Wait Until Dark

The upcoming show, Wait Until Dark, is a bit of a departure from the more light hearted productions our patrons have seen recently.  Director Mike Nelson has turned to a darker, more suspense-laden show this time around at the Avenue Theater.  When first presented with the script, he had second thoughts on it, but, “after working with such a talented group of actors and tech folks, it is very much becoming one of my favorite shows,” according to Nelson.

Actors Jess Kowach, (Susie) and Dave Joseph, (Roat), agree that the first scene is their favorite in the show.  Jess says the scene captures the audience and draws them in immediately, and Dave adds you see the three main antagonists constantly sizing each other up to see where they stand.

Kowach and Joseph also commented on some of the steps they took in preparing for their roles.  Jess practiced walking around in the dark and with her eyes closed to get into character.  Not an easy task and she “has the bruises to prove it, “said Kowach.  For Joseph, music played a crucial role.  “One of the ways I got into character was by listening to dark, powerful music.  Certain excerpts from Dvorak’s New World Symphony can take me to a really dark place,” he said.

For Cassidy Soto, (Gloria), getting into character required her to work both on being both louder and more childish than she is.  “This prep was difficult, because it is very out of my comfort zone, “ Cassidy stated.  Eric McAnallen didn’t have any specific tricks for getting into his character, (Mike).   According to McAnallen, “I’ve been trying to play Mike as real as possible, which means his actions and speech are not that far from my own.”  McAnallen says, “In a different time and place, I could be Mike.  We both have that potential to do wrong and we both have too much of a conscience to let that wrong be something that gets someone hurt.”

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