Through Feb. 6: 'Wait Until Dark'
Resident Ensemble Players stage thriller 'Wait Until Dark'
8:17 a.m., Jan. 19, 2016--Recently-blinded Susan faces a dark night of the soul and the fight of her life in the thriller Wait Until Dark, presented by the University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players (REP) through Feb. 6 at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark.
A murderous game of cat and mouse begins when criminal mastermind Harry Roat discovers that his big score has gone missing. Unbeknownst to Susan and her husband Sam, Roat’s treasure has mistakenly fallen into their possession. Or has it?
Events Stories
June 5: Blue Hen 5K
June 6-9: Food and culture series
Sam leaves town on business as Susan, still adjusting to her own personal darkness, suddenly finds herself at the center of Roat’s nefarious plan in this edge-of-your-seat drama.
The original play was the inspiration for the classic Audrey Hepburn film of the same name. Adapter Jeffrey Hatcher sets this version in 1944 New York City, enhancing the noir feel of a Hitchcock-style chiller.
“This is actually a story of great courage,” says Michael Gotch, REP company member and director of the production. “The suspenseful, frightening, heart-pounding machinations in the play are all at the service of telling a story about this amazing woman who discovers that she is creative and daring enough to face what may be the greatest challenge of her life.”
“It’s a very inspirational, come-from-behind, underdog story that gives a lot of hope. We live in an age where there’s a good deal of fear and uncertainty about our own safety,” Gotch said. “This story reinforces that each of us really has more strength than we think we do and that we can face those fears head-on, with our eyes wide open (whether we can see out of those eyes or not) and find the determination and bravery to overcome those terrors.”
Schedule
Wait Until Dark runs through Sunday, Feb. 6.
Prologues — free preshow presentations — take place on Saturday, Jan. 30, and Sunday, Feb. 6, beginning at 1:15 p.m. in the Roselle Center’s Thompson Theatre.
On Jan. 30, popular lecturer Thomas Leitch, UD professor of English with expertise in film study, will speak on the thriller genre in popular culture, and on Feb. 6, Gotch, director of Wait Until Dark, will speak on his process and approach to the play.
The REP will also offer audience members a chance to engage with the cast members at a talkback in the theatre following the performance on Thursday, Jan. 28.
Tickets
Tickets are $23-$29, with discounts for students and senior adults.
Tickets can be purchased online at the REP website, by phone at 302-831-2204, or in person at the Roselle Center for the Arts, 110 Orchard Rd., Newark, Monday through Friday from noon until 5 p.m.
A convenient parking garage is attached to the center.
A complete schedule, directions, and information on purchasing tickets can be found at the REP website or by calling the REP box office at 302-831-2204.
The REP’s performances are sponsored in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts.
About the REP
The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company located at the University of Delaware.
The REP’s mission is to engage audiences throughout the tri-state area with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern, and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range, breadth, and ability to transform a full-time ensemble of nationally respected stage actors who have been trained in the same way.
The REP is committed to create future audiences for live theatre by offering its productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of income.
Photos by N. Howatt