A Lighter Shade of Noir

Welcome to "Playwright Spotlight" — your exclusive backstage pass to the creative minds crafting the incredible plays featured in our Theatrefolk catalogue. Discover the magic, quirks, and genius of the playwrights who help bring the stage to life. Let's meet one of these exceptional playwrights who offers the chance for your student performers to shine in their spotlight. What inspired you to start writing plays specifically for high school & middle school students?My school had no drama program (therefore no budget). So I dedided I'd take matters into my own pen. Can you share a bit about your creative process when developing plays that resonate with students?I watch many plays with my students. I observe what they react to, and I get their opinions. Being the playwright, we can revise it in rehearsals; I've made pretty big changes based on student ideas! Are there any challenges you face when writing for student performers, and how do you overcome them?They are more talented and capable that many might assume! Being students, they're used to learning & growing and take direction well - better than some adults. What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your plays?I think a common theme in my plays is how misunderstandings are the root of most problems. I also love characters who rise above expectations. Students are pretty wary of 'after-school special' type messaging - "that's so cringe!" It works better to suck them in with a good story and/or humour first. How do you balance education and fun in your scripts?Ensembles are a great point of entry where students can judge what they're ready to take on. I try to create fairly obvious character traits so students get the idea that "this is the character, not me." Otherwise that can be a big hang-up for younger performers. Can you share a memorable experience or feedback from a student performance that left an impact on you?My absolute favourite thing is to see a shy wallflower come out of their shell - not only on stage, but also in life. I've seen theatre make a big difference in kids' confidence and social skills. One girl in my class never said anything above a mumble, but after her role shredding air-guitar and whipping her hair around, she was a different kid. Any advice for teachers or directors looking to choose engaging and age-appropriate plays for their student performers?Ask the students! Read through with a group and they'll tell you what works. What is your favourite play you've written so far?I like certain scenes from different plays - sometimes ones that probably wouldn't be audience favourites, but they resonate with me for one reason or another. Overall, A Lighter Shade of Noir has made the biggest impact in my life; I love seeing performances of it from around the world. Anything else you'd like students and/or directors to know about you as a playwright?I'm just a humble grade 8 teacher without any real drama education. If I can do it, so can you!

As January unveils its wintry palette, our attention shifts to a vibrant selection of plays designed to add some theatrical warmth to your stage or classroom. From dazzling tales to vivid narratives, these scripts are a kaleidoscope of colour, ready to light up the winter scene. So, cozy up and explore our January reading list. Let these plays paint a beautiful picture that transforms your season into an unforgettable experience. Embrace the drama, and let the colours of January come alive on your stage!❄️🎭

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. A Lighter of Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen is a fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir - it’s a lighter shade of noir after all! Trent Trowel is your typical gumshoe. Searching the mean streets for crimes to solve and dames to fall for. He joins some of the world’s most famous detectives at the International PD gala. There’s Shirley Holmes, Jean Louie Phillip Eustache… and Aunt Beatrice. But is this just an innocent gala? Will the world’s most dastardly villains foil them with a fiendish master plan? Will Aunt Beatrice ever get an English muffin? Everything is not what it seems. Why did we publish this play? What I love about this play is that it’s not just the high style of noir, which is a great genre to introduce to your students, but it also has so much humour. It makes me laugh every single time. It's A Lighter Shade of Noir after all. This play also gives students a chance to play high stylized characters who speak, move and act with specific mannerisms. Not to mention they all have something to strive for, there's so much at stake! It’s not just about a shallow character presenting a style. These characters have wants and they pursue those wants to the fullest.That’s the foundation of all good plays! Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? When my students knew that I wrote plays for our school, they started to make requests (maybe ‘demands’ is a better term; they are junior high students). By far the most requested genre was “mystery”, so I worked with them at studying the genre. I thought it would be fun to write something that celebrated the detective genre as well as poke fun at it. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. A major theme of this play is how the ‘loner’ characters find out that working together and synergizing gives better results. Related to that is how we should respect and value relationships; a major flaw for each of the main characters is that they take others for granted, and it comes back to bite them. 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? I like how the same event gets shown many different ways. It’s somewhat of a trope for the genre, but it’s a great lesson that our perceptions don’t equal reality. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? Cast someone really good as Mr. Silencieux (who has no lines). I’ve seen this character steal the show with a good actor and director to create space for them to shine! 5. Why is this play great for student performers? Students I’ve talked to appreciate how different the characters’ personalities are. It seems to create good fellowship as well, since it’s such an ensemble piece to pull off. Get your copy of A Lighter Shade of Noir, right here, right now!Not right for your group right now? Search our play catalogue to find one that your performers will love!

Everything is definitely not what it seems in A Lighter Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen – a fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir. Trent Trowel is your typical gumshoe. Searching the mean streets for crimes to solve and dames to fall for. He joins some of the world’s most famous detectives at the International PD gala. There’s Shirley Holmes, Jean Louie Phillip Eustache… and Aunt Beatrice. But is this just an innocent gala? Will the world’s most dastardly villains foil them with a fiendish master plan? Will Aunt Beatrice ever get an English muffin? Everything is not what it seems. Theatre teacher, Dana Davis , from Prairie Trail Middle School in Olathe, KS directed this performance of A Lighter Shade of Noir, and the talented student performers mastered the challenge of this comedic genre: “We are a middle school in Olathe, KS. It was lots of fun. I even had a photographer take “noir-style” headshots of the kids to add to the mood.”

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays To….Stretch your tech. ** We pride ourselves at Theatrefolk that you can produce most of our plays with two cubes. And you could take away one of the cubes if you had to. But what if you want to stretch your tech? What if you’ve got a production class with kids who must design for more than two cubes? Wonder no longer. **Here are 10 plays that will Stretch your Tech. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think. All the best with your search!

In A Lighter Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen, Trent Trowel is your typical gumshoe. Searching the mean streets for crimes to solve and dames to fall for. He joins some of the world’s most famous detectives at the International PD gala. There’s Shirley Holmes, Jean Louie Phillip Eustache… and Aunt Beatrice. But is this just an innocent gala? Will the world’s most dastardly villains foil them with a fiendish master plan? Will Aunt Beatrice ever get an English muffin? Everything is not what it seems. A fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir – it’s a lighter shade of noir after all! Led by director, Madeline Kuns , the talented drama team at Central Valley Christian Schools successfully mastered this comedic take on the film noir genre. Great fun and great reviews! “I was the director of Central Valley Christian’s production of A Lighter Shade of Noir this year. We had a blast! What a fun script!” Great job, Central Valley Christian Schools! *Photo credit: Rajskup Photography

When you think of ‘film noir’, do you think of comedies? If not, you definitely want to check out A Lighter Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen. Mark Ogle and the student drama group at Butte High School in Picture Butte, Alberta took on this fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir and a great and successful time was had by all. “The school I teach at is grade 7-12. They never really had a theater project that had been done in the way that I was accustomed to from my days at the University of Lethbridge. I had 27 students, 5 of which were from our feeder school that were in grade 5/6, along with having 4 staff members participate in the play as well. It was amazing! Everyone was phenomenal and it steered one student to go into the Fine Arts program at the university as well. It definitely set us up for another one this year!! – Mark Ogle”

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays for…Comedies. Read one, read them all! Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. All the best with your search! The Baloney, The Pickle, The Zombie, and Other Things I Hide From My Mother Trevor is bringing food to life with experiments he hopes will lead to the creation of zombies he can sell as cheap laborers. He may discover that his food may actually be smarter than he is… Apostrophe’s Are you sometime’s amazed at how many apostrophe’s s’ome people manage to fi’t into s’entence’s? Then you’re not the only one. That’s just the problem that needs to be solved in this outrageous comedy. Lord of the Pies A pie shop erupts into panic after Franny announces the arrival of the apocalypse. She starts to reconstruct society and takes out anyone who stands in her way with baby food and scotch tape. Is the apocalypse real? Will the bathroom serve as an adequate prison? Why is there a muffin tin in a pie shop? Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark Denmark is plagued with zombies led by Hamlet’s uncle/step-father, the current king. When Hamlet learns from his zombified father that his uncle plans to turn Denmark into a land of the undead – Hamlet knows he must stop him! Or not. If he could only be sure… A gruesomely comic adaptation! Original text with new zombified dialogue. A Lighter Shade of Noir Trent Trowel is your typical gumshoe. Searching the mean streets for crimes to solve and dames to fall for. He joins some of the world’s most famous detectives at the International PD gala. But is this all a plot for the world’s most dastardly villains to foil them with a fiendish master plan? A fabulously funny and high styling take on film noir – it’s a lighter shade of noir after all! Close Encounters of the Undead Kind Wendy walks into a typical teen support group. Claire thinks Halloween is going to be humdrum as usual. Rachel wants her parents to be nice to her new boyfriend. Three ordinary scenarios… or are they? Is that a werewolf at the support group? A vampire at the door? A zombie boyfriend? With some close encounters of the undead kind, these plays are far from typical and humdrum! Epic Adventures in a Rinky Dink Art Museum High school students reluctantly visit a small town art museum to complete a creative writing project. But there’s more to the eye than a couple of paintings: Vanishing Valerie! Love-struck Kaitlin! Duncan… trying to eat a clay apple! A wonderfully sweet character driven comedy. Drop Dead, Juliet Juliet has had enough! Enough with the poison, enough with the stabbing, and especially enough with the dying. She wants a new story and she wants it now. _ Romeo and Juliet_ will never be the same – or will it? She Wrote, Died, Then Wrote Some More This comedic, melodramatic one-act mystery is an hilarious romp that features betrayals, broken hearts, a rather odd but beautiful love story, and many twists. Like the main character ending up dead. Or not dead… Lose Not Thy Head Joan pleads for life, Death waits for death, a severed Head says beheading isn’t so bad, a doctor tries to convince everyone that you can’t sew a head back on a body, and then things get weird. Shakespeare, Monty Python, a little love, a little death, a lot of laughs and a talking head. Planning on performing one of these or another Theatrefolk play? Let us know all about it with pictures and highlights – we might even feature you on our site! Click here to submit your story.

Episode 126: Middle School Theatre in a Rural CommunityPatrick Derksen works in a school with 200 students. In total. He’s a grade eight classroom teacher and playwright who decided five years ago to make theatre with his students. Find out how he does it, why he thinks theatre is important in middle school and his advice for other rural teachers wanting to do the same.

Episode 91: The 25 Hour Play Project Playwright and educator Corey-Jan Albert talks about working with student playwrights and how to get students from idea to finished product in 25 hours, including a staged reading!