Seneca High School’s fall drama is more than just a legal thriller; it’s about taking off the blinders and finding the truth.
Robert Yates chose “12 Angry Jurors” for a reason.
“Especially now in society, there’s a lot of questions about how to treat each other or the right way to treat each other, how to be respectful of each other — that kind of thing,” Yates, who is the director of Seneca High School’s fall drama, told The Sun before a rehearsal in Seneca’s auditorium. “And the show really kind of hits on a lot of those ideas.”
The play is an adaptation of “12 Angry Men,” a classic courtroom drama movie released in 1957 in which 12 jurors — all of whom are men — deliberate the guilt of a 19-year-old kid who allegedly murders his father. But “12 Angry Jurors” utilizes both male and female jurors.
In the beginning of the play, all the jurors assume the kid is guilty based on their own preconceived notions about him, but not based on actual facts. One of the jurors casts doubt upon his guilt, and slowly but surely begins to persuade the other jurors one by one of his potential innocence.
“Everyone comes in having (an idea) of what the story is about, but it’s about a lot more than just ‘oh, I wonder if this guy is guilty or not, let’s present the evidence,’” said Hannah Butler, a Seneca sophomore who plays the role of Juror №10. “It’s more like how people’s feelings can affect how they think and how people interact with each other especially when they disagree, which is a huge part of the show is disagreeing with other people.”
The play premieres Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Seneca’s auditorium, which will be the first of four shows. There will be another Friday night at 7 p.m., and two on Saturday — a matinee at 1 p.m. and another evening show at 7 p.m.
“What you come to realize about a lot of these [characters] is that they’re basing their decisions and what they believe based on emotion, not on facts,” Yates said. “And at first, that’s not such a big deal, but as the facts show that they’re wrong, they start getting extremely defensive and really angry, and some of them turn a little violent and start attacking other jury members. Mostly verbally. But at one point, one of them actually tries to punch another one.”
The students have been working on the play since the beginning of September for at least five days a week, sometimes six. Lately, the rehearsals, which are held once school lets out in the auditorium, have been going for about three and a half hours as the students approach the show’s debut, according to Yates.
“It’s really tiring but it’s worth it because when you get up there and you’re on stage it’s like nothing else,” said Emma DiLauro, a junior who is cast as Juror №4. “All of that is worth it at the end. It’s a really good experience.”
“I would encourage people to come out and see it, especially if you’ve seen the movie,” Yates said. “You can come out, see a good show and then go out to dinner.”
Tickets will be available for $10 at the door before each performance.
