Arundel Players in action with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Arundel Players artistic director Stuart Smithers has masterminded a refurbishment of the bar and entrance area: “We're going to have a new carpet and new furniture as well. It will be lovely. It is looking cleaner and smarter and brighter.”

Audiences will get their first glimpse of it at The Curious Incident, which will be directed by Stuart’s wife Dawn Smithers who is the Arundel Players chairman. With a change of the original director for personal reasons with just five weeks to go, Dawn stepped in – and she is confident a great show is shaping up.

“I had seen the show in London but I didn't know it very well so I had to hit the ground running but my cast have been so, so supportive and really lovely. I felt I had to do it. We didn't want to go dark, and I have been directing for 35 years. I had a look at the script and I've changed a few things and I spoke to the cast. They have just been so supportive and everyone has rallied around. It's been a really good experience. We had sold out on the Saturday night five weeks in advance so we had to go ahead but the cast has been so cooperative and so helpful.

“As I say, I've changed a few things but they've taken that on board and I think it's going to go really well. It's all about teamwork. It's not me and it's not them. It's everyone working on the show that is making the difference.”

As Stuart says, a key part of it is the projections: “And we have managed to get the rights to use the projected images from a professional production. We have not used projections to any great extent in Arundel before so it's a bit of a learning curve, but it will be good.”

Tickets are available on 07523 41792, with performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, written by Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens, running from April 7-12 at 7.30pm.

In the piece, Christopher, 15 years old, stands beside Mrs Shears’ dead dog. It has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington.

He has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths, but he is ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. But Christopher’s detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that turns his world upside-down.

As Stuart says: “It is more than just a story. It is about the way that an autistic person sees the world and makes sense the world. He wouldn't understand things like irony or sarcasm. He takes things at face value which sometimes isn't exactly what is meant…”