THE wait is almost over. After the winter glut of pantomimes and children’s shows, serious drama returns to York from Tuesday when the National Theatre tour of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time opens at the Grand Opera House.

Adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s novel, Curious Incident follows the unpredictable path of Christopher Boone, aged 15, who is first seen standing besides Mrs Shears’ dead dog. Wellington has been speared with a garden fork and Christopher is under suspicion. Studiously, he records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who committed the murder.

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

Stephens’s stage adaptation is on a tour of 31 cities – five of them in Yorkshire – after the National Theatre’s peripatetic path through London’s theatres and the new production is in the hands of associate director Katy Rudd and movement director Scott Graham. What’s On joined them at an early rehearsal in mid-November at the National, where work on the physical elements of the ensemble piece was the immediate priority.

“The knack is making it fun in rehearsals,” said Scott. “They can be a little scared at first, which is understandable, but we jumped straight in, making sure they get physical with each other and get sweaty before they realise it. That is important as they’re all part of the same team.

“In the rehearsal room, I’m at pains to let everyone try climbing walls, as we need to be able to tell the cast members they’re fitter and stronger than they think they are.”

Teamwork is the foundation of the show. “You have to be brave to be able to perform this play, as you are putting your life in someone else’s hands,” said Katy. “So bravery is more important than any physical ability.”

Scott is the founder and artistic director of the physical theatre company Frantic Assembly and he loves the challenge of pushing actors in new directions.

“It’s a complex situation for them. What I like in a show like this is that there’s a lot for actors to learn, whereas with dancers, there’s a lot to unlearn,” he said.

“What I love is working with the actors on their physicality and then you remind them that they’re actors who must work with their bodies’ fragility. With Frantic Assembly too, I work with actors, not dancers, because I love to see them progress.”

Katy added that while Curious Incident is physically demanding, “it is psychologically very detailed too, so the acting needs to have that depth to it”. She spoke with the knowledge of having worked on the play since its first production, when she was the movement assistant.

“I am extremely passionate about this play. I really care about it and we’re still on a constant learning curve, so that’s really exciting to me,” she said. “There’s always been a new challenge, thinking ‘how can we do it better?’. That keeps me energised and I love working on it each time I do it.”

• The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time runs at the Grand Opera House, York, from January 20 to 24; also Hull New Theatre, today until Saturday; Leeds Grand Theatre, August 25 to 29. Box office: York, 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york; Hull, 01482 300300 or hullcc.gov.uk/; Leeds, 0844 848 2700 or leedsgrandtheatre.com