Earlier this week, ASU Gammage announced its lineup of for the 2016-17 theater season.
Read More: Gammage packs 2016-17 theater season with hits
Among the multitude of upcoming shows is the stage adaptation of a book that is immensely meaningful to me — "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
If any item from the following list applies to you, you owe it to yourself to experience "Curious Incident," in either novel or play form.
- You like the BBC series "Sherlock"
- You like animals more than you like people
- You like the book "An Abundance of Katherines"
- You know someone who is on the autism spectrum (which is extremely likely because about 1 in 68 individuals are)
Although the dead tree incarnation of "Curious Incident" has been in stores since 2003, I hadn’t heard of it until January of this year. This is how I found out about it:
My main goal in life is to someday be a professional fiction writer. At the start of this semester, one of my English teachers asked me what kinds of stories I like to write, so I explained to her that most of my work is heavily influenced by the fact that I have an autism spectrum disorder (I usually avoid calling myself "autistic" because I'm diagnosed with what used to be called Asperger's syndrome. I don't think it would be fair for me to liken my own experiences with those of people who deal with more challenging forms of autism). I told her that I try to write from the perspectives of characters who see the world a little bit differently from how most people see it, and that I hope doing so will help people empathize with individuals who don't operate quite like most people. My teacher then recommended that I read "Curious Incident," saying it's about an autistic boy, and that it was written with a similar goal in mind.
This fiddling movement was introduced to the show when @LukeTreadaway observed a young autistic boy named Cian. pic.twitter.com/l8s486yaSR
— Curious Incident (@curiousonstage) March 23, 2016
So I bought the book and devoured it within a 24-hour period. It was excellent, but not for reasons I anticipated. I expected it to be filled with little scenes that illustrate what it's like to be an autistic person. And it was, but that wasn't the most valuable component of the book. At least they way I read it, Christopher (the protagonist), while profoundly gifted in some areas, had no chance at achieving the things he set out to do until he was provided with the support and guidance he needed. It was only when the adults in Christopher's life came through for him that he was able to reach his full potential.
"Curious Incident" has made me acutely aware of the fact that, had I not been fortunate enough to have grown up with fantastic parents and grandparents, my life easily could have spiraled out of control into an absolute mess.
I sincerely hope that people who have the opportunity to see "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" at Gammage next summer will take the story's message to heart and realize that they have the ability to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay from our #CuriousIncident pup Maude. pic.twitter.com/coqjipJhBy
— Curious Incident (@curiousonstage) March 23, 2016
Reach the columnist at cmfitzpa@asu.edu or follow @CodyFitzStories on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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