Crime Noir, Advanced Acting Class Style

Our Advanced Acting (or Act III) students wrote and performed an interactive "whodunit" murder mystery play, Would You like a Side of Murder with That?, where the audience must solve the case!

Directed by Angela Merrill (Theatre Director and class instructor) and written by the cast: Jason Glen, Leah Lattanzi, Jenny List, Caitlin Mahoney, Hayley McCormack and Kevin Short, Scene I opens with Jessica Monroe, played by Caitlin Mahoney, at the park waiting for her ex-boyfriend and friend, Eric Cline (played by Kevin Short).

After a cheerful reunion, Jessica confesses to Eric that she is in a relationship with a married man. Eric is outraged and disappointed in Jessica, mostly because he still has feelings for her.

Eric makes a scene, drawing the attention of park visitors and storms off-stage, leaving Jessica to rethink her role in her current relationship before returning to work.

Later that afternoon, Jessica is visited by her boyfriend, veteran of the Afghanistan conflict and married man, Michael (played by Jason Glen). She decides to end the relationship, which, naturally, angers Michael.

Later that evening, on her way home from work, Jessica is confronted by Michael's wife, Elaine, played by Leah Lattanzi. Elaine knows about her husband's affair and threatens Jessica to stay away from her family and husband. Jessica then encounters Veronica Dickenson, played by Haley McCormack, a private eye she hired to track Michael and figure out more about his wife and family. Jessica desperately wants to know if Michael has any intentions of leaving his family. Veronica tells her Michael is obviously lying about leaving his family and that the outrageous stories about his wife are untrue.

Alone in her apartment and shaken from the confrontation with Elaine, Jessica settles in for the night. The lights dim and we hear a door creak open, a blood curdling scream, and a thud. When the lights come up, we see Jessica on the floor, dead, and Eric hovering over her with a knife in his hands. He calls 911, screams and runs off-stage.

The audience is left to wonder...did Eric murder Jessica or was is someone else? Certainly the main characters in Jessica's life all have motives! Eric, Michael, Elaine and Veronica are arrested and charged with the murder of Jessica Monroe.
Act II opens with the murder trial of Jessica Monroe, presided by the Honorable Judge, played by Angela Merrill. The Judge cross examines each defendant about their actions on the night of Jessica's death. Each character reflects on their actions.

The audience learns each character ended up at Jessica's apartment that night, but claimed her door was unlocked, and that they each discovered her body! Though each character stumbled upon Jessica's body, only Eric cared enough to call 911.

Presumably, we realize none of the characters murdered Jessica. So, who did it? As the defendants reflect, they all remember the presence of one particular person...the court stenographer, Chell Michelle (played by Kelly DiCicco)!

She was at the park, the restaurant, and even lived in Jessica's apartment building!

Chell breaks down and confesses. She had a rough day, entered what she thought was her apartment (but made a mistake...it was Jessica's). Jessica startled her and, thinking Jessica was a burglar and acting in self defense, killed Jessica! But was she? Chell, overcome with emotion, runs off-stage. We later discover a bracelet Jessica was wearing went missing, and that a serial killer is on the loose...a serial killer that takes bracelets for a trophy...the same bracelet that Chell was wearing! Hmmm....

On a critical note, I was extremely impressed the cast, ages 12-18, wrote this play. This was a complex plot line with twists and many main characters to juggle. The character reflection monologues during the trial were pre-recorded, skillfully written and delivered. The cast also wound in comic relief to lighten the dark overtones of the script. For example, Elaine Davis (wife of Michael) had a penchant for hoarding, which was expertly and quirkily acted by Leah. Each character was well-acted and quite believable. Bravo to the cast for their hard work! It really was a delight to watch!