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Gates Community Center
A boy is accused of murdering his father. His fate now lies in the hands of twelve individuals. Eleven think
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Left to right: Jessica McCordic, Alicia Hynes, Lily Weitzman,
Melissa McCabe, Rain Perez, Rowanna Herndon, Zachary
Gowen, Samuli Sinisalo,
Andrew Coate, Rebecca Wartell,
Holly Krakowski and Lamira Alisalem. |
he is guilty. But twelve are needed to pronounce the verdict. 12 Angry Men, a deeply psycho- logical drama written in 1954 by Reginald Rose, reveals humanity's interior by taking us inside a jury room. It will be performed at College of the Atlantic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 14, 15 and 16 in Gates Center under the direction of Lucy Bell Sellers. Friday and Saturday the play begins at 8 p.m.; Sunday it begins at 2 p.m.
The action takes place within a jury deliberation room, after closing arguments have been presented in a murder case. The accused is a teenage boy from a city slum, the victim is the boy's father. At the time the play is set, a guilty verdict is accompanied by a mandatory death sentence. The jurors are reminded that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty-and that a guilty verdict must be unanimous, beyond a reasonable doubt.
The sometimes angry discussions reveal prejudices and personal histories as well as the internal wrangling that is the deepest process of democracy. According to first-year COA student Jessica McCordic, who plays Juror #12, "it's an analysis of human nature, throwing twelve people in a room have to come up with a decision."
The play is performed by COA students as part of a term-long theater class taught by director Sellers. 12 Angry Men was originally a play made for television, made famous in a 1957 movie production, starring Henry Fonda and Lee Jay Cobb. It was the first movie Sidney Lumet directed.
Though written during the McCarthy era in United States history, Sellers finds it still extremely relevant. Over the course of the fall students began realizing how much relevance the play also had to this year's electoral season. As Sellers says, "it takes everybody to come to a decision."
The play, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Nov. 14 and 15 and 2 p.m. Nov. 16, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 288-5015.
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