UWM’s Peck School of the Arts: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an award winning play by Simon Stephens based on a novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. It is a multi-faceted theatrical gem.

Christopher is the protagonist here, a 15 year old math genius who is somewhere on the autism spectrum. And one night just before midnight, he discovers that his neighbors dog has been killed by being stabbed with a pitchfork. While surveying the incident and mourning the loss of the dog, he is discovered by the neighbor who, of course, immediately suspects him. Christopher decides to become a detective for the moment in investigate Wellington’s death (that’s the dog) and discover the person who murdered him. His father forbids it. But Christopher determines that it is the right thing to do and continues on his quest anyway. And the drama begins…

The deeper subjects of the play are readily apparent in the text and actions on stage. Of course there are the stories around family and neighborhood and village…but we go on to get a glimpse into how people with autism perceive the world around them…and how the world around them reacts to them…there are myriads of subtle cues. But Christopher steps completely outside his comfort zone and shows remarkable focus and bravery, a positive message for all of us.

We have two Christophers here. Zane Kurs for the first half and then Skylar Staebler post intermission. Both young actors personified the goals and struggles that Christopher exhibited in his quest. The only quibble I have here is Kurs speech was lost or indecipherable at times in his efforts to adopt an English accent.

Despite not being the focus of the play, for me, I see Christopher’s dad, Ed, as the most dynamic character in the play. Played by Gabe Rodriguez, Ed swings from doting father, to demanding father, to angry spouse, to a confused and desperate adult in the just that moment’s notice that the play requires.

One other actor that I’d like to single out is Autumn G. Gill as Siobhan. Siobahn is Christopher’s personal support staff and mentor at the special school he attends. Gill is remarkable in providing the stable support and empathetic help he needs to find his way.

Christopher’s mother, Judy, is lovingly played by Mikaela Bowers. We don’t get to meet her directly until late in the play, but Bowers brings out a loving and protective mother who despite her feelings doesn’t quite always know how to react to Christopher’s needs.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has dozens of other characters who a played by an ensemble of remarkable young actors. Each one of them has to assume a number of roles (that is the way the script is written), from policeman, to principal, to a number of neighbors, to strangers on the street and train, to train station staff.

Director Ralph Janes is presenting this play in the round, using the Mainstage Theatre’s thrust for most of the action. In addition, a fair amount of technology is involved. Large screens are set up around the theater and behind the proscenium, as well as a half dozen monitors just about the stage. These were used to project scenic bits at times, like the train station that Christopher is looking for, and other times, video shots taken by ensemble actors with handheld cameras in the pit or the camera mounted to Christopher’s chest. I found these a bit confusing and distracting. If they were meant to signal the confusion that Christopher experiences outside his normal world, well maybe. But I think the action that Janes choreographed on stage with the cast was far more effective and deserved our full attention.

A better use of technology here might have been mics on the actors.

As I write this there are only two more performances….tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow, May 4, 2025 for a 2 PM matinee. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is being performed on the Mainstage Theatre in the Theatre Building at 2400 E Kenwood Blvd (just west of Mitchell Hall and North of Mellencamp Hall).

Ticket Information Here!

Extra Credit Reading: The Program is here.

The Wood Engravers’ Network’s Fifth Triennial exhibition at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Everyone who has spent any time enjoying the visual arts is familiar with woodcuts. They are often very warm and tactile and inviting prints traditionally printed in black ink but often done in color in the last hundred years or so. Woodcuts are made by carving away the parts of a wood block that the artist wants to show as white, the negative spaces in the image. And the carving is done with any number of different knives or gouges or chisels in the plank grain or long grain of the wood…the softer side. And then the ink is applied to the remaining raised surface, a sheet of paper is laid over the block, and the entire thing is run through a press to transfer the ink from block to paper.

But now the Emil H. Mathis gallery at UWM is featuring the Wood Engravers’ Network’s Fifth Triennial exhibition. So this is a real opportunity to delve into wood engravings which are similar but they are not the same as a woodcut. A wood engraving is carved in the end grain of a piece of wood, the cross cut side for those carpenters out there. And then that piece is finished to a very fine surface and tinted before the drawing is transferred to the block or in some cases actually drawn on the block. The tools used in engraving are far smaller, far sharper, and very fine compared to those used in woodcuts. That is required because of the harder surface in the end grain wood. But the advantage of these fine tools and the harder wood surface is a medium that exhibits far more detail and far more possibilities for tints, shading, and other subtleties. Once completed the block is printed a similar fashion to a woodcut but the prints will generally be smaller because the end grain pieces of wood are smaller to start with.

The Wood Engravers’ Network’s Fifth Triennial exhibition was juried by Max Yela, the Head of Special Collections at the Golda Meir Library at UWM. He has selected a marvelous collection of 60 engravers from an international array of artists. So subject matter and technique and genre run the gamut of the possibilities of wood engraving. Now let’s step into the 21st Century a bit and realize that the woods most sought after for engraving have become more scarce and far more expensive. So there are now a number of synthetic surfaces in use including corian for example, a product similar to corian counter tops. So you will see a few prints using these new materials as well.

So if you are not familiar with wood engravings or not quite sure how they differ from woodcuts, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the medium. And as an extra bonus Yela has also included a few books and engravings from UWM’s Special Collections as a counterpoint. This is a rare chance to see some of these items as well.

The show is free and open to the public but the gallery has limited hours: 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM, Monday through Thursday. The show continues through May 1, 2025. The Emil H Mathis gallery is located on the ground floor of Mitchell Hall, room 170, at 3203 N Downer Avenue, the north west corner of Downer Ave. and Kenwood Ave.

And now a few of my favorites…and an attempt to lure you into the gallery. I apologize for some of the funny angles, I was trying my best to reduce glare (and the reflection of my red overcoat):

Rebecca Gilbert, The Widow (self portrait), wood engraving and letterpress, image 2.5 x 3 inches
Christoper Register, Gingrich from the Scoundrel’s Series, Resingrave, 5 x 5 inches
Abigail Rorer, The Madonna Tree, relief engraving, 6 5/8 x 5 inches
James Todd, Masters of War, wood engraving, 12 x 16 inches
Blaze Cyan, A Complicated Life, wood engraving, 5.9 x 3.9 inches

And here’s two from the UWM Special Collections:

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, wood engravings by artist Barry Moser
The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, a facsimile of William Morris’ 1896 Kelmscott Press printing.

PSA: Dames At Sea @UWM’s Peck School of the Arts

UWM Department of Theatre Presents : Dames At Sea
March 5-9, 2025 – Fine Arts Theatre Building – Mainstage Theatre
Book & Lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller   
Music by Jim Wise
Directed by Sheri Williams Pannell
Musical Direction by Donna Kummer
Choreography by Abigail McBee and Sophia Roth
The show that launched Bernadette Peters as a Broadway star, this delightful, funny, tongue-in-cheek love letter to Hollywood musicals of the 1930s tells the story of sweet Ruby’s journey from her small hometown to New York City to become a Broadway star. There, she meets Dick, a sailor with ambitions as a songwriter. In grand Hollywood fashion, they tap dance their way from the chorus to stardom on the deck of a passing battleship. Dames at Sea is a non-stop ride of romance, laughs, dance and musical delights.

For more information and to order tickets, click here!