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It’s understandable if audiences infer that Christopher, the main character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” is a person with autism.
The 15-year-old is averse to physical touch and struggles to understand how other people communicate. Christopher also is a math savant who cares deeply about animals.
But applying a specific label to his characteristics doesn’t necessarily help you understand Christopher’s story, according to Jay Hemphill, director of a Civic Theater production of “Curious Incident” that opens Friday at Carmel’s Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.
“Christopher is never listed in the book or in the play as having autism or Asperger’s syndrome or being neurodivergent,” Hemphill said, referring to the 2003 best-selling book by author Mark Haddon and a stage adaptation by Simon Stephens that won five Tony Awards—including the trophy for best play.
A precise diagnosis, Hemphill said, could be perceived as Christopher’s entire identity.
“If we just let him be a teenager who’s on this journey and who just happens to be different, we get to see what the play is really about—which is how society deals with an ‘other,’” Hemphill said. “Our societal norms don’t always accommodate everyone.”
Meanwhile, the story set in England that begins with the mysterious slaying of a neighborhood dog isn’t easily confined. Hemphill describes “Curious Incident” as an adventure, a murder mystery, a family drama and a fish-out-of-water tale.
At the center of the Civic production is 17-year-old Ozzy Heath, a Lebanon High School senior who portrays Christopher.
“He’s a superstar,” Hemphill said. “He is the show. He never leaves the stage.”
Heath has experience in the role, thanks to a past production of “Curious Incident” at Lebanon High School.
“While he has some mannerisms that I think came from the first performance, he has been open and has taken direction very well,” Hemphill said of Heath. “He has recreated a performance with this cast and this company.”
In 2017, the Indiana Repertory Theatre made headlines with its version of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” The co-production between the IRT and Syracuse Stage hired Mickey Rowe to portray Christopher, and Rowe was the first American actor with autism to tackle the role.
Hemphill said Civic’s version of “Curious Incident” gives a subtle nod to the Indiana Repertory Theatre production, thanks to a model train set loaned by the IRT’s props department.
During the play, Christopher works meticulously on the train set on a stage that’s mostly empty but also adaptable for depicting a spaceship and a full-sized commuter train.
“We are in Christopher’s mind,” Hemphill said. “This story is told from his perspective. His mind, and the mind of any human, isn’t limited. We wanted to have a feel that there are no limitations here. We can create whatever we want out of this blank space.”
Hemphill, who works by day as director of community engagement at Dance Kaleidoscope, is a first-time director after serving as assistant director for “Driving Miss Daisy” at the Civic in 2024.
Michael J. Lasley, the Civic’s executive artistic director, didn’t give Hemphill an easy assignment with “Curious Incident.”
“It is a beast of a show,” Hemphill said. “It’s very tech-driven. It’s very fast-paced. … But it’s an amazing cast, and I was lucky enough to get the people who I have in it. I just walk out of there amazed every night at the work they’re doing.”
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”
- When: March 14-29
- Where: Studio Theater, Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, 4 Carter Green, Carmel
- Tickets: $55, or $29 for students
- Info: Visit thecenterpresents.org.
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