When the audience entered the Little Theater for “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,” they were greeted by an abstract set filled with white boxes and, center stage, a stuffed dead dog with a pitchfork sticking out of it.

The play–the final production of the school year for Oak Park and River Forest High School’s theater department–ran May 8, 9, 14, and 15.

The script is based on the bestselling 2003 novel by Mark Haddon about a boy who investigates the death of his neighbor’s dog. The theatrical adaptation of the book, by Simon Stephens, premiered in London in 2012.

The play follows 15-year-old Christopher Boone, played by junior Oliver Schnizlein, as he writes a book to document his thoughts and emotions throughout his work on solving the mystery of the dead dog.

Though neither the book nor the play give Christopher a formal diagnosis, they portray him as an inquisitive and realistic person who is neurodivergent. He is mistreated and reprimanded by the other characters for his differences, suspended in a world that is difficult for him to navigate because it isn’t as kind to minds that function differently.

“He could potentially be perceived as like careless, but I think deep down he does have a care…he literally is going on this murder mystery because of a dead dog,” said Schnizlein.

At the entrance of the Little Theater, audience members were handed a pamphlet on neurodivergency explaining that although the play does not directly state that Christopher is neurodivergent, it still explores how thinking differently affects his actions throughout the play.

The abstract set consisted mostly of white boxes, and in many scenes the boxes were moved around to change a scene or reflect Christopher’s thoughts. The story is nonlinear. “It jumps in both time and place and perspective as well, and so I think it’s great to like collaborate on pieces that require us to think literally and metaphorically,” said director Avi Lessing, an English teacher.

On stage, Christopher’s story is narrated by Siobhan, his teacher, played by senior Ellie Shea. The cast also includes his father (Will O’Connell), his mother (Anna Kunkle) and a wide variety of additional roles played by an ensemble of six actors.

They played a major part in expressing Christopher’s emotions by assuming abstract poses. For example, they mimicked some of Christopher’s movements or waved their hands in a manner to emphasize intense emotions.

“We’re like amplifying the scene… it’s kind of like this abstract version of ensemble that is just like there to help tell the story,” said sophomore ensemble member Tessa Pruden.

Actors even delivered some of their lines offstage while in-between the seats of audience members.

The play shifts from Christopher investigating the dog’s murder to then investigating his own familial issues due to his father’s tense mood—revealing buried secrets and delving further into family drama.

For the audience in the Little Theater, the play delivered plenty of surprises – including a cameo by Griff, OPRF’s facility dog, who came onstage at the end when Christopher receives a dog as a gesture of healing and forgiveness.

The audience responded with a loud “Awww,” one of several moments that prompted audible reactions during the evening.

“I do hope that audiences will kind of come away with the ability to reexamine how they might think about neurodivergence, and like how they treat the neurodivergent people in their lives,” said senior ensemble member Rowan Neville.