BYC’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ shines light on autism

CEBU, Philippines — On paper, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” may read like a whodunit. But that’s beside the main point in this coming-of-age tale of a teenager on the autism spectrum.

In Broadway Youth Cebu’s (BYC) staging of the British play adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Mark Haddon, young Cebuano thespian Kylie Casil plays Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome from Swindon, England. He investigates the murder of his neighbor’s dog, who was speared by a garden fork. He is determined to solve the mystery despite his father’s objections.

Throughout this two-hour play, the mystery behind the killed canine is a catalyst for Boone in his self-discovery. In fact, audiences get to know who killed the dog at the end of the first act – showing that Boone is the main subject of this play.

He goes through a personal journey filled with revelations about himself, his relationships with his parents, and the people around him, including his compassionate teacher, all while waiting for the chance to take his A-level tests, as he is a mathematics whiz.

BYC is the first Philippine stage company to mount the play in the country. “The Curious Incident” premiered in the West End in 2012, then played on Broadway in 2014. Their shows here ran from February 8-9 at the University of the Philippines Cebu’s Performing Arts Hall.

BYC’s productions last year included the journalism-focused “Lifespan of a Fact” and the youth production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, led by students from its 2024 Summer Musical Theater Workshop Production.

Much like its source material, the critically acclaimed play aims to depict the nuances of a young individual in the autism spectrum placed in extraordinary circumstances.

“After we did ‘Lifespan of a Fact’, I was wondering what play has an important topic we can tackle next,” said director Allan Nazareno, who directed the play with Clariza Mae Sevilla. “I remember that I saw this show both on the West End and in Hong Kong, and I thought, ‘Let’s do ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’”

The timing of its production came at a perfect time for BYC as it received accreditation from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) to train aspiring actors in musical theater in an eight-month course before they take their LAMDA  exams this June. They are the first and only certified LAMDA center in the Philippines.

“BYC’s mission statement is to prepare Cebuano talents for global opportunities. We choose material that our students can use as part of their training and their résumé as actors. That’s why we only do English material because this is something employers outside the Philippines are familiar with,” Nazareno added.

Part of the ensemble cast with Casil in the lead was Choi Castellano and Catrina Suarez as Christopher’s parents, Ed and Judy; Yalena Achacoso as Christopher’s teacher Siobhan; Marlinda Angbetic-Tan as his neighbor Mrs. Alexander; Maj Custodio and Eli Angela Cartagenas as Mr. and Mrs. Shears, the latter being the owner of the late dog; Megan Bedonia as Mrs. Gascoyne; Louise Ladera as a station officer; Kjaran Dalay as one of Christopher’s neighbors; and Chriderick Borga as Mr. Thompson.

The story is undeniably British, with specific slang references such as the Tube, referring to the London Underground trains. Because of this, the Cebuano cast was required to deliver their dialogue in a British accent, which they prepared for by watching British films and series and doing tongue twisters in the accent as part of their warm-ups during their eight to ten weeks of rehearsals.

“I was initially against our actors using British accents because, in my point of view, the Cebuano audience already had trouble with us speaking in regular American English in ‘The Lifespan of a Fact.’ What more if we added a heavier accent?” Sevilla said.

“But Sir Allan really fought for the accent because he wanted our staging to stay as authentic to the material as possible since it’s decidedly British, with the locales of Swindon and London playing significant parts in the story,” she added.

There’s an added challenge for its lead actor, Casil, who portrayed a neurodivergent character accurately.

“It’s all about research and getting your facts right because it’s so easy to get acquainted with the stereotypical portrayal of autistic people. But when you tackle a character like Christopher, you have to realize that his struggles are real to him and to the people around him,” Casil explained.

“I breathed life into Christopher by centering on his basic needs because every person with autism does need love, care, compassion, and a level of understanding.”

As the show is told from Christopher’s diary, Achacoso also had the challenge of reading his entries as one of the play’s narrators when Christopher isn’t speaking.

“The book I was holding to read from Christopher’s entries is actually blank, so I had to memorize every single word verbatim,” shared Achacoso, who is one of BYC’s LAMDA trainees. “I prepared by reading and understanding my material. Anyone who has a lot of long dialogues needs to internalize the story, not just memorize the lines alone.”

She also based her interpretation of Siobhan on her observations when she visited a Montessori school that hosted autistic children as their students.

“I used my observations on the teachers and how they approach these kids, which is how I prepared for the role,” she added.

While it may be unapologetically British in its tone, the production hoped that its message would resonate with the Cebu audience and as a result, have a renewed perception toward those on the autism spectrum.

“Some may think that special people can’t function well in society, but when they receive enough care and intervention, they can actually cohabitate among us,” Sevilla said. “This is our way of raising awareness toward neurodivergents. Just because they think differently doesn’t mean they should be ostracized by society.”

“People with autism experience the world differently from us,” added Casil. “I wanted to be as truthful as I could to Christopher, even though I am not autistic myself.”

BYC’s next production is a stage adaptation of “Frozen”, albeit led by a younger cast called “Frozen Jr.”, which will be staged from August 1 to 3. They are authorized to conduct the stage version of the Disney blockbuster flick with special arrangement with Music Theater International.

Similar to BYC’s staging of “Beauty and the Beast” last year, its cast and crew will consist of students from this year’s Summer Musical Theater Workshop.

While the directors can’t disclose much, Nazareno teased, “We will have projections, LED screens, and puppetry, things that Cebuano audiences may not have seen together in a play before.”

One significant highlight among stage productions of “Frozen” is the dress transformation while Elsa sings “Let It Go”, where the dress completely changes on stage much like in the film.

Sevilla was coy on how they will execute the scene, stating, “We have an idea how that dress transformation will work, but we will keep it a secret for now. What I can say is that Sir Allan told me how we’re going to execute it, and I am quite excited.”

BYC is currently accepting a new batch of young students for their 2025 Summer Musical Theater Workshop. Early bird registration started on February 14 and will run until March 15, with general registration from March 16 to April 5. Accepted students will be announced on April 7. Applicants may refer to BYC’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/broadwayyouthcebu) for more details.