Dramatic Devices

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Dramatic Devices

Throughout the play, Stephens uses different dramatic techniques to help the audience experience the world from Christopher’s point of view – to dramatise the interior of Christopher Boone’s brain.

Siobhan used as a narrator

At times, Siobhan reads aloud from Christopher’s notebook, allowing us to hear Christopher’s thoughts.

Flashbacks

Stephens uses flashbacks to show us key moments from Christopher’s past, usually about his mother, Judy.
- For example, Christopher remembers his mother at the beach trying to encourage him to get in the water. It shows Judy trying to give Christopher as ‘normal’ a childhood as possible.
- Christopher also remembers his father telling him that his mother is dead. This flashback shows us Christopher’s lack of emotion when he hears the news.

Appearances

At times, characters ‘appear’ on stage even though they are not physically present in the scene.
- For example, Ed ‘appears’ and guides Christopher on to the London Tube even though he's actually in Swindon and does not know his son is in London.
- Siobhan also ‘appears’ at key moments - e.g. helping Christopher to calm down during the exam.

Significance of the appearances

These ‘appearances’ show how Christopher is using the coping strategies Ed and Siobhan have taught him: in remembering their advice, it is as if they are present with Christopher as he faces these challenges.

Direct address

Christopher speaks directly to the audience at the end of the play. This is another sign that he is becoming more confident and independent.

Dramatic Devices

Stage design

The stage in most productions is designed to look like a grid from a Maths exercise book. This helps us to see how Christopher ‘sees’ the world, almost like a mathematical problem which needs to be solved. The grid acts as a map of Christopher’s mind, allowing the audience to see his mental processes.

Lighting

Lighting is used to light up ‘routes’ or project words on to the stage.
In the final ‘Maths appendix’ scene, lighting is used to create the right-angled triangle which forms the basis for the difficult problem in his Maths A-level exam paper.
This use of lighting again makes Christopher’s ‘thought processes’ visible to an audience.

Movement and dance

Simon Stephens has described the way Christopher thinks as “balletic” (like a ballet), highlighting the grace and strange beauty of his thought processes.
At key moments in the play, Christopher and other cast members move in dance-like patterns and rhythms, for example when Christopher boards the Tube train in London.

Voices

Stephens uses pre-recorded voices which call out the names of all the signs and announcements Christopher can see and hear.
This helps us to experience how confused and overloaded Christopher feels by all the new sights and sounds.