The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

A play by Simon Stephens
Based on the novel by Mark Haddon

November 25 & 26 at 10:00am
November 27 to November 30 at 7:00pm
December 1 at 2:00pm

“All actors remain on stage unless prescribed otherwise. There is also a dead dog. With a garden fork in it. Scenes run into one another without interruption, regardless of alterations in space or time or chronology.”

So begin the stage directions for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the story of the epic journey of Christopher, fifteen years old. While Christopher has an extraordinary brain – exceptional at math and science, he is ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion of killing his neighbor’s dog, he investigates to find the culprit. He records each fact he discovers in a book he is writing to solve the mystery. He encounters resistance from his neighbors and strangers, but also finds help in unexpected places. To succeed he must navigate an unfamiliar world and overcome his own personal challenges. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

Awarded both the Tony and the Olivier awards for Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time powerfully examines what it truly means to love, and the sacrifices it often takes to do so.

The Sadness of Comedy

Note: The Sadness of Comedy will be performed in the Mandarin language with English subtitles.

Original Playwright: Koki Mitani
First Adaptation by: Ang Xu
Second Adaptation by: Yufeng Ai
Translation: ChatGPT4.o
Director: Yufeng Ai, Jule Ann Hardy

January 28 to February 1 at 7:00pm
February 2 at 2:00pm

The story is set in China during World War II, amidst fierce frontline battles between the Nationalist forces and the Japanese army. To boost public morale and inspire victory, the Nationalist government mandates that all cultural activities must promote patriotism and heroism as their core themes.

Against this backdrop, a playwright from a small theater troupe takes his romantic comedy script for review by the cultural censorship department, where he encounters a censor who has just been reassigned from the battlefield. This strict and harsh censor despises theater, especially comedies, and thus subjects the playwright to severe scrutiny over his subpar script. Bearing the dreams of his troupe and the pressure of their collective survival, the playwright repeatedly strives to accommodate the censor’s rigorous demands for script alterations. As the censor continues to make unreasonable demands and the playwright diligently revises the script, it unexpectedly becomes more engaging. Throughout this process, both individuals undergo a transformation in their attitudes. While everything seems to be moving in a positive direction, after seven days, they are forced to confront the profound sadness brought by their era.

Eurydice

Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Holly Schaller

February 25 to March 1 at 7:00pm
March 2 at 2:00pm

Eurydice reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice not through Orpheus’s infamous pilgrimage to retrieve his bridge, but through the eyes of its heroine.  Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love.  With contemporary characters, plot twists, and a script written to be a playground for designers, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

One Act Play Festival

March 12 – 16, 2025 – 7:00pm

The One-Act Festival provides new and experienced writers, directors and actors with an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Wednesday, March 12
The Reason
written and directed by Jonathan Lewis
The Boys
written and directed by Andrew Tsogo

Thursday, March 13
The Gallery
written and directed by Sarah Munro
Springtime
written by Maria Irene Fornes
directed by Jule Ann Hardy
 Death, or Something Like It
written and directed by Kristian Doucette

Friday, March 14
Bingo World Championships
written and directed by Daniel Farrow
Heirlooms
written by Holly Schaller
directed by Shealyn Varnes
Moony’s Kids Don’t Cry
written by Tennesse Williams
directed by Emma Francis.

Saturday, March 15
Whispers From The Afterlife
written by Wenbo Li
directed by Yufeng AI.
Elatyriaf
written by Brittany Fagan Steele
directed by Kate Devoe

The Lotus Lantern
written by WenBo Li
directed by Xiaojing Huang & Jule Ann Hardy
presented by CDCHA

Sunday, March 16
Medea Redux
written by Neil LaBute
directed by Wayne McKay
How These Desperate Men Talk
written by Enda Walsh
directed by Bryan Nash
Three Entrances
devised by the DRAM 3106 Acting Class

Youth Festival

April 3 – 6, 2025 – 7:00pm

During the Youth Theatre Festival, young theatre practitioners from local drama school and other community youth drama groups take to the stage and perform in a week of scripted and original productions.

Elatyriaf

Written by Brittany Fagan-Steele
Directed by Kate Devoe

April 22 to 25 – 10:00am
April 28 – 7:00pm

Things haven’t been going the way Marley hoped for most of her life — why would one rainy night be any different? When her car crashes at the edge of her grandmother’s old garden she finds not only tangled weeds but the gates to the world of faerie standing open. Will this be the change that Marley has been wishing for? Or will she lose herself in this strange new world of fairies and gnomes, where all is not as it may first appear?