South Bend Civic Theatre presents the edge-of-your-seat thriller “Wait Until Dark” Oct. 27-Nov. 11.

A menacing band of thieves seeks a mysterious doll in the possession of Suzy, a young blind woman.

Director Richard Baxter leads Matthew Bell, Eva Cavadini, Tucker Curtis, Joseph Goepfrich, Chad Hoefle, Erin Joines, Jessica Ring, and Jeff Starkey in the suspenseful mayhem in the Wilson Mainstage Auditorium.

Written by Frederick Knott, “Wait Until Dark” premiered on Broadway in 1966, featuring Lee Remick and Robert Duvall and was acclaimed as a “first-rate shocker” by the New York Post.  A celebrated film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin was produced in 1967.  Since then, the play has continued to deliver tense thrills.

“Like so many others, I first saw the film and was horrified at how these criminals tried to take advantage of this woman,” Baxter said.  “Greed can consume the mind and drive people to take extraordinary measures.  Written by the same playwright who created “Dial M for Murder,” this is an extremely suspense-filled play.   The play, like the film, features an elaborate scam to find a doll filled with heroin.  But the criminals meet the resistance of a singular woman — wise, keen and adaptive — who enlists the help of a crafty child.  The story is told through the talent of a remarkable cast — experienced at bringing depth to the rich characters of the script.

I hope the audience will experience the thrilling exhilaration of suspense appropriate to the fall season. Fortunately, this is a story of perseverance and victory.  We don’t often know what we are capable of until our backs are to the wall.   One note: This is not a play for younger children.   The play does not contain profanity, but it is filled with gore.”

Performances take place in South Bend Civic Theatre’s Wilson Auditorium, 403 N. Main St., South Bend.  Performance times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays ($18) and 7:30  p.m. Wednesdays ($15).  Call the box office weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. at (574) 234-1112 or order online at www.sbct.org.