A shrill-inducing chiller in which six women must race against the clock to solve a murder and to save their own lives is being staged by the Kamsack Players next month.
A Night of Dark Intent by L. Don Swartz “is the perfect night of theatre for any mystery lover,” says information on the playbook.
The two-act drama, being directed by Nancy Brunt, will be held at the Kamsack Playhouse on May 13 and 14.
“Set in October 1978, A Night of Dark Intent is the story of six women, who spend the weekend together in an abandoned house,” says the play’s synopsis. “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 happened 13 years ago, they learn a horrifying truth: Lenora Stark has escaped from her asylum and just might be coming home.”
The play is “a shrill-inducing chiller,” the synopsis says. With a story that thrills, twists, and turns, A Night of Dark Intent is 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,” said a review of the play which was printed in the Niagara Gazette newspaper.
Nicole Larson is playing the part of Miranda, a mature psychic with genuine gifts. She keeps having visions of her own bloody future in the house of Stark.
Wilma, a theatre technician and outspoken feminist with self-proclaimed homicidal inclinations, is being portrayed by Ellen Amundson Case.
Ingrid, an actress playing a serial killer who has gotten too close to her character, is the role taken on by Karen Tourangeau.
Beth Dix portrays a playwright who has come to the house of Stark to reconcile a sometimes nightmarish childhood.
Mrs. Thurmin, a church secretary who knows more than she is telling about the night the Starks were butchered, is being played by Zennovia Duch.
Gretchen, a hitchhiker who mysteriously appears on the side of the road near the Stark house, is being portrayed by Tanya Riabko.
Casey Dix portrays Deputy Terry, “one of Chestnut Hollow’s finest, who finds herself out of her league when she comes face-to-face with a serial killer.”
Kim Lam plays Lenora Stark, a convicted serial killer who escapes from the state asylum for the criminally insane.
In addition, Eastan Moline will provide the voice of Sheriff Watkins on the radio.
Among persons working behind the scenes are: Odaria Moline, the assistant director; Jack Koreluik, the production manager also responsible for set construction, lights and sound, and Tanya Riabko, in charge of advertising and props.
The Kamsack Players began their twice-weekly rehearsals for the play, expected to run between 90 and 120 minutes, at the beginning of March, Brunt said. The two acts will be separated by an intermission.
This cast includes both, seasoned Players veterans and newcomers, she said. Ellen Amundsen-Case, the Kamsack veterinarian; Kim Lam, a member of the Kamsack RCMP, and Casey Dix, are new to the Players’ stage. Karen Tourangeau returns to the stage after an absence of several years. Nicole Larson and Zennovia Duch are Players veterans, while Beth Dix and Tanya Riabko acted on stage for the first time at the Players’ Christmas dinner theatre production.
Although Brunt has directed only one previous Players’ production, she has been involved in one way or another with most of the plays the group has staged.
“One of our biggest challenges is the construction of the set,” Brunt said, explaining that the set must emulate an abandoned house and must have three stories: the main floor, the upstairs and an attic.
The play makes use of an ensemble cast, with no “leads” per se, but the roles of Holly, Ingrid, Wilma and Mrs. Thurmin are the largest, she said.
