Wait Until Dark

By Frederick Knott, 

a mystery/drama  

Casting 5-6 men, 2 women, 1 preteen/early teen girl. No experience necessary.

Auditions will be a cold readings from the script. 

Character Breakdown

Susy Hendrix (female, late 20s to early 30s): A blind woman who becomes the target of a dangerous con. Despite her disability, Susy is resourceful, brave, and determined to outsmart her adversaries. 

Sam Hendrix (male, late 20s to early 40s): Susy’s husband and a photographer. He is caring and protective of Susy but also becomes embroiled in the dangerous situation involving the con artists. 

Mike Talman (male, late 20s to early 40s): A charming yet deceptive conman who poses as an old friend of Sam’s. 

Carlino (male, late 20s to early 40s): Mike’s partner in crime. He is a rough and aggressive ex-convict who is willing to resort to violence to achieve his goals. 

Gloria (female, preteen to early teen): A young girl who lives in the same building as Susy and Sam. She befriends Susy and becomes entangled in the dangerous events unfolding in their apartment building. 

Harry Roat, Jr. (male, late 20s to early 40s): The true antagonist of the story, Roat is a cold and calculating criminal with a sinister agenda. He is the mastermind behind the scheme to trick Susy. He manipulates the other characters to achieve his nefarious goals. 

Police Officer (any age, may be double cast as Drug Dealer): One (or more) policemen who become involved in the investigation of the criminal activities surrounding Susy and Sam’s apartment. 

Drug Dealer (male, any age, may be double cast as Police Officer) 

Lisa (female, 20s to 30s): non-speaking role 

Performance dates: 

February 5-8 & 12-15

Director: Thomas Olsen

A sinister con man and two ex-convicts have traced the location of a mysterious doll to the apartment of Sam Hendrix and his blind wife, Susy. Sam had been persuaded by a strange woman to transport the doll across the Canadian border, not knowing that sewn inside were several grams of heroin. When the woman is murdered, the situation becomes more urgent. The sinister trio convince Susy that the police have implicated Sam in the woman’s murder, and the doll, which she believes is the key to his innocence, is evidence. She refuses to reveal its location, and with the help of a young neighbor, figures out she is the victim of a bizarre charade. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. Susy knows the only way to play fair is by HER rules, so when darkness falls she turns off all the lights leaving them to maneuver in the dark until the game ends.