By Frederick Knott, Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Production Dates: October 4-6, 10-13
Directed by Michael Kraklio

Frederick Knott’s thriller is the story of Susan Hendrix, a recently blinded housewife who unwittingly possesses a doll filled with illicit drugs. Harry Roat, a brutal and sophisticated criminal, coerces two small-time thugs into helping him con Susan into giving up the doll. A battle of wits ensues as Susan and the young girl upstairs launch a counterplot against the thieves. The drama plays on the themes of darkness and light as Susan navigates through her sightless world, and the crooks signal each other with light through the Venetian blinds. As the climax builds, Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape, but she and her tormentors must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller’s chilling conclusion.

For questions about the audition process, please email Michael

Date/Time
Saturday, May 11, 2024 | 12:00pm (noon)

Location
Spirit of the North Theater
Fitgers’s Complex, (take elevator to 3rd floor)
600 East Superior St. Duluth, MN

Details
Please bring an updated resume and photo.
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. No need to prepare anything. You may want to read the script if you have access to one, or watch the movie version on many streaming services.
It is important to have everyone there and ready to start by 12pm (noon).

Casting 6 roles. 2 female presenting and 4 male presenting.
All characters presenting ages ranging from 11yrs to 60yrs.
Actors of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities are highly encouraged to audition.

Rehearsals
Rehearsals will begin August 26 in The Spirit of the North Theatre (3rd floor Fitger’s Building) and, will be scheduled Monday through Friday evenings, with the possibility of adding some Saturdays closer to the show. Please note there will not be a rehearsal on a holiday.

Performances
October 4-5 7:30pm | October 6 2:00pm
October 10-12 7:30pm | October 13 2:00pm

Susy Hendrix | Age Range: 20s – 30s

Susy is a vivacious young woman who was blinded in a car accident a year ago. Possessed of a very strong will, she decided not long after her accident that she would not let it ruin her life. Sam, her husband has an unsentimental way of dealing with her blindness and gives her strength, and she loves him for it. Susy does have her bad days, though. She is highly intuitive and a very sensitive person.. As a result, she can be irritable with Sam and, in particular, Gloria, and is sometimes depressed by her circumstances – which is when Sam’s stolid determination not to let her be a victim is most valuable to her, even if it takes her a while to “lick her wounds” before bucking up and accepting Sam’s drill-sergeant discipline. When she is faced with the life-or-death threat that is posed by the three con men, she discovers just how strong, self-sufficient and resourceful she is.

Mike Talman | Age Range: 30s – 50s

At one time, Mike was a decent human being, and still has impulses that way – unlike Roat or Carlino, Mike has natural empathy and compassion, but life threw some bad things his way and he never settled into a respectable existence. He is rootless and alone in the world, and has some bad habits, gambling chief among them. As a consequence, over the years he developed into a small-time grifter, able to squelch his kinder impulses when conning young women out of their money. At the time this play starts, Mike is desperate and afraid for his life, which is why he takes the unwise risk of teaming up with Roat, and why he’s able to put aside his affection for Susy for as long as he does.

Sam Hendrix | Age Range: 30s – 40s

Sam is a tough ex-marine and a man who has lifted himself up by his own bootstraps. He is intelligent, but not an intellectual. He’s a practical man, not a dreamer or a ditherer. Having created a decent life for himself out of nothing, he is content; he never wallows in sentiment and, while he has a very sensitive side, he is not comfortable showing it, even to Susy. He’s the kind of person who makes a decision and then goes with it – he doesn’t second-guess himself or wonder about the road not taken. He is a decent photographer, but not possessed of an artistic temperament. He works hard, does a good job and enjoys his life with Susy. He loves her very much and wants to see her reach her full potential as a person regardless of her blindness – as a result, he believes that he has to be hard on her sometimes.

Sergeant Carlino | Age Range: 40s – 50s

Carlino is a small-time grifter. He is a coarse, uneducated man who isn’t bothered by much of a conscience. He lives from day to day just trying to survive in a world in which is never the sharpest guy in the room, whatever room he’s in. He’s not a cruel or sadistic person, but he does what he has to do in order to survive without a lot of dithering about right or wrong. He is a fairly good con man, although he’s never the brains behind any scheme – but he has an air of authority and that makes him a natural for impersonating police officers.

Gloria | Age Range: 10 – 13ish

Gloria is at that very awkward age between childhood and adolescence. She is a bright child and has a good heart, but her home life is fairly rough (her mother is undependable and her father abandoned the family not long ago) and she’s terribly uncomfortable in her body. Gloria wants desperately to be seen like a young woman – but she is very much still mired in childhood. She can be very petty and given to tantrums. She likes Susy because Susy sometimes takes the role of surrogate mother/big sister to her, offering kind words and advice (on Gloria’s good days) and giving her responsibilities like doing the grocery shopping for Susy and Sam. As a result of Gloria’s mixed feelings for Susy, they have a volatile relationship. But, deep down, she loves Susy and, through the ordeal Susy goes through in this play, Gloria gains a whole new respect for Susy.

Harry Roat | Age Range: 30s – 50s

Roat is a true sociopath. He has no empathy for anyone, and he has a sadistic streak a mile wide. Like many sociopaths, he is highly intelligent and manipulates people with ease. He is an excellent con man, although, unlike Mike and Carlino, that’s not Roat’s only game – he’s a versatile and audacious criminal and will do anything for money or even thrills. He enjoys seeing others in pain. He has no conscience whatsoever. Roat will stop at nothing to achieve his ends. The more cowed by him people are, the more confident he becomes; he thrives on human frailty. However, when the tables are turned and he no longer has the upper hand, he can be quite cowardly and small.