Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: The Play

Description: Christopher, stands beside Mrs Shears's dead dog. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington.

Brief description:

For more than twenty-five years Simon Stephens' work has been widely translated and produced throughout the world. He has won many Awards including Olivier and Tony Awards for new plays. His 2026 play An Ark staged by Tim Drum Collective at the Shed in New York was one of the first plays ever written for Mixed Reality . His radical adaptation of Uncle Vanya, Vanya, starring Andrew Scott ran in London's West End and at the Lucille Lortel, New York between Autumn 23 and Spring 25 and was screened to phenomenal success on NT Live and NT Home. His adaptation of Jose Saramago's Blindness was made into a light and sound installation that was produced internationally during the Covid 19 pandemic. His most famous play is his adaptation of Mark Haddon's best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has had thirty five original plays produced professionally.

He has written new English language versions of masterpieces by Chekhov, Ibsen and Brecht, collaborated with the world's leading theatre practitioners (Patrice Chereau, Ivo Van Hove, Marianne Elliott, Katie Mitchell) and produced original work throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

He has been Artistic Associate at the Lyric, Hammersmith and Associate Playwright at the Royal Court Theatre. He has taught playwriting workshops in five continents. He has presented four series of the celebrated Playwright's Podcast from the Royal Court Theatre. He is a Professor at the Writing School of Manchester Metropolitan University. His book A Working Diary was published by Methuen Bloomsbury in 2016. He lives in East London with his wife, three children, their snake, two cats and two dogs.

Review Quotes:

"Playwright Simon Stephens . . . not only frames the action, but also sets up a rich tension between fiction's invention and the obsession with facts, forensics and systemised data that is a symptom of Christopher's autism . . . this is a highly skilful adaptation" --Michael Billington, Guardian

"A curiously successful case of a hit novel turned into a play . . . This is a profoundly moving play about adolescence, fractured families, mathematics, colours and lights" --Michael Coveney, Independent

"This adaptation by the acclaimed playwright Simon Stephens is intensely, innately theatrical; it is also funny and extremely moving" --Laura Thompson, Daily Telegraph

"Seeing an adaptation of a book that you have loved can inspire a certain nervousness but fans of A Curious Incident should have no such worry when going to see the National's faithful and imaginative adaptation. It is a triumph, capturing the depth and touching nature of the original text and adding theatrical sensibilities to great effect. Highly recommended." --Londonist

"As adaptations of much-loved fiction go, Simon Stephens' perky and imaginative version . . . is an instant classic" --What's On Stage

"Simon Stephens' clever adaptation of Mark Haddon's bestselling novel about a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome is like a cute dog that leaps up and wants to lick you all over. There's no point in resisting - and there's no need ... The novel gets you inside Christopher's head, but the stage version does more, giving Christopher's internal response to the world an external manifestation." --Lyn Gardner, Guardian

"This is a really superior stage adaptation. Instead of just transposing the book. Stephens has recreated it for the stage. . . It doesn't shirk the discomfort of being a child with special needs, but -as Christopher learns to believe in himself- it also quietly illustrates some of the excitement of living in your own world." --Aleks Sierz, Tribune

"A bittersweet story told with verve and passion." --Siobhan Murphy, Metro