A Red Herring

Join Cahoot?! Physical Theatre on a tour of Triton City — from the depths of the city sewer system to the top of the largest skyscraper — and see if you can solve the mystery of the Crimson Clupeidae.

 

Footage by Up North Creative, recorded during the 2024 performance at St. Croix Festival Theatre. Video edited by Eric Jones.

 

In the sprawling metropolis of Triton City, “Salty” Sloane McNulty seems past their prime as a private detective. But when lead scientist of the Triton City Aquarium and Research Center, Dr. Finneas Plunc, barges into Salty’s office with an urgent plea to help him track down a stolen experiment, it looks like Detective McNulty is back for one last case.

Taking place throughout Triton City with the help of shadow puppetry and an overhead projector, A Red Herring is performed in the style of a film noir brought to life off the screen. Explore the sewers, dance with sharks, follow the clues, and join the chase to discover what really happened in the case of the stolen Crimson Clupeidae.

A Peek Behind the Screen

A Red Herring utilizes flashlights, shadow puppetry, and an old school overhead projector to transform the space into a variety of locations throughout Triton City. The company created these shadow puppets with black cardstock, overhead transparencies, lighting gels, and wooden dowels. The main backdrop (of which the metal frame is constructed from an old trampoline) holds a white drop that catches the light from the flashlights and projector allowing the puppets and actors to play with perspective, sudden appearances, and emulate the magic of the movies live on stage,

Production History

A Red Herring premiered at The Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN in May of 2023. In keeping with Cahoot?!’s mission, this production was free-of-charge.

St. Croix Festival Theatre presented A Red Herring in April of 2024 in St. Croix Falls, WI at no charge to their patrons.

 
 

  • Cahoot?! believes that high quality theatre should be available to everyone. In order to remove a major barrier to theatre, Cahoot?! has decided to move past paid admission and instead provide free access to all programming.

    Those who have the ability and desire to join us in this mission can find out more about donating here.