​TRUTH & COMPASSION

BY RISA BRAININ, DIRECTOR  

When I first read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I was blown away by the beauty of the language. Like the book, the stage adaptation is a gorgeous piece of writing: simple and yet poetic. The 15-year-old Christopher Boone tells his own story with the help of his life-changing teacher, Siobhan, and a diverse group of lively and colorful characters. I am particularly drawn to that kind of theatricality, where an ensemble creates the world around the main character, and leads us through his experience. I can tell you that creating the design for this show with our wonderful team, and finding a great company of actors who can pull this off, was pure joy. 
 
Christopher is a truth teller, and his way of seeing the world is unique. In these polarized times when the very concept of “truth” is under fire, I find Christopher’s candor very refreshing. His reactions are unencumbered by politics, prejudices, or preconceptions—he just tells it like it is. His frank honesty encourages every person he meets to reexamine his or her motives, thoughts, and actions. This clash of ideas immediately exposes how very fragile he is (and all of us are), while gently reminding us to practice compassion above all else. It is a play for our times. We all love this piece and can’t wait to share it with the audiences at IRT.

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