PLAY GUIDE
EVERYMAN THEATRE GR E AT STOR I ES, W E L L TO L D.
A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR By Vincent M. Lancisi, Artistic Director
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elcome. I love the first show of the season. It’s always the beginning of an exciting journey. The theatre’s 26th season has officially begun. I look forward with anticipation to the exciting slate of plays before us this year. Last season we celebrated 25 years of Everyman with a huge roster of iconic classic plays. We paid homage to some of the great American playwrights who gave us Pulitzer Prize winning plays that became standard bearers influencing entire generations of writers to come. These were big brawny serious plays that tested our directors, actors, and design teams. Audiences responded by coming in record numbers. For that I thank you. If you were a part of our 25th anniversary celebration, I celebrate you and your participation here at Everyman. You’re the reason we’re here and everyone at Everyman Is certainly glad you’re here. If this is your first visit to Everyman, WELCOME! This season we will produce some bright new voices in the American Theatre. We will laugh more, discover who is writing about contemporary issues, and we will bring you the hottest, newest plays right here in Baltimore. With three comedies in the line-up, I think
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you’ll sense a variety from one season to the next that is refreshing. Not that it’s all light and fluffy. There’s still plenty of important, meaty, layered stories to explore on Everyman’s stage. Sometimes even the comedies create laughter amid situations and issues that have serious undertones. It’s the layering of styles and substance that attracts me to many plays. If you are usually a casual theatre goer who sees a play here and one there. If you don’t usually come to see all the plays in a season, I invite you to become a subscriber. Subscribers understand it’s the collection of stories that makes up a full plate throughout the year. I select not a single play but a group of plays that together show a dimension that you can’t experience just cherry picking one or two or three plays in a year. I see and read hundreds of plays each year in the hunt for the right combination of six plays that make up our special season. Often audience members tell me that the play that they weren’t excited about seeing ended up being their favorite. They often talk about a play in comparison with the one before it or after it that had similarities or contrasting themes. Come experience the full season at Everyman. It’s the fall. The start of the school year. The beginning of a thrilling theatre season with so much engaging drama to come. Speaking of “thrilling,” you are about to witness one of the great thrillers of the stage. Get ready! You never know what will happen next.
EVERYMAN THEATRE
Vincent M. Lancisi, Founding Artistic Director Jonathan K. Waller, Managing Director
presents
WAIT UNTIL DARK
Playwright FREDERICK KNOTT | Adapter JEFFREY HATCHER Director DONALD HICKEN Susan..........................................................................................MEGAN ANDERSON* Gloria...........................................UI-SENG FRANCOIS, SHANNON HUTCHINSON Mike................................................................................................ERIC M. MESSNER* Roat.............................................................................BRUCE RANDOLPH NELSON* Carlino...............................................................................................TODD SCOFIELD* Sam............................................................................................ARTURO TOLENTINO Set Design DANIEL ETTINGER Sound Design PATRICK CALHOUN
Lighting Design JAY A. HERZOG Fight Choreography LEWIS SHAW
Dramaturgy JOHANNA GRUENHUT
Costume Design BEN ARGENTA KRESS Props Master JILLIAN MATHEWS
Stage Manager AMANDA M. HALL
Time: October 1944 Place: A basement apartment of an old brown stone in Greenwich Village.
This production will be performed in two acts with one intermission.
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES. NO TEXTING. NO EATING IN THE THEATRE. Wait Until Dark is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc. The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production or distributing recordings on any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information please visit: www.samuelfrench.com/whitepaper * Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
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THE WRITERS Frederick Knott (Playwright) was born in China in 1916 to Quaker missionaries, Knott relocated to England to begin his educational career. After finishing school at Cambridge University, he withdrew into seclusion at a small cottage in Sussex, England for 18 months as he wrote his first play, Dial M for Murder. After being turned down multiple times by theatrical producers, the play was eventually picked up by a BBC radio station and aired as a 90-minute radio play. After the airing, the play experienced a very successful run on the West End and Broadway. Following Dial M for Murder, Knott did not experience such success again until five years later with his play Wait Until Dark. Considered to be his best work, Wait Until Dark continues to thrill audiences worldwide. Knott continued to live in New York with his wife until he passed away in 2002.
Adaptation: A restructuring of a famous older work in order to explore the themes of the pre-existing piece in new ways.
Jeffrey Hatcher (Adapter) was Born in Ohio in 1957. Hatcher took a liking to adaptations very early on in his career. After adapting numerous pieces for the stage, Hatcher was commissioned in 2013 by the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles to rework Frederick Knott’s 1966 hit, Wait Until Dark. Originally conceived to take place in 1966, Hatcher decided to backdate the story to 1944. Taking cues from past audiences viewing the play as tame, Hatcher, who worked with the director Matt Shakman, decided to place the story in the era of Film Noir to enhance the stylistic and suspenseful aspects of Knott’s original story. Hatcher and Shakman also worked with the idea that all men were away fighting in WWII. In their own words, “the whole world of women at this time [were] left alone, with criminals and draft dodgers, so it heightens that sense of the men are away and who’s there to protect?” Hatcher also decided to add some depth to the character of Sam by having him suffer from PTSD, “a nod,” Shakman says, “to today’s Iraq and Afghan war vets afflicted with [the disorder].” Along with Wait Until Dark, Hatcher has adapted works such as Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Cousin Bette, The Turn of the Screw, and Tuesdays with Morrie.
Comprehension: What updates did Hatcher make to Knott’s original play? Reflection: What famous work would you want to adapt for the stage? What challenges might you encounter along the way?
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THE PLAY SETTING
THE CONFLICT
A basement apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City in 1944.
Susan and Sam Hendrix are in possession of a doll that a group of criminals are after. This group will do whatever it takes to get this doll, even if it means conning and terrorizing blind Susan Hendrix. Susan navigates protecting her husband, herself, and ultimately the truth.
THE CHARACTERS Lisa is an unseen character, but her story is essential to the plot. She is one of Harry Roat’s partnersin-crime. Before the play begins, she slips a doll into Sam’s bag while on a train. Upset for reasons later revealed, Roat murders Lisa, thus setting off the terrifying chain of events that occur in the play. Sgt. Carlino is one of Roat’s partners-in-crime. He is not one to come up with schemes, Carlino is mostly used for his brawn. Harry Roat is the mastermind behind the Four-Sided Triangle con. After killing his partner-in-crime, Lisa, he sets out to steal the doll from Susan by any means necessary. Susan Hendrix is 30 years old. She lost her eyesight after a car accident a year and a half before the play takes place. She is still getting used to her world changing and often becomes disoriented and overwhelmed. In the hospital, she met her husband, Sam, who was spending time in the psychiatric ward due to PTSD. Unbeknownst to her, she is in possession of a doll that the criminals are after. Sam Hendrix is Susan’s husband. He is a professional photographer. He suffers from PTSD due to spending time in Italy during WWII. He cares deeply for Susan and often encourages her independence. Gloria is Susan and Sam’s adolescent neighbor who lives in the apartment upstairs. Although she comes across as stubborn and insolent, Gloria’s heart is in the right place. She often runs errands and helps Susan around the house. Gloria comes from a very broken home. Mike Talman shows up, unannounced, at Susan’s apartment, “an ex-military buddy of Sam’s.”
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PRODUCTION TIMELINE 1966
Frederick Knott completes Wait Until Dark. The play premieres on Broadway with Lee Remick as Susan and Robert Duvall as Roat. Remick is nominated for a Tony Award.
1967
The film adaptation of Wait Until Dark premieres with Audrey Hepburn as Susan and Alan Arkin as Roat. The film was a major success, ranking in at number 16 in the highest grossing films of 1967.
1998
A revival of Wait Until Dark starring Marissa Tomei as Susan and Quentin Tarantino as Roat opens on Broadway. Though Tomei’s portrayal of Susan was praised, critics were harsh on Tarantino.
2003
A revival premiers in London opens to mixed reviews. This production relocates the story to England.
2013
Famed adapter Jeffery Hatcher is commissioned by the Geffon Playhouse in Los Angeles to adapt Knott’s original play. Hatcher rewrites many aspects, the most notable of which is backdating the play from 1966 to 1944. This version of the play has been produced many times since then, around the country, to outstanding reviews.
2016
You attend Everyman Theatre’s production of Hatcher’s adaptation.
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Revival: A new production of a pre-existing play or musical. A revival differs from an adaptation in that nothing is re-written.
THE STYLE: FILM NOIR By Johanna Gruenhut, Dramaturg Excerpt from the dramaturgical research for Wait Until Dark Dramaturg: A person who researches the many elements that make up the world of a play in order to assure historical accuracy and inform the production team (i.e. actors, designers, directors).
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oir: a term usually applied to film (as opposed to theatre) is less a genre, and more a mood, a point-of-view.
In particular, film noir was a dominant mode in the decade after World War II. A counter-point to Hollywood’s musicals and comedies, these movies captured the new tensions and insecurities of the Cold War era, the patina of stability alongside the threat of nuclear destruction. Mistrust, paranoia, anxiety, alienation, and suspense permeate these movies and their largely urban settings. Above all they portray an ambiguous moral universe.
unclear who is more capable of protecting whom, and who really needs protection. Instead of a David and Goliath story, we get noir. In this case, specifically, Hatcher manages to reveal a wrinkle in America’s social fabric caused by World War II with respect to the roles of men and women. Soldiers went off to fight, while women ‘held down the fort,’ entering the workforce at unprecedented levels and into vocations where they were previously excluded.
Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark was originally set in the 1960s. But when Jeffrey Hatcher adapted it, he placed it in Greenwich Village, 1944. He turned it into a noir. That’s an interesting choice! Hatcher clearly wanted to complicate the story’s moral universe. Suzy, the protagonist, has been made blind by a car accident. She met her husband, Sam, while recovering from that accident, in the same hospital where he recovers from the war’s physical and psychic trauma. Their homecoming eventually begets smuggling (possibly unintentional), professional crooks, and murder. As they negotiate the tribulations, blame is hard to ascribe, no one—not even a young neighbor—is truly innocent, and it is
Noir captures the sexual and social tensions that arise when the men come home. Its femme fatales are unlike the damsels in distress of past generations. Neither is Susan.
Comprehension: What are the origins of film noir? Summarize the common characteristics of film noir.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF FILM NOIR As you watch Wait Until Dark, be on the lookout for these common tenants of film noir...
Stylistic Choices
Light and Shadows: In film noir, lighting designers make use of heavy shadows and low lighting to set an eerie or mysterious mood. One common example is the use of venetian blinds to create unique lines of light in a scene. The Oppressive City: Settings usually include large cities that are dark and moody. This setting provides the viewers with a canvas of iconic imagery including seedy parts of town (i.e. nightclubs, basements, docks, warehouses), cigarette smoking, trench coats and fedoras, and rainy/gloomy weather. A Complex Scheme or Plot: Film noir plots will involve complicated schemes and con artistry at its best. Fast and Poetic Dialogue: Film noirs will often have their actors speak the lines quickly and/or add a flourish of poetic language. The fast-paced talking adds to the feeling of urgency and suspense and the poetry of their words adds to the mood of the play of film. Example: “An hour ago Rudy Linnekar had this town in his pocket. Now you could strain him through a sieve.”
Character Types
The Anti-Hero: A stock character in film noir, the anti-hero is a character who has questionable morals but is not necessarily the villain. The audience can sympathize with this character. Often, if they do something good, it is for personal gain and not for selfless reasons. Example: Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. • Who do you think is the anti-hero in our production of Wait Until Dark? The Femme Fatale: French for “fatal woman” or “woman to die for,” a femme fatale character is a seductive and attractive woman…and she knows it. She often plays the love interest of the anti-hero and will not hesitate to lead this love interest into danger. Example: Selina Kyle/Catwoman from the Batman movies. • Who do you think is the femme fatale in our production of Wait Until Dark? The Damsel in Distress: Though the extent of the distress varies from story to story, this character is a woman who is put in danger in order to spark an inciting incident or move the story forward. Example: Princess Peach from Nintendo’s Mario franchise. • Who do you think is the damsel in distress in our production of Wait Until Dark? Main Villain: Often the sociopathic or psychotic mastermind behind the con or scheme, the main villain provides a juxtaposition to the anti-hero. In other words, while the anti-hero has a few redeeming qualities, the main villain has absolutely none and cares for nobody but him/herself. Example: The Joker from the Batman movies. • Who do you think is the main villain in our production of Wait Until Dark?
Reflection: Where do you see these types of characters in the world today?
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FEAR FACTOR: WHY WE LOVE SCARY MOVIES By Sharon Tanenbaum*
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were running away from the masked murderer yourself, your heart rate and breathing speed up, your energy levels soar, and your senses sharpen.
When it comes to scary movies, the “you either love them or hate them” cliché is never truer. Fans of frightful flicks savor the exhilarating experience of sitting in a pitch-black theater watching a horrific story unfold, with their mouths hanging open and eyes half covered. Horror movie haters, on the other hand, can’t fathom why on earth you’d intentionally choose to put yourself in a heart-racing, cold sweat, can’t-sleep-for-the-next-three nights-straight situation.
At the extreme, you may find Big T personalities scaling Mount Everest, making a hobby of sky diving, or working as firefighters or war zone journalists. At the other end of the spectrum are the Small T personalities, who opt for things like stability, predictability, and reliability.
asked murderers lurking in the shadows, serial killers chasing unaware victims— why do people subject themselves to such fright? Here's what your horror-flick fandom says about your personality.
So which camp do you fall into? Here’s what your scary movie philosophy says about your personality: The telephone rings. A young girl at home (alone, of course) answers, “Hello?” as a deep, menacing voice on the other end responds, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” She plays along at first but soon realizes that this isn’t a game. There’s a killer on the loose. Outside of her house, and about to come inside. This nerve-racking opening sequence of the Scream franchise, like many other iconic scary movie scenes, has the same physical effect on everyone who sees it. Your brain and body react as if you were the one answering the phone. The haunting images and sounds on screen signal the release of fight-or-flight hormones adrenaline and cortisol. As though you
The result: You literally feel more alive. “Certain people tend to seek experiences that make them feel with all of their fibers,” says Lawrence Rubin, PhD, a psychologist in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Referred to as Big T (for thrill) personalities, these types value uncertainty, novelty, and curiosity when making decisions.
“Most people fall somewhere in the middle on the Big T continuum,” says Frank Farley, PhD, former president of the American Psychological Association and a professor of psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. For them, scary movies offer a happy thrill-seeking medium. Your body has a visceral physical reaction to the on screen thrills, but deep down, your mind knows it’s just make-believe, so you experience the “high” without putting yourself in real danger. “Willingly putting yourself in a vulnerable situation during a horror movie provides a sense of control because you know that you can get up and leave,” says Dr. Rubin. When the credits finally roll, your body returns to a calmer state, relieved that you “survived.”
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“YOU HAVE TO BE BRAVE.” By Lisa Helen Hoffman*
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isa Helen Hoffman is Geva Theatre Center’s Audio Described Theatre for the Blind Series Coordinator and Consultant. Lisa works with our Audio Describers to create clear and detailed descriptions of a production’s visual aspects. The following is an interview with Lisa about her schooling experiences as a blind student, some of the most common misconceptions about being blind, and some of her thoughts about Wait Until Dark. On her schooling: I was born with retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye). I have been blind since the doctors removed my eyes when I was a toddler so that the cancerous tumors wouldn’t travel to my brain. I took regular classes but also had a “Braille teacher” who would talk with my teachers about how to make lessons accessible, gathered my materials and made them available to me in Braille, and who met with me for one period a day to help me do my lessons with adaptive equipment. Aside from this, my learning experience was normal. I took art, studied violin and orchestra, learned the parallel bars in P.E., and did swimming, aerobics, cross country skiing, and archery. If I had a companion with me, it would be a fellow student or a friend. Before the school year started we’d have a mobility training orientation so I would know the layout of the school building and didn’t need to use my white cane to get around the school.
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On schooling for children with disabilities today: I think the disability world is way behind in letting children be children without an aide constantly following them around, which can inhibit friendships, among other things. I notice that some parents insist on helping their children with disabilities a little too much. We all have to be independent eventually. I took a mobility kitchen class as a child that taught me how to cook, clean, and work with knives safely. I’m glad that education and learning is now mainstreamed for people with disabilities, but it’s still behind and needs improvement. On Wait Until Dark main character, Susan: I like Susan. She’s smart and she trusts her intuition. I feel that some of Susan’s fears and insecurities come from her husband Sam. Susan asking someone to help her do something (like find a dropped pencil) is not a bad thing or a failure—it’s just practice and the process of learning. I saw myself a lot in Susan. She wants to do things on her own, but sometimes questions whether she is ready or capable of it…and then she proves later on, to herself and to others, that she is. Susan’s fears are partly a result of her blindness but they’re also, partly, just normal human fears. And I do think Susan overcomes her fears. Her journey felt familiar to me. She just overcomes them by actually doing them. On stereotypes: I’ve never understood the whole “face touching to create a mental image of a person” thing. Much more useful to me is knowing a person’s hands and voice. When you shake hands with someone, you get much more useful information like height, age, or body structure, and we know people by their voice as well. Sighted people tend to identify people by facial images, but that’s not how all blind
people do it. I also think it’s strange when people assume that I have superpowers in my hearing or smelling abilities that compensate for my lack of vision. The idea of “heightened senses” isn’t true. Here’s what it is: Blind people are not distracted by sight and have more energy to focus on the rest of their senses. Like many blind people, Susan is just able to train her attentions differently—her other sense don’t innately grow stronger because of it. Lisa’s take away: I want everyone who sees Wait Until Dark to pick up on Susan’s independence. She acknowledges her fears and mistakes, but I see her
as a character that learns and moves forward. It’s integral for anyone living with a disability to figure out how to do things on their own and then actually DO it rather than always accepting a ride from that well-meaning neighbor who offers to drive you so you don’t have to take the bus on your own. I want people to come away with an appreciation that, if you come in contact with someone with a disability, not to smother them. And I think this goes for everyone, sighted or non-sighted, and with or without disability. Let people try things— mistakes aren’t bad things. You have to be brave.
Comprehension: • In school, how did Lisa learn? How is this similar and different from your experience? Does the learning experience for a person with vision loss differ from the experience of someone who has full vision? • How does Lisa get to know the people around her? Describe society’s perception of how blind people get to know others. • How does Lisa feel about the idea of “heightened senses?” How does she feel Susan experiences the world around her? Reflection: This play dramatizes Susan’s journey of overcoming her fears and Lisa feels Susan “overcomes them by actually doing them.” What is Susan afraid of? What have you been afraid of? What is a strategy you have used in the past to overcome this fear?
ACCESSIBILITY AT EVERYMAN
A core value in Everyman’s mission is accessibility. Here are some ways we make experiencing theater better for our vision-impaired patrons:
Large Print Programs: Complimentary Large Print programs are available upon request from the Box Office.
Accessibility: Refers to the characteristic of a service designed specifically for people with a certain disability.
Audio Description: Provided upon request with the support of Maryland Arts Access, Audio Description offers live description of the play's action and production elements between dialogue on stage. Braille Programs: Available upon request, Everyman is able to order programs printed in braille. Touch Tours: Partnering with the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Everyman hosts a “touch tour” of a given production. This tour allows patrons of the Library for the Blind to touch and explore various aspects of the set, sound, and costume design for the show. Throughout the season, Everyman also brings cast members from selected plays to read scenes at the Library. For more information on accessibility at Everyman, visit everymantheatre.org/theatre-accessibility. WAIT UNTIL DARK PLAY GUIDE | 11
CURTAINS UP ON CAREERS: SOUND DESIGN Interview with Wait Until Dark Sound Designer Patrick Calhoun
Everyman Theatre: How did you become interested in sound design/composition? Patrick Calhoun: I have always had an ear for music and the sounds of different things around me, but I never really thought of it as something that I would or could do professionally until college. I have always loved music, I sang a lot as a child and I played the trumpet in my school band all the way through high school. I wanted to act, but in high school I got into technical theatre and from there I never turned back. When it came time to decide what I wanted to do for a career, I knew I didn’t want a traditional desk job; theatre was something I was good at and that I enjoyed. I went to Greensboro College in North Carolina for my Bachelors in Technical Theatre. I had one sound class and then just started doing sound on a lot of productions. As I did more and more, I became less interested in the other design fields. Something about the way that the human body responds to sound really intrigues me; a soundscape can take you to a different place, and a piece of music can make you feel a range of emotion in only a few seconds, almost at a primitive level. I went to graduate school to learn more and improve
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my craft at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. It is there that I learned to compose. The way it was taught in my class made it attainable and accessible, and I have been composing for shows ever since. ET: What excites you about working on Wait Until Dark? PC: Wait Until Dark has an incredible amount of opportunity from a sound perspective. Even in first reading the play, the stage directions call for a great deal of sound. The fact that the main character is blind and that we at times want to hear the world as she hears it opens up a lot of doors for a sound designer. Often when I work on a play, my job is to be as subtle as possible to enhance the story without drawing attention. This show, on the other hand, calls for the subtle sounds to be explicitly noticed. On top of those opportunities, Wait Until Dark is a suspense thriller, which almost always cries out for help from sound to help to keep the suspense going and the audience on the edge of their seat; try watching a horror movie or a crime drama on mute and it is instantly less scary or exciting. ET: What is your creative process like when working on a play? PC: I always start with the script and trying to understand and imagine the world as the playwright intended. This usually gives me initial ideas, but I don’t start any work on it until I have met with the director and the other designers. Sometimes the director will have a concept for the show that is completely different from how I imagined it. It is important to me
that the show be a collaboration and that we are all creating the same world. I then go through the script more [to] create my list of “needs and opportunities” and create a vocabulary for the show. If I have decided to compose music for the show I will research the genre I want to create to find inspiration, then make musical sketches, similar to how an artist would make an initial draft in pencil before painting the whole picture. Once I have a sketch that I like and that the director likes[…] I can create music for the rest of the show. It is important to me that the design […] sounds like it is cut from the same cloth or from the same album. I go through my “needs and opportunities” and turn it into a cue sheet where I map every sound, music, fade, or live microphone effect that is in the show. The design inevitably changes as we move into tech, but having a clear initial plan helps me be prepared for anything that comes, and I always give myself a toolbox of sounds to work from.
concerns for any music created in the last 100 years. Creating original music is very freeing to me; I can craft the music to work exactly right for the moment, and I can even mash together genres and make the sound of the play completely unique. It also helps to take the audience away into the world and story we are creating. Humans have a very strong associative memory when it comes to music and if you hear a piece used in a film, you will be thinking of that film and not the play you are sitting in. Imagine if I underscored this play with music from Star Wars! ET: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing sound design as a career? PC: Education was the most important thing for me. There are an increasing number of college programs that teach sound design; research to find out which one will best give you what you are looking for.
ET: How will you make Susan’s reality come to life for the audience? PC: Through a combination of sound effects and microphones, of which I will have about nine all over the stage, I am attempting to create the world as Susan perceives it. Sound is the way Susan experiences the world and discovers things around her, and my job is to help the audience step into her shoes and experience it in the same way; if Susan is noticing a sound, it will be heightened for the audience. ET: What are the advantages of composing original music for a play? PC: Composing original music for a play really opens up the possibilities. It can be challenging to find just the right thing for the moment to convey the mood and style that you want when using pre-recorded music. On top of those challenges, there are copyright
Outside of that, educate yourself: read books, watch tutorials, talk to other professionals, go to master classes; sound design is both an art and a science. Start paying attention to music: notice how film and television use it, expose yourself to different artists and genres. I never use music in a show just because I like it, I use it because it is appropriate and helps tell the story. Lastly, just listen to the world around you; the sound of the world is rich and interesting, all you have to do is notice. Close your eyes, wait until dark, and listen to the story that your ears are telling.
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THEATRE ETIQUETTE: PREPPING TO SEE A PLAY The beauty of live theater is that the audience is just as much a part of the action as the performers. When you come and see a play remember... Respectfully enjoy the show. While we encourage you to laugh when something is funny, gasp if something shocks you, and listen intently to the action occurring, please remember to be respectful of the performers and fellow audience members. Please turn off or silence all electronic devices before the performance begins. There is no texting or checking your cell phone during the show. The glow of a cell phone can and will be seen from stage. Photography inside the theatre is strictly prohibited. Food and drinks are not allowed in the theatre. Food and drinks should be consumed in the Everyman lobby before or after the show or during intermission. Be Present. Talking, moving around, checking your phone, or engaging in other activities is distracting to everyone and greatly disrupts the performance’s energy. Stay Safe. This performance utilizes many blackouts with critical action still occurring in the darkness. Please remain seated and quiet during these moments. Should you need to leave for any reason, re-entrance to the theatre is at the discretion of the house manager. In case of an emergency please follow the instructions shared by Everyman staff members.
DEEPER DIVE
Take a closer examination of the world of Wait Until Dark by visiting these helpful and fun resources...
Delve into the world of film noir through this in-depth website ran by television channel AMC: bit.ly/WTDPlayGuideFilmNoir
Experience the entire 1967 film by renting it through YouTube: bit.ly/WTDPlayGuideFullMovie
Watch a film made for tourists looking to vacation to New York City in the 1940s. Skip to 2:11 for a look at Greenwich Village, where the play takes place: bit.ly/WTDPlayGuideNYC1940
Like Thrillers? Scroll through 100 Years...100 Thrills, The American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 most thrilling American films of all time: bit.ly/WTdPlayGuideAF
Examine the film noir genre through this fun and creative flowchart: bit.ly/WTDPlayGuideNoFilmSchool
Discover many of the resources used by the visually impaired community, like The Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (www.lbph.lib. md.us) and Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (www.bism.org).
Experience the chilling trailer for Wait Until Dark that moviegoers saw in 1967: bit.ly/WTDPlayGuideFilmTrailer
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EXTENSION PROJECTS
Be the Designer: Story Through Sound Find a piece of music to match the image above. Be the sound designer for the story this image tells. Afterwards, give a short design presentation explaining your choices. Be the Playwright: The Art of Adaptation Choose a moment or scene in the script that stands out to you and rewrite it to take place in the present. Read it aloud first and reflect upon what these changes might include. • •
How would situations and characters change? What about dialogue and setting? Does an adaptation have the same impact as the original? Discuss what would change if Wait Until Dark took place in 2016. What aspects of the production would you have to take into consideration?
See the back of this packet for a final project!
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POST-SHOW QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION Production • How did these actors physically and vocally create believable characters on stage? • How did this play make you feel? How do the production elements work together to create this mood? Theme and Content • Interpret the meaning of the play’s title, Wait Until Dark. Character • How does Susan handle the threat to her life? Where does she find strength? • How has Sam’s experience in war affected him personally and his relationship with Susan? • Gloria and Susan have a combative relationship. How does this relationship change throughout the course of the play? How does this change aid in the resolution of the piece? • How are the characteristics of film noir dramatized through the con artists? • How do you see yourself in Susan? What would you have done in this situation? Other questions I’d like to ask the artists when I meet them at the post-show workshop:
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WAIT UNTIL DARK GLOSSARY Below, you’ll find a list of words you’ll hear in this production of Wait Until Dark... 4F: A code in the Selective Service draft deferment classification system that refers to anyone not fit to serve due to not meeting the physical, mental, or moral standards set by the military. Aleutians: A group of islands located between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Chianti: A type of red wine produce in the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. Club Foot: A condition in which the foot appears twisted out of position. Con Artist: Originating from the term “confidence man,” a con artist (or conman) is a person who excels in the art of deceit and trickery in order to gain the trust of another for the purpose of swindling or fraud. Dipso: A person suffering from dipsomania, also known as alcoholism. Draft Notice: A letter from the United Stated Armed Forces that lets someone know they have been selected for military service. Florsheim: A shoe company with stores all around the United States. Greenwich Village: Often called “the Village,” Greenwich Village is a neighborhood in New York City, located to the west of Lower Manhattan. This neighborhood has been the setting for numerous films, books, and TV shows including Friends, Wizards of Waverly Place, and I Am Legend. Hamlet: A small, rural settlement. House Dick: The word “dick” was used in the early-mid 20th century as a shortened form of the word “detective.” “House” refers to a hotel. Thus, “House Dick” was a term applied to a hotel detective, a plain-clothed security guard used to investigate situations in hotels. Obstetrics: The branch of medicine dealing in the care of women during and after pregnancy. PTSD: Stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The American Psychological Association defines PTSD as “an anxiety problem that develops in some people after extremely traumatic events, such as combat, crime, an accident, or natural disaster.” WA 4-5302: An example of the two-letter, five-number system (often referred to as “the 2L-5N system”) of phone numbers that were standard in the 1940s.
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CURRICULAR TIE-INS Common Core State Standards CCSS. ELA-Literacy, CCRA. SLS 1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussion (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners and topics, texts, and issues building on other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RL. 11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g where the story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed) CCSS. ELA-Literacy. CRA RS Lit 1 Determine two or more themes of internal ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account.
National Core Arts Standards TH Re 7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic work. TH Re 8.1 Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. TH Re 9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. TH Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate knowledge and TH Cn10.2 Relate artistic and cultural ideas and works to societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
SOURCES Evans, Eric, and Lisa H. Hoffman. You Have To Be Brave. Wait Until Dark Discovery Guide. Geva Theatre Center, 2014. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. Rampell, Ed. "Designing a Wait Until Dark for the Noir Era ‹ @ This Stage." @ This Stage. LA Stage Times Archive, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Aug. 2016. Tanenbaum, Sharon. "Fear Factor: Why We Love Scary Movies." EverydayHealth.com. Everyday Health, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. "Welcome to 1940s New York: NYC Neighborhood Profiles from 1943, Based on the 1940 Census." Welcome to 1940s New York: NYC Neighborhood Profiles from 1943, Based on the 1940 Census. The Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2016.
THIS PLAY GUIDE CREATED BY Brianna McCoy, Director of Education Andrew Stromyer, Education Coordinator Kiirstn Pagan, Graphic Designer
EVERYMAN THEATRE
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EVERYMAN THEATRE IS LOCATED AT 315 W. Fayette St. Baltimore, MD 21201
CONTACT INFORMATION Box Office 410.752.2208 Administration 443.615.7055 Email boxoffice@everymantheatre.org
NEW!
FOUNDATIONS SERIES FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 9-12 Discover the artist within! Exercise your creativity, strengthen your artistic core, and hone theatrical skills. Each Foundations class features a deep dive into core concepts led by dynamic theatre professionals. Whether you are new to theatre or well-rehearsed, there is a place for you at Everyman. Foundations is designed for you to join one class that excites you or take the entire series. With a focus on process and practice, not on final performance, students will share work exclusively for their ensemble of peers and the artists working to support them. We invite you to build your foundation at Everyman. Foundation 1: Creating a Physical and Vocal Life Oct 29-Nov 19, 10:30am-1pm Focused Foundation: The Art of Auditioning Weekend Workshop Jan 27 & 28, 11am-4pm (Lunch 1-1:30pm) Foundation 2: Text Analysis Jan 7-Feb 4 (No class January 28), 10:30am-1pm Foundation 3: Musical Theatre Brush-Up Feb 11-Mar 4, 10:30am-1pm Foundation 4: Character Development Apr 22-May 13, 10:30am-1pm
$950 for Full Foundations Series | $200 for Individual Foundations Classes LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT EVERYMANTHEATRE.ORG/CLASSES
NEW!
TNT: THEATRE NIGHT FOR TEENS
TNT
Students in grades 9-12 are invited to TNT, a teens only event which takes the show to a whole new level. Before the show, chow down on dinner in our upstairs lounge then get an up close look into the creative process with a key member of the artistic team for the production! After the show, join Everyman Education for a dynamic discussion with dessert! Next TNT: The Roommate | Tues, Oct 25 | Pre-show activites begin at 6pm LEARN MORE AND BUY TICKETS AT EVERYMANTHEATRE.ORG/TNT
DESIGN YOUR OWN PRODUCTION IMAGERY For each production at Everyman, our Marketing Department works with an artist to create imagery that conveys a visual story. You can see the Wait Until Dark imagery on the cover of this guide. Now it’s your turn! Design your own production artwork here...