Nonprofit profile: South Valley Civic Theatre explores autistic mind in family drama
The show “Curious Incident” opens Nov. 17 at the Morgan Hill Playhouse
Michael Grimm as the train station policeman and Kyle Strenfel as “Christopher Boone.” Photo courtesy Elizabeth Mandel
By Calvin Nuttall
Transporting audiences inside the mind of an autistic teenager is no easy feat. South Valley Civic Theatre, however, is determined to intricately and responsibly unravel this perspective in their upcoming production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” by Simon Stephens.
When “Christopher Boone” finds his neighbor’s dog has been murdered, he takes it upon himself to track down the culprit. Audiences will watch the mystery unfold through his eyes as he investigates and discovers far more than just the identity of the killer.
Directed by Scott Lynch and starring Kyle Strenfel as Christopher, the show opens Nov. 17 at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse. Due to some strong language and adult themes, SVCT recommends parental guidance for pre-teens.
Not only is Christopher the central character, but the play is written as if he himself were the playwright. As such, his neurodivergent perspective of the world is central to the entire show, from its dialogue and narration to its scene structure and staging.
“It’s so important for people to learn to respond with understanding and empathy,” Lynch said. “Our objective is to have the audience walk away with an emotional response that makes them more empathetic and sympathetic and knowledgeable of this condition and how it impacts families.”
The cast and crew have worked to ensure their portrayal of Christopher and his family are accurate and respectful. This has included consulting with real life parents of autistic children.
“It’s been a very humbling experience,” said Strenfel, 16. “It’s definitely something I’ve never done before. The important thing is finding the right resources to see what autism looks like, and then try to put myself in (Christopher’s) shoes and bring him to life.”
Christopher has great difficulty processing information, and in chaotic situations these difficulties are intensified. At one point in the play, he finds himself at a train station in London, a noisy and chaotic place where he becomes completely overstimulated.
“A person who is not on the spectrum would be able to block out certain aspects of that environment so they can stay focused on what they need to do,” Strenfel said. “But for someone like Christopher, he has to take in all that information at once. That is difficult to communicate to the audience, because you don’t have that chaos in your head.”
In order to convey what Christopher feels in these scenes, SVCT employs multiple technological tools including flashing lights, sound, and projector effects to recreate the thoughts and information swirling in his head.
In these moments of stress, Christopher turns to mathematics to stabilize himself. Despite his impairment in other areas, he is a mathematical savant, and being allowed into the A-level course at his school is a goal for him.
“He knows this is something he wants to do,” Strenfel said. “It is one of the constants in his life and one of the things he can focus on when everything else is chaotic.”
Despite his talent, his school does not want to allow Christopher into this course due to his young age, even though he is well beyond the learning level required. Thankfully, he has a strong advocate in “Siobhan,” his teacher and mentor, played by Maddy Khachadoorian.
“Siobhan is the one character who, no matter what is occurring with Christopher, is always there and wanting to guide and support him,” Khachadoorian said. “She has this warmth about her that makes Christopher comfortable enough to confide and be responsive with her when many of the characters don’t have the patience for it.”
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Mandel
As he moves through the world in search of answers, Christopher’s journey highlights many of the real-world ways in which society fails people like him.
“For me, this play brings out a lot of questions about accessibility,” Khachadoorian said. “We can see how uncomfortable and overstimulated Christopher is throughout a lot of it, and then we can see moments where he is feeling a moment of reprieve. When we see that, we see him when he is at his happiest.”
Christopher’s parents, “Judy and Ed Boone,” are also central to the story as his caregivers, and are themselves complex and flawed. While he investigates the murder of the dog, Christopher discovers shocking revelations about them.
“As a society, we tend to be very judgmental about people and situations when we’re on the outside,” said Sindu Singh, who plays Judy Boone. “The perspective Judy brings is to allow you to understand how difficult it is for the caregivers. It is very easy to sit in judgment, but when you actually see their day-to-day (life), and how much they actually want to make it work, I think there is a level of empathy and compassion to be had.”
Christopher’s perspective lends a unique neutrality to the moral issues of his parents’ behavior, Singh said. He is direct and non-judgmental, and this forces the audience to consider things differently and re-evaluate their assumptions about Ed and Judy.
“It is a very contentious relationship, but they are both incredibly loving in different ways,” Singh said. “They are very different, and they deal with the situation differently. They are broken, like all of us are in some way or another, but there is no question they are both committed to their child.”
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Mandel
First and foremost, the play is a human story, Singh said. All of the characters’ human flaws are visible to the audience, and that is what makes the story well-portrayed in a way that will have audiences emotionally engaged.
“You’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to feel, you’re going to actually be curious — after all, who killed the dog?” she said. “You’re going to be blown away by how it is all presented. There is a team of talented people who have come together to put this show on. It is just mesmerizing.”
Through his journeys, Christopher learns and grows, discovering new ways to cope with his condition and inspiring the people around him to learn more about how to accommodate his needs. By the end of the show, he has moments of confidence and accomplishment that will make audiences want to celebrate with him, Lynch said.
“You empathize with his parents’ pride in their son,” he said. “Even if your kids aren’t neurodiverse, you celebrate their moments, and this play illustrates that there is a spectrum of moments and a spectrum of achievements.”
Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter and columnist.
