One of the things that I enjoy the most about The College at Brockport is its location. Not only does the college offer many opportunities for entertainment on campus, the village has great restaurants, shops, Wegmans, and a movie theatre all within walking distance. Downtown Rochester is within a 30 minute drive as well, which provides a multitude of additional possibilities for fun.

One of my favorite venues is the Auditorium Theatre. I take advantage of attending every Rochester Broadway Theatre League production that I am able to; I have never been disappointed in the past, and last week was no exception. I attended the National Theatre Production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a play based on Mark Haddon’s novel of the same name. The story follows a 15 year old boy with Autism as he deals with an incident and the aftermath.

Although I have not had a chance to read the novel yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the rendition of the story that the play provided. I have previously read articles on autism and the sensory overload that autistic people experience, but this visual encounter was so well done that it allowed me a deeper understanding of what I have read.

The set was simple and with typically few focal points, but held the capability of producing high amounts of sensory stimulation with detailed grids, light and sound effects. It allowed the audience to experience the escalation to hypervigilance that a person with autism may encounter in similar situations. When the main character became overwhelmed, he would cover his ears, close his eyes and curl up in a fetal position on the floor. The main character’s father in the play remained calm in most every situation, and portrayed well the type of support system needed in the conditions acted out.

The play was well done, educational and in the end entertaining. I feel that I walked away with a better understanding of the difficulties encountered by a person with autism, and will be able to offer a more proactive, responsive rather than reactive, way to an autistic person in need. I highly recommend seeing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.