The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
By William Inge
Directed by Frieda Voeks
Auditions March 31 – April 1, 2025 7 pm
Performances May 9 – 25, 2025
Auditions will consist mainly of cold readings. Sonny and Lottie will be asked to sing, though nothing complicated. You will not need to prepare a song. Sonny will also need to recite Hamlet’s soliloquy, “To be or not to be”.
The setting is a small Oklahoma town in the early 1920s and the home of the Flood family. Here we find Rubin, a traveling salesman for a harness firm, Cora, his sensitive and lovely wife, Sonny, their little boy and Reenie, their teenage daughter. The plot consists of a series of short stories — the fight between a husband and wife; the fear of an overly shy young girl on going to a dance; the problems of an introverted little boy who feels that the whole world is against him; the corroding marriage of Cora’s rowdy sister; and the tragedy of a military school cadet who suffers from the stigma of being a Jew in an alien community. The play’s message is that there is dark at the top of everyone’s stairs, but that it can be dissipated by understanding, tolerance and compassion.
Character Descriptions
Rubin Flood – 30-45, Cora’s husband, father of Sonny and Reenie
Cora Flood – 25-40, Rubin’s wife, mother of Sonny and Reenie
Sonny Flood – 10-12, son of Cora and Rubin
Reenie Flood – 16-20, daughter of Cora and Rubin
Flirt Conroy – (female) Reenie’s friend, flapper
Morris Lacey – 35-50, Cora’s brother-in-law
Lottie Lacey – 30-45, Cora’s older sister
Punky Givens – (male) 16-20
Sonny Goldenbaum – (male) 16-20, Punky’s friend
Chauffeur – any age
Boy outside – 12+
Will also need a costumer and prop master.