Noir Drama Unpacks Smoke-Filled Secrets

Story and Photos by Alex Del Cueto

At a school where senior playwriting majors often don’t get to produce their final works, Olivia Armon decided to put in the work to showcase her play. While it’s not a requirement to stage a senior show for playwrighting majors, Armon chose to bring her original play "Secrets in Smoke-Filled Rooms" to life during senior project season.

The show ran from April 10 to April 12 in the Humanities Theater after months of rehearsals. Set in a 1920s casino, the noir-style production brought suspense and sharp dialogue to the stage.

“This show spurred from shows like The Great Gatsby, Peaky Blinders and a little of Cabaret and Chicago,” said Armon. “I wrote the entire play over the summer and decided I had to produce this.”

"Secrets in Smoke-Filled Rooms" centers on Nora Beckett, a young woman who lands a job as a host at the Rolling Roulette Casino. There, she quickly meets her boss, Angus Martelli, a man stuck in the past who views women as eye candy rather than capable workers.

Irene (Samatha May) and Nora Beckett (Sara Anderson) met in the dressing room for the first time.

As Nora adjusts to her new job, she befriends Irene, a seasoned floor girl who’s been working at the casino for years and knows the ins and outs of the place. Things shift when Edmund Whitmore is brought in as the new manager. He and Nora form a connection from the start.

“Edmund is a man who is surprisingly good at hiding his emotions and true intentions,” said Edmund Whitmore’s actor, Marshall Vargas. “He sees Nora as someone to help him experience the world for a new perspective, but tries to hide it.”

Edmund Whitmore (Marshall Vargas) and Nora met on Edmund’s first day, and Edmund saw something special in her. 

Edmund and Nora find a dress to wear for the party she’s hosting for the Rolling Roulette that her boss didn’t tell her about.

Unlike Martelli, Edmund takes Nora seriously. He supports her, pushes back against Martelli’s sexist attitudes, and helps Nora get a better grasp on the casino’s inner workings. Edmund starts passing Nora valuable information, helping her stay one step ahead of Martelli and better navigate the toxic workplace.

Meanwhile, Irene reveals she's been involved with Martelli and is fed up with his behavior. She decides to team up with Nora and Edmund to expose him. While Edmund distracts Martelli, Nora and Irene sneak into his office, looking for anything they could use. They find evidence that Martelli has been scamming investors and pocketing the money.

Irene covered Nora’s mouth to give her a chance to tell her story quietly.

Nora and Irene looked through every paper on Martelli’s desk for some dirt seconds before he walks into his office.

Act two opens with a flashback. Nora speaks with her aunt and learns that her father sent her sister, Laura, away because of repeated bad behavior. This information adds context to Nora’s past and her connection to the current events.

Nora’s aunt, in a flashback, told Nora that her sister is never going to come back and she’ll never see her again.

Using the documents they found in Martelli’s office, the group contacts Patrick Sanford, a former investor who had recently cut ties with Martelli before Nora was hired.

Later, Martelli finds Irene waiting in his office. She attempts to pressure him for more in exchange for her silence. Martelli responds by slapping her. After the confrontation, Irene becomes unstable and urges Nora and Edmund to act quickly. Their partnership starts to fall apart.

Nora and Edmund got a call from Patrick Sanford learning that he would be willing to meet and work with them.

Martelli (Angel Aguilar) slapped Irene and then tried to immediately apologize but it was too late.

“Irene always puts on this air of confidence and is a strong person,” said Irene’s actor, Samantha May. “But she fakes it a lot; she's a funny, confident lady, but she definitely fakes some of it.”

Edmund drunkenly interrupted Martelli’s opening speech at the Mardi Gras party with a very bad joke.

The group plans to move forward during the casino’s Mardi Gras Masquerade party. The event allows them to meet Sanford in person without being recognized by Martelli. 

Patrick Sanford (Elijah Lulla) revealed his true intention to Nora in their first meeting.

Martelli belittled Irene telling her she’s worthless after she berates him while drunk and reveals the plan.

During the meeting, Sanford shares that he wants Martelli gone because Martelli killed his former lover, Laura, who worked at the Rolling Roulette. Laura is revealed to be Nora’s sister.

That night, Nora, drunk, enters Martelli’s office and tells him that others are working against him.

Martelli and Nora later meet on the balcony. He tries to choke her, but she pushes him over the edge. While falling, he is shot by Sanford’s men.

Nora was backed up against the edge of the balcony by Martelli as he threatened to kill her like he did with Laura.

Martelli, after falling off the balcony, got shot by Sanford's firing squad.

Afterward, Nora confronts Sanford and slaps him. She is angry that he did not tell them about the plan to use violence, which put everyone at risk.

The play ends with Nora, Edmund, and Irene taking control of all of Martelli’s assets.

The spirit of Laura (Shaday Garvey) appeared in the empty bar after being Nora, Irene, and Sanford’s motivation.

The cast of “Secrets in Smoked-Filled Rooms” took their final bow.