The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I don’t need to go into too much detail about this play other than to tell you to go see it! It really is phenomenal. I’ve seen simple stage sets before where the whole play is carried out across one setting with a few props moved here and there but I don’t think I’ve been so absorbed by a giant, interactive, black chequered box with a few light up cubes, some chalk and a train set!

In a nutshell, the story follows Christopher, a young boy of 15 with “Behavioural Problems’ when he finds his neighbour’s dog has been murdered in the night with a garden fork. He does some investigating to find out whodunit and discovers a few more mysteries along the way. He decides to travel to London alone through the hustle and bustle of crowds, train stations and an overwhelming amount of constant information – something that can be quite daunting for all of us, but for Christopher, it’s truly frightening and we get to see this through his eyes and his reactions.

Superbly acted and performed by all the company and especially from Scott Reid, playing Christopher – we featured an interview with Scott in September’s Phonebox and he told us all about how he learned to act and hold himself differently, to talk differently and how exhausting it can be not being able to leave the stage. Christopher has Asperger’s Syndrome, wonderfully portrayed by Scott and the audience watched in awe and we can all relate to some of his views on the world around him.

Mark Haddon, author of the original book which this play is based on, said, ‘Is Christopher a correct representation of someone with the condition? The assumption being that there is indeed a correct representation of the condition. I think it’s indicative of the way we think about people we label ‘disabled’ that we can even ask this question. We would never ask if a character in a novel was a correct representation of a cellist or a lesbian or an archbishop. There is no such thing. And the same is true for people who are given the label ‘disabled’. They are as various and individual as any other group in society.’

The show is fast paced, funny, sad, bursting with dialogue and facts and is very intense. You’ll be hooked from the start.

Catch The Curious Incident at Milton Keynes theatre until Saturday 16^th September – www.atgtickets.com

Autism awareness day- today

Were you aware?

Today is the 8th annual autism awareness day. Autism awareness day aims to help raise awareness of and fundraise to help increase knowledge of autism, highlighting the need to help improve the quality of life for those affected by autism. Recent studies found that around 80% of individuals who have autism are unemployed, so clearly more needs to be done to help and assist people into work.

'Light it up blue' is something which is taking place worldwide today, where landmarks around the world light up blue to raise awareness for autism. In London, Trafalgar square will be lit up to support the cause. Individuals are also being encouraged to 'light it up blue', at home, in school and in the office, by changing normal light bulbs to blue ones, tinting windows with gel sheets or by covering fixtures with blue gel fixtures. The 'light it up blue' logo can also be stuck up on walls, windows and buildings to help raise awareness. 

One of the main ideas of the day is to shine a light on autism and all those affected by it, and allow for the conversations to be started surrounding autism. It's also a great opportunity for people to learn a bit more about a topic which is often a bit taboo. 

In order to help raise awareness, we've got a few facts surrounding autism which you may not have been aware of before...

• Autism is identified as many as four times more often in males than in females. For asperger syndrome, which is a form of autism, the ratio is even higher, with around 10 males to every 1 female diagnosed. 
• While there has been an increase in the number of children receiving autism spectrum diagnoses, rather than mean autism is on the increase, it is more likely that the awareness and diagnosis has improved.
• Autism currently cannot be reliably diagnosed before the age of 2 years old. 
• Autism affects the ability to communicate with others, and relate to other people. People with autism often struggle in making sense of the world around them. These things can often cause high anxiety.
• People with autism struggle in social situations, namely with social communication, social interaction and social imagination, although they do like to have the company of others.
• Genetic factors play an influential role in the cause of autism
• Some individuals with autism have intellectual impairment, while others are often within, or above, the normal range.

Why not use today to brush up on your knowledge of autism, and maybe share that new information with others, to help change the view on those with autism and improve their quality of life. To get even more involved, why not join in with the 'light it up blue' movement, and use the hashtag '#LIUB' to share your pictures or posts.