The Oak Park High School Thespian Society performed their annual spotlight production, “A Lighter Shade of Noir,” from April 20-22. Their performance displayed the diverse talents of the OPHS theater department.

“I was super excited to hear that we were going to be doing ‘A Lighter Shade of Noir,’” wrote Elizabeth Dusek, who played Jean-Louis-Philippe Eustache along with being a member of the Costume Team. “Not only because I heard that it is a super funny show with a lot of different characters with accents, but also the last time I did a mystery was my freshman year online in ‘Clue,’ so I was looking forward to doing one in person for sure.”

The play is a spoof on noir films, a specific genre about detectives and crime dramas made in the 40s to the late 1960s.

“I wanted a play which would act like a collaborative project, where everyone can pitch in ideas and work together,” wrote the show’s director, Polina Sysoeva, in the Director’s Note. 

The play follows a group of well-known detectives who, when invited to a gala, find themselves tangled amidst their own mystery. The diverse array of personalities has to find a way to work together to solve the mystery before it is too late. 

“I think I am most proud of just how hard everyone worked to pull the whole thing off,” wrote Dusek. “[The shows] were so fun to perform and the audiences’ reactions were so cool.”

With its many distinct and memorable characters, “A Lighter Shade of Noir” was able to showcase the plethora of talent the OPHS Thespian Society is able to offer on and off the stage.

“It was really fun with such a big cast,” added Dusek. “All of the characters were super dynamic. It was fun to see everyone doing their best to make the show as good as possible.”

Packing the Pavillion on all three nights, parents, students and faculty alike all agree that the troupe’s production will be one to remember.