Tribe Youth Theatre's latest production, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, will not only entertain audiences but provide them "an immersive experience about the world of someone who is neurodiverse", its director hopes.
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The play, which opened on Thursday, April 4, is adapted from a prize-winning mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon.
It centres on the life of 15-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone.
A keenly focused science and maths student, Christopher is on the autism spectrum.
According to director Kerry Turpie, it is not something that is spelled out.
"But that's the way he sees the world," she says.
As events cause Christopher to question his family situation, he is driven to venture out into the world to find his own answers and "tries to navigate it by himself".
The people, sounds and images he is confronted with cause him to experience sensory overload.
But he manages to succeed on his mission, Ms Turpie says.
"He manages to find his mother."
The play's narration is made up of the teenager's memories, inner voices and diary entries, and is delivered by a combination of cast members.
Another innovative aspect of the production is its use of digital projection to represent locations and action.
Because of Christopher's passion for maths there are "a lot of grids", Ms Turpie says.
"So some of the things that are projected onto the walls look like things he's drawn into a graph pad."
Casts to share on-stage duties
Two separate casts will be alternating performances of the main characters over the play's two-week run, alongside an ensemble cast who play "lots of different characters".
Among both cast and crew are some neurodiverse participants, alongside those who are "more neurotypical".
"One of the two performers playing the role of Christopher is autistic, for example," Ms Turpie says.
"So talking through ways of portraying that character and being authentic was really important."
"I'm hoping, as the director, that there will be some audience members who recognise something in themselves in the way this story is told ... and there might be some people who have a bit of a fresh view of what it's like to be neurodiverse."
The Bendigo Theatre Company youth group production, which has been in preparation and rehearsal for six months, is being staged in the newly named Patricia Lyon Black Box Theatre in Allingham Street, Golden Square.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time runs from April 4 to 14.
