A* for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time!

The Senior production of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ was a great success on opening night, Thursday 13th February. The cast and crew pulled out all the stops to deliver a poignant and moving show following the experiences of Christopher, an autistic teenager forced to confront the complicated realities of the adult world around him.

Jessica Wittert van Hoogland, Director of Drama, who joined Leighton Park last September, has delivered a fantastic first production for the School. “The company should be incredibly proud of the way in which they have collaborated as an ensemble to create such a powerful piece of storytelling. They have combined physical theatre, movement, and some excellent acting with our brilliant original score to capture Christopher’s experience of this confusing world. Taking part in theatre projects brings communities together as well as encouraging students to challenge their capabilities. Through exploring relationships and experiencing the creative process we learn to understand ourselves better in society.”

Matthew (Year 10), who was phenomenal in the lead role, reflected: “Obviously it’s difficult putting myself into the shoes of someone with Aspergers as someone who has never struggled with It, however, perhaps fortuitously I do have a brother with Aspergers, although not to the same severity as Christopher’s, He helped me attempt to understand a little more about the condition and that really helped both educate me on the condition and do the role proper justice as it deserved. Drama at LP is great and the benefits it affords you are good for honing you acting skills offering things such as LAMDA lessons and clubs to form your abilities. It gives prospective actors some good opportunities to get you ready for what might come your way and that’s very valuable.”

Leo (Year 11) took the role of Ed, Christopher’s father, explaining, “I really enjoyed exploring the dynamic between the characters and in the relationship, both in rehearsals, and eventually on stage. There are a lot of opportunities to perform at Leighton Park. No matter how much previous experience you have, there are no requirements to be able to get on stage. The facilities are amazing, and the department works very closely with Music, Dance and Media in order to produce some very professional shows. Teachers will always be very supportive and encourage you to take part in these productions, they are a great opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and to create some amazing theatre.”

Jessy (Lower Sixth) played Christopher’s mother, Judy, and was enthusiastic about the experience: “I have enjoyed the atmosphere that has been created, this freedom to add ideas of our own and for the cast to experiment and try different things has been really fun. I also love how we get to talk to some people in different years. It is always so amazing to see how our hard work rehearsing has paid off and I really think that this is something that we can be proud of.”

Taylor (Year 11) who had a variety of roles in the show’s ensemble was equally effusive: “My favourite part was making new friends and seeing how we went from strangers to very close friends and coming together as a team.”  Holly (Lower Sixth) added “I have enjoyed working with people that I didn’t know very well. I have also loved working as an ensemble member, working with other people to create a piece that we are proud of. It  is exciting to perform something that you have been working on for so long.”

Oscar (Lower Sixth), who hopes to move into a Music Production career after school, created an entire original score for the show inspired by his own study of the play during GCSE English last year and his awareness of the original music. His imaginative compositions generated the perfect accompaniment for the performance. Oscar explained his approach saying, “After I’d started each song I’d pick out sounds and the melodic ideas that I liked and I made sure to feature them throughout each song to make it feel more cohesive and more like an actual soundtrack.”

You can see the photos from the show on our online gallery.