
Night Watch
by Lucille Fletcher | Directed by: Joe Pacifico

SYNOPSIS: In an elegant, fully remodeled Manhattan townhouse, well-to-do Elaine Wheeler is unable to sleep. Pacing the living room, she is troubled by unsettling memories and vague fears. Looking out of her window into an abandoned tenement building across the way, she sees a dead man.
Or does she? Or is it just the sleep-deprived imagination of a fragile mind, under further strain from her dominating husband and life in a noisy, troubled city? Has she really seen the victim of another random homicide in a city plagued by crime? Or is it something else entirely?
Set in mid-Manhattan's East 30s during the 1970s, the backdrop of the play is a city undergoing an unparalleled transformation, fueled by economic collapse and rampant crime. Reeling from a decade of social turmoil, New York was falling into a deep tailspin provoked by the flight of the middle class to the suburbs and a nationwide economic recession that hit New York’s industrial sector especially hard.
In true Hitchcock style, the story reveals its truths slowly, with twists and turns at every crossroad until the final breath-stopping moment of its unexpected "twist" ending.
"A most superior thriller … which from its first blood-curdling scream to its last charming surprise is a first-class example of its genre." — New York Times
"…Miss Fletcher knows exactly what she is doing, goes about her business with gratifying swiftness and comes up with a finish worthy of one of Roald Dahl's little nifties." — New York Daily News
"The call for a good American mystery melodrama was answered last night…fulfills all the requirements for an evening of satisfying menace and mystification." — New York Post
"For those who love a good tale of suspense that will keep you guessing until the end, be sure to see Night Watch."
— Broadway World
AUDITIONS:
Monday & Tuesday 8/9 & 8/10 at 7-9 pm
Callbacks on Wednesday 8/11
Please bring your headshot, resume and prepare
a 2 minute monologue.
*** ALL AUDITIONERS MUST PRESENT PROOF OF
COVID VACCINATION. ***
We encourage performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and ages, to attend every audition.
The Heights Players is located at:
26 Willow Place, between
State and Joralemon Streets in Brooklyn Heights.
The Heights Players is a membership organization. There is no pay or stipend for any role or position. There is a $20 membership fee if cast.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
• Elaine Wheeler: Female, 30s-40s, any ethnicity. Protagonist. Emotionally fragile, haunted by a past betrayal. Elaine looks for validation; when it is not forthcoming, she questions her sanity.
• John Wheeler: Male, 30s-50s, any ethnicity. Elaine’s husband. Stock broker; all business, image-conscious, deals with all problems quickly and logically. Dismissive of his wife's story, he is exasperated by her erratic behavior.
• Helga: Female, 30s-50+. German maid. Was Elaine's maid for years before the Wheelers were married. Seems loyal to Elaine and distrustful of John.
• Vanelli: Any gender, 20s-30s, any ethnicity. Streetwise NYPD patrolman. Affable, has an eye for fine art. Impressed by the Wheelers' collection.
• Curtis Appleby: Male, 40s-50+, any ethnicity. Eccentric neighbor. Local busybody; particularly interested in the Wheeler home and what takes place there. Is especially fascinated by the subject of murder, a fascination that perhaps has become an obsession.
• Blanche Cooke: Female, 30s-40s, any ethnicity. Elaine’s best friend. A nurse by training, she presents an efficient and tailored appearance. Currently a houseguest in the Wheeler townhouse, she is concerned for Elaine’s mental health.
• Lieutenant Walker: Any gender, 30s-50+, any ethnicity. Homicide detective. Jaded and overworked, has no time for wild goose chases. Concerned only with doing the job.
• Dr. Tracey Lake: Female, 30s-50+, any ethnicity. Noted psychologist. Professional clinical demeanor. Observes Elaine; tries to gain her confidence.
• Sam Hoke: Male, 30s-50s, any ethnicity. Owner of local deli. A large, shabby, working-class man. Talk of murder is hurting his business. Frustrated, angry, defensive… and perhaps a little nervous.