Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27 at 6:30 pm
at the Yountville Community Center – Heritage Room in Yountville (6516 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599)

Non-AEA; all volunteer. Adults of all backgrounds are encouraged.

NIGHT MUST FALL by Emlyn Williams is a classic 1930s psychological thriller in the British theatrical tradition, where crime, suspense and dark humor unfold side by side.

CAST: 5 women, 3 men; All roles are open.

PREPARATION: Cold read from script

• Links to script and audition sides provided on request.
• English accent helpful but not required.

REHEARSALS:
Mondays through Thursdays 8/19 – 10/1, 6:00-9:00p in Napa, Locations TBA. (NOTE: the first table-read will be scheduled before rehearsals begin with respect to cast availability.)

TECHNICAL REHEARSALS:
Monday through Thursday, 10/3 – 10/8, at the Yountville Community Center in Yountville.

PERFORMANCES:
October 9–25, 2026
Fri. and Sat. evenings, Sun. Matinees
Yountville Community Center – Heritage Room

TO AUDITION:
Please complete this online audition form (https://forms.gle/dP6FJoLVp9dYr72p7) and email a copy of your headshot and resumé (if available) to the director, Rhonda Bowen (rhonda@valley-players.com).

ABOUT THE PLAY

When a charming but mysterious young man named Dan insinuates himself into the household of the imperious Mrs. Bramson, suspicion grows that he may be connected to the recent murder of a local woman. As Dan works his way into Mrs. Bramson’s affections and captivates her skeptical niece, Olivia, the tension between attraction and dread builds to a chilling climax. Part drawing-room comedy, part dark psychological study, Night Must Fall is a masterwork of sustained suspense that keeps audiences guessing until the final moment.

CASTING NOTES

Actors of all gender identities, ages, and ethnicities are encouraged to audition.

CHARACTERS

Mrs. Bramson
The domineering matriarch of the household, ruling from her wheelchair. Sharp-tongued, theatrical, vain, and secretly lonely. A commanding role with both comic and dramatic range. 

Olivia Grayne
Intelligent, self-possessed, and deeply conflicted. Mrs. Bramson’s niece and paid companion, increasingly trapped between duty, security, and the dangerous allure of change. 

Dan
A drifter with boyish charm and disarming vulnerability, masking a practiced manipulator who blurs the line between truth and invention—something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface.

Hubert Laurie
Olivia’s earnest and persistent suitor. Proper, well-meaning, and unintentionally humorous, he offers stability and respectability in contrast to Dan’s unsettling allure. 

Dora Parkoe
Mrs. Bramson’s pregnant maid whose circumstances set the plot in motion. Naive but funny in her blunt honesty, she adds both tension and comic relief as the story unfolds. 

Inspector Belsize
Pipe-smoking, clever, and quietly formidable. A classic Scotland Yard figure who lets others underestimate him, his dry wit and calm authority concealing a keen, methodical mind. 

Mrs. Terence
The household cook and enthusiastic town gossip. Confident and outspoken, Mrs. Terence offers comic relief and sharp commentary throughout the play. 

Nurse Libby
Mrs. Bramson’s nurse: brisk, capable, and possessed of a keen sense of humor. A cameo role with strong stage-presence. * 

*May double as a second detective (non-speaking), TBD