Motortown, Harper Regan, Sea Wall, Pornography, Punk Rock, The Trial of Ubu, A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky, Marine Parade, Wastwater, I am the Wind, and Three Kingdoms. TV credits include an adaptation of Pornography for Coming Up (Channel 4) and Dive (Granada/BBC).
AUTHOR MARK HADDON
Mark Haddon is a British novelist and poet. He was educated at Uppingham School and Merton College, Oxford, where he studied English. Haddon won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year Award and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Overall Best First Book for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. His second adult novel, A Spot of Bother, was published in 2006. Haddon is known for his series of Agent Z books, one of which, Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars, was made into a 1996 Children’s BBC sitcom. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2004 BBC television adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s story Fungus the Bogeyman and the 2007 BBC television drama Coming Down the Mountain.
THE CAST
New to the 2021 production are Ashley Song as Siobhan (PCS Remix: Original Works project Summerfield Estates), and Jimmy Garcia as Voice Four/Rev. Peters (PCS Remix: Staged Reading of The Comedy of Errors). Jamie Sanders returns as Christopher (The Seagull for Hunter Theater Project), along with Ayanna Berkshire as Judy (The Revolutionists at Artists Repertory Theatre) and Leif Norby as Ed (Tiny Beautiful Things). Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr. (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Nicole Marie Green (Pride and Prejudice at KCRep), Karl Hanover (In the Next Room or the vibrator play at Profile Theatre), Treasure Lunan (Summerfield Estates), and Ithica Tell (Hedwig) round out the ensemble.
TICKET AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
When: November 27 – December 24, 2021*
*Opening Night/Press Night: Friday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Preview Performances: Nov. 27 and 28 and Dec. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. Pay What You Will Performance: Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Sensory-Friendly Performance: Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: On the U.S. Bank Main Stage at The Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Ave, Portland, OR.
To Purchase: Regular tickets range from $25 to $92. Tickets may be purchased at pcs.org, 503.445.3700, or in-person from the box office. Ticket specials are listed at pcs.org/deals, including Rush Tickets, Arts for All, Active Duty or Military Veteran, Student, Under 30, The Armory Card, Groups of 10+, and more. Prices vary by date and time and are subject to change.
Please Note: This production is recommended for ages 13 and up. It contains adult situations, domestic violence, explicit language, and strobe-like lighting effects. Learn more by calling 503-445-3700.
Accessibility: Learn about our accessibility options at pcs.org/access.
Portland Center Stage was established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and became independent in 1994. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Marissa Wolf and Managing Director Cynthia Fuhrman, the company produces a mix of classic, contemporary, and world premiere productions, along with a variety of high-quality education and community programs. As part of its dedication to new play development, the company has produced 28 world premieres, many of which were developed at its JAW New Play Festival. Portland Center Stage’s home is at The Armory, a historic building originally constructed in 1891. After a major renovation, The Armory opened in 2006 as the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, the first performing arts venue in the country, and the first building in Portland to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying and interrupting instances of racism and all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). Learn more at pcs.org/idea.
Portland Center Stage’s 2021-2022 season is funded in part by Season Superstars the Regional Arts and Culture Council and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation; Season Supporting Sponsors the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the state of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts, and US Bank; and Season Producing Sponsors Ellyn Bye, Ray and Bobbi Davis, Ronni LaCroute, and Jess Dishman.
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