Wait Until Dark Character Breakdowns

Wait Until Dark

Those auditioning are asked to prepare a 1-2 minute dramatic monologue. Auditions will consist of that prepared monologue and brief cold readings from the script. Actors should expect to be asked to respond to direction.

Candidates for Gloria can be any female actress who can credibly play a girl of from nine to twelve years old. They should be at least as old as her scripted age, which is nine.

WAIT UNTIL DARK CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS

Mike Talman (30-45): A con man recently out of prison, he desperately needs money and is willing to go to extreme lengths to get the money he needs. He can project charm, sincerity, strength, and, to an extent, ruthlessness. But his ultimate lack of total ruthlessness is his downfall.

Sgt. Carlino (30-45): Another con man recently out of prison, he has partnered with Talman in the past. He shares Mike’s desperation, but neither his self-assurance nor his intelligence – a blustering, bumbling small-time crook. He probably should be shorter and stouter than Talman.

Harry Roat (25-35): A sinister, cool-headed villain, he will stop at nothing to achieve his ends. He can charm, and he will kill. He assumes three other personas as part of his con.

Susy Hendrix (23-30): Blinded as an adult in a car accident, she is learning to adapt to her loss of sight. She is struggling with the insecurity of her new life and the weight of her husband’s pressuring her to become “the world’s champion blind woman.” She has latent reserves of strength, intelligence, and resourcefulness, but only a crisis will reveal them.

Sam Hendrix (30-35): A professional photographer, he married Susy after her accident. His attitude toward her is nurturing but also demanding in a paternalistic way.

Gloria (9-12): The Hendrix’s upstairs neighbor, her scripted age is nine. She wears glasses, but she is not bookish. She comes from a dysfunctional family and has adopted Sam as a loved father figure. With Susy, she is difficult and petulant. However, in the time of crisis, she lends her own resourcefulness to Susy.

Two policeman (20-50): These two come on only briefly at the end of the play. The roles are excellent for people wanting to get a taste of the stage and would be ideally doubled by crew members.