Cowboy Noir and His Gang of Misfits: A Junior’s Masterpiece

By Lucas Huss

Karson Deveraux, a Junior at Atascadero High School, began to write a play last year entitled Cowboy Noir and His Gang of Misfits, and on the first few weekends of this December, his vision came to fruition. On December 1st, the show opened with a sold out crowd.

Isaiah Rice, senior, playing the titular role, was incredible and spirited. The otherwise quiet actor played a loud and rambunctious cowboy, leading his “gang of misfits.” 

The plot (spoilers!) follows a small Wyoming town called Cody, inhabited by the aforementioned gang of misfits as well as a group of townsfolk, with a girls’ club and a sheriff, followed by his entourage of deputies. The town is then entered by an architect called Mr. Kennedy and his daughter Eleanor plan to construct houses, which would benefit the town at the cost of the town’s natural beauty, and later, the home of the Misfits. This leads to the protest of the town, both the sheriff-affiliated and the Noir’s gang of misfits. 

The cast was a great fit for all roles involved with every actor and actress truly embodying their role. I may be biased due to my closeness with the director, but this show was incredible and amazing for a director’s first foray into playwriting. Traci Huss, a viewer of the play even stated, “Morro Bay kind of goes with plays that everyone knows, or at least are well-known, but in terms of other plays, this might be one of the best I’ve ever seen.” I would have to agree with her opinion, especially since this was only Deveraux’s first. If this show and its script is any indication of his potential as a director, we should be on the lookout for more plays and screenplays from him.

The play was a comedy, and hilarious it was. Deveraux implemented jokes into the script that flowed well, and the addition of finger-guns and the actors’ personal use of sound effects for those finger guns made the crowd erupt with laughter. Andrea Casey, playing the role of Tulip, the owner of the saloon and manager of the town, said my personal favorite line. Upon Eleanor’s inquiry of, “Who ARE the gang of misfits?” Casey replies with, “Well, they’re a gang… of misfits… it’s kind of in the name.” 

All in all, Deveraux and his vision truly came to fruition and I for one will be on the prowl for any new content from him.