Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens, National Theatre Platform

Author Mark Haddon and playwright Simon Stephens discuss their joint project: the transformation of best-selling book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time into a hit stage show.

Mark Haddon...

Before his hugely successful and highly praised 2003 novel Haddon was best known as an author of children’s books. His Agent Z series featured a trio of schoolboys who play practical jokes under the guise of the eponymous moniker. 

But Curious Incident…, Haddon’s first book for adults -- brought the author international acclaim. It won multiple awards for its unique and touching first-person narrative told from the perspective of a teenage boy with “some behavioural difficulties” - commonly received as a form of autism.

As well as winning the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book and the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Prize, the book won accolades in the category of teen and adolescent fiction. 

Simon Stephens...

Playwright Simon Stephens won an Olivier Award for Best New Play ( On the Shore of The Wide World)  in 2005. His plays have been performed across the country in venues including the Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic and the National Theatre. His version of  Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard  is at the Young Vic this Autumn. 

A Dazzling Collaboration...

Stephens’ adaptation of Haddon’s book was also a huge success. Staged first at the National Theatre - before being transferred to the West End at the Apollo - the production won a record seven Laurence Olivier Awards, including one for Best New Play.

While being highly praised for the central performance of actor Luke Treadaway, it was also acclaimed for its innovative set design, lighting and sound- winning Olivier Awards in all those categories.

As a result of the Apollo Theatre’s temporary closure due to a partial roof collapse, the play was moved to the Gielgud Theatre where it will remain from this July until February 2015.

Haddon and Stephens will discuss the production’s journey from conception to its current run in the West End.