A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

A Night of Dark Intent

Full-Length Play  /  8w

L. Don Swartz

A shrill-inducing chiller in which six women must race against the clock to solve a murder and to save their own live. A Night of Dark Intent is the perfect night of theatre for any mystery lover!

A Night of Dark Intent

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    8w
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller

Details

Summary

Set in October 1978, A Night of Dark Intent is the story of six women, who spend the weekend together in an abandoned house. The house, however, is no ordinary home: 13 years prior, a young woman by the name of Lenora Stark brutally murdered her parents in this location. Now, as the six women try to unravel the secrets of what really happen 13 years ago, they learn a horrifying truth: Lenora Stark as escaped from her asylum and just might be coming home.

From the author of Halloween Dreams, comes a shrill-inducing chiller in which six women must race against the clock to solve a murder and to save their own lives. With a story that thrills, twists, and turns, A Night of Dark Intent is the perfect night of theatre for any mystery lover!

MIRANDA – (mature) A psychic with genuine gifts. She keeps having visions of her own bloody future in the house of Stark.
WILMA – (30s-40s) A theatre technician and outspoken feminist with selfproclaimed homicidal inclinations.
INGRID – (30s-40s) An actress playing a serial killer who has gotten too close to her character.
HOLLY – (20-ish) A playwright who has come to the house of Stark to reconcile a sometimes nightmarish childhood.
MRS. THURMIN – (mature) A church secretary who knows more than she is telling about the night the Starks were butchered.
GRETCHEN – (20-ish) A hitchhiker who mysteriously appears on the side of the road near the Stark house.
DEPUTY TERRY – (20-ish) One of Chestnut Hollow’s finest, who finds herself out of her league when she comes face-to-face with a serial killer.
LENORA STARK – (30s-40s) A convicted serial killer who escapes from the State asylum for the criminally Insane.
SHERIFF WATKINS (recorded voice)
RADIO BROADCASTER (recorded voice)

Characters are not "types". Acting style is naturalistic.

  • Setting The abandoned Stark family home, on the outskirts of Chestnut Hollow, New York. October, 1978.

Media

“A play in the Agatha Christie style… A murder mystery with a fascinating hook – an all female cast! Chills and thrills! Psychology and neuroses in action!”
Niagara Gazette

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Add-Ons

Take a look below at how you can enhance your show!

Authors

Author

L. Don Swartz

Community

Now Playing

Community Experiences