NIGHT WATCH
By LUCILLE FLETCHER
Directed by FRANCESCA SABEL
Elaine Wheeler may be living in luxury in her Manhattan townhouse, but she’s plagued by an anxious insomnia. Peering out the window during one of her sleepless nights, Elaine is shocked to witness a murder in the abandoned building across the street – and even more shocked when the police tell her they found nothing there but an empty armchair. Soon, Elaine’s sanity is being questioned by everyone from her nosy new neighbor to her dearest friend to her own husband. In this 1970s mystery, packed with suspense all the way to the thrilling end, reality, imagination, and deception do battle for one woman’s psyche.
THE ARTISTS
LUCILLE FLETCHER (Playwright) was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1912 and began writing as a child. Friendly, outgoing, and competitive, Ms. Fletcher was a frequent recipient of literary prizes throughout her early education and at Vassar College, where she earned her degree in 1933. Entering the work world while America struggled to recover from the Depression, Fletcher took a modest job at CBS typing scripts, acting as a music cataloger, and writing publicity notices. Though her original aspiration was to write novels, Ms. Fletcher’s tenure typing other writers’ scripts convinced her that she could do well working in the medium. In all, Fletcher wrote and broadcast more than twenty radio plays, many inspired by actual events in her life. Her drama The Hitch Hiker, which was performed by Orson Welles on Mercury Radio Theater was based on an experience she had while taking a road trip with her first husband. The idea for Sorry, Wrong Number, which was first a radio play starring Agnes Moorehead and later a film starring Barbara Stanwyck and nominated for an Oscar, had a more personal history. The story, which won a Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award, was sparked by a negative encounter with a spoiled socialite that prompted Fletcher to return home and script a vicarious revenge. Fletcher continued to write novels and stories long after Radio’s Golden Age had given way to television. Her books include And Presumed Dead, The Strange Blue Yawl, The Girl in Cabin B54, Blindfold, Night Watch, and her final novel, Mirror Image, published in 1988. The novel Blindfold became a 1966 film starring Rock Hudson, and Night Watch a successful film for Elizabeth Taylor in 1973. Her short story My Client Curly became the basis for the movie Once Upon a Time, starring Cary Grant. She passed away on August 31, 2000.
FRANCESCA SABEL (Director) is a Brooklyn-based director specializing in new play development. Her work has been seen at venues including Ars Nova, the Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, Clubbed Thumb, BEDLAM, and the Brick. She has been an artist in residence at the Roundabout Directors Group, the Cell, Studio Theatre (DC), and Portland Theater Festival. BA: Brown University. francescasabel.com.