Theatre Northwest to present thrilling mystery Nov. 14-17

Northwest Missouri State University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Simon Stephens and adapted from the novel by Mark Haddon this month.

Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, with a final performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17, in the Studio Theater at the Ron Houston Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased by clicking here.

The play depicts Christopher, an intelligent yet nervous and mistrustful 15-year-old boy who discovers his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, is deceased in the middle of the night. Filled with suspicion, Christopher embarks on a journey to reveal what happened to Wellington, despite his apprehensive tendencies and uncovers life-changing secrets along the way.

“The University and local communities will see a genre they may not be familiar with – a contemporary drama-mystery,” Kat Bilbo, a Northwest associate professor of theatre and director of the production, said. “Even after one puzzle is solved, another appears. But beyond mysteries, at its heart, the play is about the protagonist – 15-year-old Christopher. Life is more challenging for Christopher than most teenagers because of his instincts, reactions to stimuli, unusual ways of seeing the world around him and a brain that processes things in a way many do not understand. While we follow his quest, we are hoping he can use these challenges to cleverly solve the riddles that change his life.”

Shelby Weise, a senior theatre performance major from Indianola, Iowa, portrays the role of Siobhan, Christopher’s teacher. She enjoys participating in theatre productions because they help students develop story-telling abilities and collaboration, among other skills.

“It’s a reflection of the human experience, and I think that the act of embodying a character and telling their story is monumentally important because it unites people in these beautiful stories,” Weise said. “It is also a highly collaborative art form, so when you work on a show as an extracurricular, you join a small community of people who are all working together to put this beautiful thing together to share with others.”

Theatre Northwest concludes its fall 2024 season with the annual Alpha Psi Omega children’s show on Dec. 15. The spring schedule consists of “A Spring Evening of One-Acts,” Feb. 13-15; “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, Feb. 21-22; “God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza, March 28-29; and concludes with “Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical” by Paul Gordon, April 10-13.

For more information about Theatre Northwest, call 660.562.1321 or email theatre@sydotnet.net.