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The ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University Department of Theatre and Dance presents their first production of the fall semester, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephen. The production, which will run October 5-7 and 11-13, will be guest produced by Carolyn Johnson.

Johnson, who returns to the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ stage this season, is an Equity actress, singer, director, dialect and acting coach with more than 25 years of professional experience. She has directed for professional and academic productions; most recently, Panto Wonderful Wizard for Stages Repertory Theatre (Houston Press Best Musical Nomination), and has performed with numerous theatres in Houston, Prague, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Recent roles include Romeo & Juliet for Prague Shakespeare Company (Lady Capulet), Trevor for Catastrophic Theatre (Sandra), and Luna Gale for Stages Repertory Theatre (Caroline), for which she won the 2017 Houston Press Best Actress Award.

“I know this show very well and it is very different from anything I have directed — which also means it’s challenging. It’s pretty complex and I thought it would be a good teaching opportunity,” stated Johnson.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time takes place in the year 1998 in and around the town of Swindon, England. The 15 year-old narrator of the story, Christopher John Francis Boone, discovers the slain body of his neighbor’s poodle, Wellington, on the neighbor’s front lawn one evening and sets out to uncover the murderer. His investigation is at times aided, and at other times hampered, by the mild form of autism he lives with. After Christopher hits a policeman in a misunderstanding at the scene of the crime, the police take Christopher into custody. They release Christopher with only a stern warning, under the condition that he promises to them and to his father not to look into the murder any further.

Tickets for the show are $15 for general admission, $10 for students and senior citizens and $7 for ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ students. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.lamar.edu/theatredance.