The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs by William Inge.
Synopsis
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.
| Cora Flood | Susan Strassberg |
| Rubin Flood | George Gabana |
| Sonny Flood | Kurt Kohanowich |
| Reenie Flood | Maresa Gamble |
| Flirt Conroy | Linda Sue Lee |
| Morris Lacey | Roger D. O'Neal |
| Lottie Lacey | Judy Bedell |
| Punky Givens | Stephen K. Butler |
| Sammy Goldenbaum | David Pinning |
| Chauffeur | D.J. Lee |
| Boys Outside | Vic McLellan David Sherry Greg Sherry |
|
Rehearsal Understudy to Miss Strassberg |
Judy Crittenden |
| Director | Tom Long |
| Designer | Gerald Watson |
| Technical Director | George Gabana |
| Stage Manager | D.J. Lee |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Patti Zarek |
| Master Carpenter | David Matthews |
| Set Construction | Hughy Hearn Patti Zarek Eli Ross Maurya Schweizer |
| Master Electrician | Tom Summers |
| Props Master | Steve Tuley |
| Props Run Crew | Norm Sutter Karen Kohanowich |
| Costume Coordinator | Linda Sue Lee |
| Wardrobe Mistress | Peggy Metzger |
| Sound Master | Norm Sutter |
| House Manager | Jim Cox |
| Ushers | Maurya Schweizer Bruce Smock Lynn Parker |
