FARMINGTON — This fall, the University of Maine at Farmington brings to the campus stage the multi-award-winning Broadway play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.” It is a stage adaptation by Simon Stephens based on the best-selling book of the same name by Mark Haddon.

Performances for this 2015 Tony Award winner for Best Play are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, Oct. 18-20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in UMF Alumni Theater.

Theatre UMF, the on-campus student theatre organization, is one of the first theatre groups in Maine to produce this record-breaking play. During its premiere run in London, it tied the record for winning the most Olivier Awards. Recently on Broadway, it won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play in addition to the Tony Award for Best Play, among others.

Directed by Jayne Decker, UMF director of theatre, the story revolves around Christopher Boone, an extraordinary young man who discovers the body of his neighbor’s dog. A gifted mathematician, Boone is a bit of an outsider who sees the world in a different way. He is soon under suspicion and embarks on a journey to unravel the truth and in the process finds some answers for himself.

“I am always looking for a play that will challenge our students in a new way. This production does that on many levels,” said Decker. “In addition to learning a proper British dialect, many members of the all-student cast will be playing more than one role. It’s always a thrill to see them rise to the challenge.”

An award-winning playwright, Decker has directed numerous productions at UMF Alumni Theater. Her production, “Coyote on a Fence,” was awarded a Moss Hart Memorial Award by the New England Theatre Conference, New England’s oldest and largest regional theatre association. Her other directorial work includes Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” George Brant’s “Elephant’s Graveyard,” the musicals “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Oliver!” and productions of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

She has also presented workshop productions of her original plays “Good Medicine;” “Stars Falling,” winner of the 2002 Maine Playwriting Award; “Jelly Moonshine;” and “Songbird,” a touring play about the Iraq War. “Cracked Shells,” an original play by Decker about domestic violence, was commissioned by Franklin County Network’s Peace in Our Families and was featured again at the 2009 Maine Women’s Studies Conference.

The cast includes (students’ names include hometowns): Siobhan, Sophie Hendrix (Gorham); Christopher, Jonas Maines (Portland); Ed, Ian Grima (Rockland); and Judy, Hailey Craig (Trenton). The ensemble, those playing multiple roles, includes: Chloe Hoecker (Boothbay Harbor); Eli Mowry (Kennebunk); Sophia Cardullo (Saco); Josh Grant (Livermore); Simoane Lowell (Clinton); and Brock Bubar (Etna).

Crew members include: Jayne Decker, director; Stan Spilecki, scenic and lighting designer; Michael Diffin, sound design; Tonner Hann, original animation; Dan “Tree” Robbins, dialect coach; Hope Lash (Waldoboro), stage manager; Billie-Rose Newby (Machiasport), assistant stage manager; Jessica Leibowitz (Pittsfield), major props design; and Steffon Gales (Roxbury, Mass.), assistant to the director. Costumes are created by Declan Attaway-Murphy (Portland), Ben Hayes (Berwick) and Samantha Wood (Franklin, N.H.).

Tickets for the performance are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for students with ID. Tickets are available at the time of the performance and can be reserved by calling the Theatre UMF box office at 207-778-7465.

Theatre UMF students in fall production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.” (Photo courtesy of UMF)

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