Wait Until Dark by Fredrick Knott

Note:  The role we are looking at today is a nine year old girl.  So this is not a good audition piece (unless you’re audition to play a little girl in a very dark play), but it’s really fun all the same.

This play is a crazy thriller with tons of twists- I haven’t spoiled anything here, so go check it out!

Wait Until Dark is the story of a doll.  A very important doll.  A man named Sam was given this doll at an airport and a young woman persuaded him to transport it across the Canadian border.  She told him it was was for a little girl in a hospital.  What Sam didn’t know was that the doll contained several grams of heroin, and that the woman who asked him to transport it was murdered a few days later.

Sam brings the doll home to his apartment, which he shares with his wife, Susy, who lost her sight in a car accident a few years ago.  She is still learning how to be blind.

A con-man named Roat and two ex-convicts named Mike and Carlino have tracked the location of the doll to Mike and Susy’s apartment. They begin an elaborate charade pretending to be police officers, and convincing Susy that her husband has been implicated in the woman’s murder, and the doll is the key to his innocence.  But, she refuses to tell them anything.

GLORIA

Gloria is a bratty little girl with a dysfunctional family.  Sam has been her father figure ever since her dad disappeared.  So, when Gloria hears that Sam has a doll for another girl, she gets jealous.  She takes the doll.  Yup, the doll stuffed with heroin is now in the hands of a nine year old.  But, Gloria feels bad, and she brings the doll back.  She tries to sneak it in, but Susy catches her.  At this point, the situation is dire, and probably deadly.  And Gloria thinks it’s an awesome adventure.

This monologue takes place before Gloria and Susy have joined forces- Gloria still has the doll hidden away.  Gloria is mad because Susy panicked over a small cigarette paper that caught fire, and she blamed it on Gloria.  

Don't you ever call me that again. AND I DO NOT STEAL! You told mother I'd stolen a doll of yours. What would I want with a silly doll? And don't you shout at me! I- don't- like- being- shouted- at! Understand?

Susy, I wanted to help you today. I only threw unbreakables. Daddy taught me that. Boy, he sure threw things the night he left. He went around the whole apartment, throwing all the unbreakables on the floor. But mother finally got wise to this and said "Well, just look at you. You can't even break anything!" And when we woke up the next morning, he'd gone.

Susy? You can call me four eyes. One day. If you'd like. But not just yet, if you don't mind.