Facebook Pixel Skip to main content
A Lighter Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen play script cover

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!

Comedy

Average Producer Rating:

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 75 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
25 Characters
4 M5 F16 Any Gender
Set
Simple set
Length
62 pages
Production Tips
Read production tips for this play
Free Excerpt
Classroom Study Guide
Download a free Classroom Study Guide

What to order?

Not sure what you need to order? Check out our pricing and ordering guide.

Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

25 Characters

4 M, 5 F, 16 Any Gender
TRENT TROWEL [M] 136 lines
A tough, but somewhat incompetent, hard-boiled P.I.
TRACY DYCK [F] 64 lines
A no-nonsense police detective who loathes private inspectors
SHIRLEY HOLMES [F] 96 lines
A confident and intelligent British detective
JEAN-LOUIS-PHILIPPE EUSTACHE [A] 77 lines
A refined inspector from France
MS. BEATRICE [A] 61 lines
An elderly lady who knows it all
DR. WATSON [M] 55 lines
Holmes’ long-suffering assistant
MISS FLANNIGAN [F] 31 lines
Trowel’s long-suffering secretary
MONSIEUR SILENCIEUX [A] 0 lines
Eustache’s long-suffering butler
JANE [A] 34 lines
Ms. Beatrice’s long-suffering niece
SERGEANT MALONEY [A] 23 lines
Dyck’s long-suffering subordinate
BIG BILL [M] 12 lines
A shadowy crime boss
TONY [A] 7 lines
A tight lipped-henchman who gives away more than he thinks
VINNY [A] 7 lines
Big Bill’s henchmen
CANDY [A] 6 lines
A good-for-nothing floozy
MARIO [A] 7 lines
Another criminal thug
MAUREEN ARTEE [F] 18 lines
A cunning villain
LE CAMBRIOLEUR [A] 7 lines
An infamous cat burglar
ETHEL [A] 5 lines
Ms. Beatrice’s good-for-nothing neighbor
MR. SMITH [M] 38 lines
A hapless postman
CLARICE LATRICHE [F] 48 lines
A femme-fatale with mysterious motives
MAYOR DEFEHR [A] 48 lines
A boisterous and personable politician
MRS. BENEDICT [A] 30 lines
A wealthy socialite and hotel owner
BEVERLY STEWART [A] 6 lines
A very famous singer
JANITOR 1 [A] 12 lines
A grumpy hotel-worker
JANITOR 2 [A] 12 lines
A jaded hotel-worker

Praise for A Lighter Shade of Noir

Cheryl Robinson
Strack Intermediate
Our production of A Lighter Shade of Noir was a great success! Our audience raved about the show, both how fun the story was and how great our student actors portrayed their parts. This play got one of the best responses of my 6 years here at Strack Intermediate. Thank you so much Theatrefolk for having such great scripts available for our middle school community.
Mary Gray
Stamford Collegiate
Great script! The students really enjoyed playing these roles, and the production was a big hit with both staff and administration.
Gisa Bevacqua-Tirone
The Country Day School
The grade 7 to 9 students had a blast with this show. They loved the characters and the style of the production. We were always laughing in rehearsal and they got such positive feedback after performing. It was a great success.

More Plays Like A Lighter Shade of Noir

Dead Men Don't Do Radio Plays

by Allison Williams

Dead Men Don't Do Radio Plays

Put together a SFX crew and bring the radio sounds to life.

Tough City, Prone to Rain

by Alan Haehnel

Tough City, Prone to Rain

A noir play featuring the ace detectives from the Broadly Speaking Detective Agency.

Mmmbeth

by Allison Williams

Mmmbeth

An hilarious gender-bending take on the Scottish play! Updated Version.

Mmmbeth: Competition Length Version

by Allison Williams

Mmmbeth: Competition Length Version

A shorter version of our hilarious gender-bending take on the Scottish play. Updated version.

Jane Austen, Completely Zoomed

by Treanor Baring

Jane Austen, Completely Zoomed

A fast-paced, witty modern take on Austen’s six classic masterpieces.

The Tuesday Night Treasure Hunters and the Case of the Kraken’s Eye

by Steven Hayet

The Tuesday Night Treasure Hunters and the Case of the Kraken’s Eye

When three teenage treasure hunters break into a notorious abandoned mansion on a school night, they must outsmart a decades-old family feud to unearth a legendary blue diamond before history repeats itself.

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Playwriting

Playwright Spotlight: Get to Know Patrick Derksen

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...
Selecting Scripts

January Reading List: Colourful Play Titles

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...
Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk Featured Play - A Lighter Shade of Noir

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...
Selecting Scripts

Nothing but Noir: A Lighter Shade of Noir

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...
Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Plays to Stretch Your Tech

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...
Selecting Scripts

Noir is the New Black: A Lighter Shade of Noir

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...
Selecting Scripts

A Light Look at the Dark Side: A Lighter Shade of Noir

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...
Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

Theatrefolk’s Top 10: Comedies

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...
Podcast

The 25 Hour Play Project

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,...
We accept
We accept school purchase orders too. Info for your purchasing department