A Day in the Life of Toby the Rat
Toby the Rat is Christopher’s closest friend and companion that gets taken everywhere with him throughout The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The production’s animal wrangler, Cara Kilduff, tells us what life is like for rodent and wrangler on the road.
- What is the first thing you do with Toby?
- The first thing I do with Zeus (that’s his real name; he plays the part of Toby) is open up the cage to give him morning cuddles and scratches. He looks like he’s smiling when he gets his scratches behind his ears.
- What do you think Toby likes so much about being Christopher’s companion?
- Toby adores Christopher because Christopher feeds him good rat pellets, takes excellent care of him, and thinks to include him in his space travels.
- Who does Toby look up to?
- He looks up to Christopher, obviously. Some of the adults in Christopher’s world are questionable role models. Toby is a discerning fellow. Maybe that’s why he has no lines in the play. Imagine what he would say!
- What are Zeus’ favorite things to do?
- He loves to sleep and then eat, in that order. He soaks up attention and love from his favorite people, too. Oh, and he likes to read. Mostly biographies.
- What has been the biggest highlight of being the animal wrangler?
- One would be getting the opportunity to work with rats and discovering how wonderful they are. I have also really enjoyed all the people I’ve met on the road, and I adore my crewmates and the rest of the company. Maybe the biggest thing is seeing our country, our larger cities, and the people in them, and learning that we aren’t really that different.
