Thriller ‘Wait Until Dark’ Begins Theatre of Dare 25th Anniversary Season
Theatre of Dare will kick off their 25th anniversary year, as well as the Outer Banks Halloween season, this weekend with the classic thriller Wait Until Dark.
Read on for the official press release and then scroll down to view some preview photos of the cast in rehearsal for the local production!
Small time crooks Mike Talman (played by Brendan Medlin) and Sgt. Carlino (played by Daniel Ziegler). (photo: Theatre of Dare)
As Theatre of Dare was deciding which shows to produce for its 25th Anniversary Season, the opportunity to stage an edge-of-your-seat drama proved too much to resist. “It had been awhile since we’d done a really good thriller,” says director and TOD Board Member Jon Bender. “Once everyone had read the script, the reaction was unanimous. We had to do this show.”
And so, on October 2, Theatre of Dare will start its Silver Anniversary Season with Wait Until Dark, a Frederick Knott-penned play that became a hit movie with Audrey Hepburn in 1967. The story revolves around Susy Hendrix (Kat Morgan), a recently blinded housewife whose husband (Tim Hass) unwittingly brings home a child’s doll filled with illicit narcotics. A brutal criminal named Harry Roat (Brian Edwards) convinces two small time crooks (Brendan Medlin, Daniel Ziegler) to con Susy into giving up the doll. Eventually, Susy launches a counterplot with the help of a precocious neighbor girl (Abbie Bender).
It’s a play that centers much of its action on the themes of darkness and light, and for the actress playing Susy, the challenges of playing a blind woman make this a particularly enticing role. “All of your regular instincts, to watch where you’re going, to look at people you’re talking to, go out the window,” says Morgan. “It makes things interesting, both for me and for the characters interacting with me.”
For Theatre of Dare, it kicks off a season that sees the organization touching all of the theatrical bases. After Wait Until Dark, TOD will stage the sentimental Thornton Wilder classic Our Town in November, the uplifting, crowd-pleasing musical The Music Man in March, and will close the season in April with Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a witty period piece from acclaimed comedian and actor Steve Martin.
“It’s a season that has all the elements that make live theatre unique,” says TOD President Don Bridge. We’ve got a dark, suspenseful thriller. We’ve got two well-known and much-loved standards of the American Theatre. And we’ve got one slightly off-the-wall comedy from a modern comedic genius. We wanted Theatre of Dare’s 25th season to be a year-long celebration of everything that live, local theatre has to offer, and I think we’ve accomplished that. And I think that the audience will enjoy and appreciate it, whether they’ve attended every one of our shows or are completely new to TOD.”
Wait Until Dark takes the stage October 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees October 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 for adults and $6 for students, and all performances will be held at the COA Auditorium in Manteo. For tickets and more information, go to www.theatreofdareobx.com.
Con Man Mike Talman (Brendan Medlin) befriends Susy Hendrix (Kat Morgan). (photo: Theatre of Dare)
Susy Hendrix (Kat Morgan) bonds with her young upstairs neighbor Gloria (played by Abbie Bender). (photo: Theatre of Dare)
Kat Morgan plays blind heroine Susy Hendrix. (photo: Theatre of Dare)
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