Welcome to Colonial Players Fall Production of Twelve Angry Jurors!
The original play Twelve Angry Men was written by Reginald Rose for an all-male cast and broadcast as a TV play on CBS in 1954. The following year, it was adapted for the stage and in 1957, it was made into a film. Since then, this script has been performed around the globe onstage, for TV, and in movie theaters by both men and women.
The script provides intense dialogue focused on the interaction of 12 strangers performing their civic duty. The stress of determining a young man’s fate and added environmental stressors (like the room being uncomfortably hot) all bring out the best/worst in these jurors, causing more than one heated exchange. While some of the dialogue is dated, the themes of bullying and racism are still relevant today.
As we began planning for this show, we wanted to find a way to make this a unique experience for students and for audience members. For our students, modern day theatre has made performers extremely reliant on microphones and by placing the show in the round, providing a black box-type environment, students are forced to work without them, requiring vocal projection. The round also teaches students how to perform to various audiences surrounding them, demanding that students stay actively engaged in their characters at all times. Most shows provide a moment for the actors to leave stage – to take a breath, collect themselves and refocus. Rose has “locked” these jurors in a room with no meals or bathroom breaks. One set, no mics, basic lights and eyes watch and judge them from every angle; there is nowhere for these performers to hide.
As audience members, the round provides you an opportunity to feel as if you are also part of the jury, giving you a theatrical experience we can only grant once every few years here at PW.
The dedication and time invested by all the students is apparent in the final product of this show. In addition to our actors, student crew members have helped to create the feeling of a deliberation room. I would be remiss if I did not thank Louie Wein for his dedication this fall as Stage Manager. Louie was by my side for countless hours with a smile on his face, always willing to work on blocking notes, prop gathering, and as a set-building crew member. Thank you, Louie. As a collective team, the cast and crew brought this intense story to life.
