THEATER TALK to Welcome Creators of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Playwright Simon Stephens, Director Marianne Elliott, and Actor Alex Sharp are Guests Friday through Monday, Nov. 7 - 10 on Thirteen/PBS and CUNY TV*

The creators behind the dazzling Broadway debut of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time pay a visit to THEATER TALK to discuss the gestation of the work, based on the best-selling novel by Mark Haddon and winner of London's Olivier Award for the National Theatre production that opened in 2013.

Playwright Simon Stephens, director Marianne Elliott (Tony Award-winner for War Horse) and the play's lead actor, Alex Sharp, explain how they worked together to dramatize the book, utilizing brilliant dramaturgy plus the rich resources of stagecraft available today (as well as scenic and costume designer Bunny Christie's inventive imagination) to make the play come alive. The story is about a 15-year-old boy who, though it is not specified, appears to be on the Autism spectrum. It charts his detective work, beginning with looking for the killer of a neighbor's dog and leading him to discover a number of devastating truths.

Sharp, a recent Julliard graduate and major "find" for the lead in the Broadway production, speaks of the challenges of the role, which has him on stage for the entire play. These include portraying physical tics and behavioral peculiarities that prove to be the stuff of stardom for this young actor.

The latest edition of THEATER TALK, co-hosted by Michael Riedel of the New York Post and producer Susan Haskins, premieres in the New York metropolitan area on Friday, November 7 (2014) at 1 AM (early Saturday morning) on Thirteen/PBS, with repeats on CUNY TV* on Saturday 11/8 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 11/9 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 11/10 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.

THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York in Manhattan and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The TDF/TAP Plus Program, The CUNY TV Foundation and The Friends of THEATER TALK.

*CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast over-the-air in the New York metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3, and cablecast in the five boroughs of New York City on Ch. 75 (Time Warner and Optimum Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). The show is available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org, and via iTunes podcasts.