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A Lighter Shade of Noir by Patrick Derksen play script cover

A Lighter Shade of Noir

by Patrick Derksen Canadian Author

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: 5.0 out of 5

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

Praise for A Lighter Shade of Noir

5 out of 5 stars
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.
5 out of 5 stars
Jessica Davis
Ronan High School
It is funny and fast-paced. There were jokes in it for the adults and jokes for younger kids and the whole audience was laughing.
5 out of 5 stars
Philippe McMurdo
Oxford Area School - Te Kura o te Poho Rakahua
We absolutely loved it as a school and as a community. The students worked super hard on developing their characters and the feedback from everyone who saw it was incredible.

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