This term, pupils from Merchant Taylors’ and St Helen’s have been auditioning and participating in introductory sessions for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which will be staged in the Autumn.
Open auditions are held for every production which makes each process fresh and exciting. George T, David A and Owen S (all L6) will take on the roles of Siobhan, Ed Boone and Roger Shears respectively. St Helen’s Sixth Former Sadie Moir (last seen as Anybodys in West Side Story) and Olivia J, who played Claudia Roe in Enron, will each play the role of Judy. Two relative newcomers to MTS Co-Curricular Drama – George R (Divs) and Leo B (Fifths) – will share the role of Christopher Boone.
The supporting cast will be pivotal in this ensemble production, playing a range of roles: Chase C, Emily B, Rien D, Pranay P, Charlie B, Prem P, Monty H, Harlene K, Chaitya J, Jai M, Krish P, Markus F, Mahir S, Leo B, Anya M, Ryan K, Parth D, Dylan P M, Zayaan K. They will be joined by the MTS Drama Technical Crew who will work with projection, lighting and sound to create Christopher’s world: Lu’ay Ben A, Thomas B, Samuel H, Anay G, Krishen P, Yuvan N.
Mrs Sadler, Head of Learning Support, writes:
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of speaking with core cast members of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time about neurodiversity, as they begin to explore how they will portray the lead character, Christopher, and his relationships with those around him. At MTS, developing our understanding of neurodiversity is an ongoing goal for the entire school community. Cast members were invited to consider how being neurodivergent can shape the way different aspects of life are experienced. Thought-provoking questions were posed: Will the cast focus on highlighting a character’s challenges and perceived deficits, or will they aim to share a different way of experiencing the world? Will they portray someone who doesn’t fit into the world, or will they show how challenging the world can be for someone who is different?
The session concluded with a recommendation to listen to neurodivergent voices, as these often provide the most authentic and insightful perspectives on what life can be like. It was incredibly encouraging to see how eager the cast is to embrace this opportunity—to share the play with an audience and to convey the joys, challenges, and experiences of the characters with sensitivity, empathy, and care. I can’t wait to see how the production develops!
George R (Divs), sharing the role of Christopher, writes:
Work has begun for next term’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time! We have been attending workshops on characters, movement and neurodiversity. The play, based on Mark Haddon’s novel, was first performed in London in 2012. It follows Christopher, a neurodivergent teenager who begins an exciting but scary journey to discover the truth about his past, the wider world, and the murder of his neighbour’s dog. Christopher has a unique way of seeing the world and Mrs Sadler from the Learning Support Department led an important discussion on neurodiversity. We discussed possible ways of playing the character and those who surround him. We also took part in some movement exercises; the play is famous for its dynamic and stylised choreography, where actors move as one body to create immersive visual displays and perform dramatic individual sequences too. We are looking forward to working on the movement sequences in the MTS Studio Theatre in coming weeks. Rehearsals are officially underway!
