The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of seeing The Bergen County Players do The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. My friend, Nick Nappo, not only co-produced but actedd in this production which is about young boy with autism determined to find out all the mysteries in his life- like who killed the neighbors dog? And is his mother really dead? And if not,why did she leave? Along the way, he learns several key things about himself like how to be independent, how to stick up for what’s right and how capable he is. 

Nick, who played several parts in the show such as the Man In Socks, has been acting since he was in kindergarten. “My first show was in Kindergarten – I played “the little dog who laughed” in Mother Goose Tales.My first formal production was in 4 th grade, and I continued acting

through high school, college, and now, into adulthood!” That’s a long way to go but maybe that is the reason he is so talented. “Curious is the fourth show I’ve produced at Bergen County Players, and my fifth show overall. I was asked to produce it by the director, Alyson Cohn, early last year when I was still working on Barbecue, which was the first-ever show I produced”

When asked what exactly a producer does, Nick said “Producers basically handle all the back-end operations of a production. They have their hands in just about everything, from bringing on designers and crew, ensuring the execution of the production’s design aspects, managing the production’s budget, overseeing the marketing effort, gathering materials for the program, and working toensure the show runs smoothly from tech week to closing. It’s really a lot of correspondence. Most of what I do is through email and phone calls, to be honest. It’s

about moving things along in every area and making sure all aspects of the production

are coordinated and running on schedule with little to no hiccups”

But as I mentioned before Nick wasn’t just producing. “I was originally just supposed to produce. During auditions, however, I would step in to read when we didn’t have enough male-identifying performers, and the more I read, the more it became apparent that I was a good fit for the production. Alyson was like,“He’s perfect!” But at the time, I didn’t feel I was quite ready to get back on stage,having focused my energy on producing over the past year. I told her, “No, no, I’m not ready to get back on stage yet. You asked me to produce, and that’s what I’m going to

do.” But as the weeks went by and we couldn’t find anyone to fill that last role, I

decided to join the cast. Producing isn’t merely accomplishing tasks for the production;

it’s about helping to ensure the execution of the director’s vision. And if I hadn’t

stepped into the role, meaning the role would’ve been divided between Jan and Mark

(the other two actors in the ensemble), it wouldn’t have been the show Alyson set out

to direct, or the show I set out to produce. I also realized that I was very uniquely

suited to fill that role. The “Voices” in the show require the portrayal of multiple distinct

characters. It requires versatility and agility, not to mention a knack for a variety of

Accents” Oh yeah, the show takes place in Britain. 

As I mentioned before, one of the show’s themes is autism. I was wowed by the main character Christopher (played by Tom Kiely). He did an amazing job portraying someone with autism. Nick says “Having known several autistic people throughout my life, I feel there’s a lot of accuracy

in how Christopher is portrayed, both in the book and the play. One central characteristic of autism is difficulty knowing how to read and respond to the emotions

of others, as well as the nuances of human interaction overall. That’s absolutely

Christopher. I’ve also known autistic people that are very intelligent in other ways, just

like Christopher. With regards to Tom’s portrayal of the character, I feel that it’s a

much more realistic depiction of autism than even the actors I’ve seen play the role on

Broadway, London, and professionally. I think the biggest facet of his portrayal of

Christopher that resonates with me is his constant inability to look people in the eye

when he’s talking to them. I have a close friend who’s autistic, and the first time I

watched Tom when he read for us, I immediately thought, “That’s my friend.”

I asked Nick what his favorite and least favorite parts of producing were. “Producing is a fabulous way to have a vested interest in a production without having to be at rehearsal every night. It’s incredibly gratifying to see the finished show and know that you played a significant role in overseeing it to completion. But it can often be challenging to assemble a strong design team and bring on volunteers for the crew that are competent and available for all performances. There may be some technical challenges you have to face, depending on the production. This was certainly the case with Curious Incident, as there were many projections, lights and sound that needed to be executed.”

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His favorite thing about producing Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime? “We have an amazing group of actors that are talented, versatile, and above all, kind,

and a pleasure to work with. It’s been such a joy to produce a show with such

wonderful people involved.”

When I asked Nick his plans for the future he told me “After this show, I’m taking a well-needed break from theatre to focus on other things. Especially with summer coming, it’ll be nice to have more free time!” After producing such a touching and visceral show, he really does deserve a break.