The seats in the high school auditorium will be empty for the performances of “12 Angry Jurors” and “12 Angry Women.” That’s because the audience will be sitting on the stage.
Find that hard to visualize? Picture the front edge of the stage being extended. There will be spectator seats around the perimeter, and the jury table (where all the action takes place) will be in the center.
The High School Drama Club is presenting the show on Nov. 3-6. A co-ed cast will perform on Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m., while the all-female cast will be on stage on Friday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.).
This has been an interesting exercise for Assistant Director Sean Dougherty, who appeared in the high school’s production of the show in 2003. We asked him how the new seating arrangement will affect the performers.
He said the teens won’t have to project their voices so they can be heard by the people in the back row. They’ll still have to project, but they can be more natural.
They’ll be conversational, at times. But they’ll also shout, because tempers flare in this jury room drama with a young man’s life at stake.
During the Oct. 19 rehearsal, Set Designer Anthony Ravinsky asked his 12th-graders to step into the hall for a minute. He asked for their reactions to performing in the round (actually it’s a square). “Tell me the first thing that comes to mind,” he said. The responses came quickly.
“Really cool”
“Really cool”
“Really intense”
“Really intimate. There’s no hiding from the audience.”
“Makes it more real.”
“Really intense for the audience. They’re almost part of the cast.”
“You can see it multiple times from different angles.”
The last response seems to be a pitch to have audience members come back for several performances. The high school is at 10 Dragon Drive. For information or to reserve tickets, call 614-5543.
NOTE: The two casts have been rehearsing separately. They will see one another perform for the first time during the week of the show.
12 Angry Jurors
Cast: Brandon Ahmed, Meg Babbitt, James Bailey, Hendrick Ducasse, Sydney Ferretti, Cameron Franke, Charles Longueira, Arianna Morales, Liz Quinn, Sahana Rao, Andrew Richardson, Will Snyder, Skylar Strauss
12 Angry Women
Cast: Meg Babbitt, Kianna Batista, Lindsey Cochran, Cara DiMedio, Jessica Eng, Michaela Kirwan, Liz Klosky, Rheonna Koss, Sydney Mayo, Sara Mintz, Tara Rao, Claire Ruotolo, Lauren Sharp
