Audition information for
Wait Until Dark

A thriller-mystery by Frederick Knott

SUN & MON  -  August  15 & 16,  2010  -  7:00 PM  to  9:00 PM

CAST:  6 men, 1 woman, and 1 child
SUSY Hendrix - a young lady who is blind
SAM Hendrix her husband - a pro photographer
GLORIA - a neighbor girl who is 8 or 10 years old, but a real smart kid
3 sinister men:  TALLMAN,  CARLINO, and  ROAT, who invade this household, making dire threats
2 New York policemen, who only appear in the last scene of the play

BACKSTAGE WORKERS ARE NEEDED!
If you would like to participate in our theatre, contact us now!
We need people to assist in set construction, and the many backstage activities that make a play possible.

Contacts:
DIRECTOR                              PRODUCER
David Siskin                            Robert Montgomery
Phone:  373-5880                     Phone:  373-6330

What's the plot?
This is a very dramatic mystery/thriller by an author famous for this type of play.
 
The scene is the basement apartment of Susy & Sam Hendrix, a couple only recently married, and living on a small income. The apartment is located in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. Sometime before the action of the play starts Sam Hendrix accepted a child's doll to bring back to New York as a present for a little girl in a hospital. At the start of the play, three drug smugglers are looking for this doll which contains their stash of drugs. Unknown to everyone, the doll has been picked up by the little girl neighbor.

When the show starts these "uglies" are looking for this missing doll, and it becomes obvious that they are capable of murder to get what they want. Susy is blind, and when she realizes what they want, she and the little girl contrive to shut off all the lights. Now when the chief menace returns, he finds the place totally blacked-out. Susy has evened the field, and now in the dark, she is the one who knows where everything is located.   This results in one of the most terrifying scenes in any play, as, in the dark, Roat, the drug dealer, is stalking Susy, but they are in the dark, and this is now Susy's world.  She  is the one who "sees" in the blackout.

Character/Age/Lines

Mike Tallman/25-35/335 - He is one of the "crooks" who invade this apartment.  He tries to be a nice guy, but it is probably just an act. He has done prison time, and is capable of doing some very nasty things if he thinks it is necessary or expedient. He is really looking for a stash of illegal drugs that are hidden in a childs doll. He is obviously an experienced criminal.
 

Sgt. Carlino/25-35/174 - The second of this trio of "crooks" who come into this apartment and has also done prison time for some
nefarious crimes. He and Tallman have worked together as confidence men as well as in thievery. He also pretends to be a police officer with the NYPD, investigating a theft and murder.

Harry Roat/25-60/274 - Mr. Roat is really the head "menace" in this play. We never know who he really is - but he does pretend to be
his own father in one scene. He is actually a vicious psycho, and  even kills his own associates. He appears willing to do any mean, vicious thing to get what he wants. In the final scene he is actually stalking and trying to murder Susy. 

Susy Hendrix/20-30/563 - Is the real resident in this apartment. A year or two before the play starts, Susy was in an accident and as a result became blind. She is still learning how to navigate in a blacked-out world. Susy appears cheerful in spite of this, and is learning to live with things as they are. In the end, she manages to outsmart the clever thugs by taking advantage of her ability to move about in the dark. 

Sam Hendrix/25-35/61 - Is Susy's husband (of a little over a year).  He was a US Marine, and is now a professional photographer. He does much of his photo processing here in this apartment, but also has a studio in a building farther uptown in New York City. He goes off on a photo shoot during most of the play. But he is involved in the final thriller scene at the end of the play.

Gloria/8-10/132 - Is a nine-year-old girl living in an apartment upstairs and is a frequent visitor to Susy's place. Gloria is much   
more "street-wise" and aggressive than usual for her age. She is a regular helper for Susy, and turns out to be her best assistant when things get tough with the menacing visitors. We need someone who looks 10 years old but can be a real actress in this very suspenseful thriller.
 
Policeman (2)/any age/5-6 - There are 2 New York Police officers who arrive during the last 5 minutes of the play, and help clean-up the mess. Their only job is to arrest the guilty, protect the innocent, and look official.   

For information about characters call Director David Siskin at 360.  373.5152 or Producer Robert Montgomery at 360.373.6330.

Action takes place in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City
TIME:  About 1967 or 1968

Auditions: Sunday & Monday. August 15 & 16,  2010 
Time: 7:00 p.m.  to  9:00 p.m. at the theatre (599 Lebo Blvd)     Performances: Oct 29  to  Nov 21, 2010 
12 performances  
Fridays & Saturdays   8:00 p.m., Sundays  2:30 p.m.