OHS Theatre presents one-act: “12 Angry Jurors”
By Alivia Williams
Photo of 12 Angry Jurors taken by Shannon Kizer
On Thursday, October 12th, Owasso High School’s theatre troupe put on a production of the play “12 Angry Jurors,” a courtroom drama in which 12 average citizens are called for jury duty involving a murder case. The play is based on the 1954 television play, “12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose, which follows the same storyline but a men-only cast, as women could not be jurors in 19547. This rendition is captivating and well-entertaining, with back-and-forth banter and witty remarks. The previous week, the troupe was involved in a one-act competition at Deer Creek, in which they were awarded Best Ensemble, Best Company and Best Set.
The main cast of 12 jurors, guard and judge was played by students: Birdy Crowson, Kennedy Schlotthauer, Keri Beaman, Emma Thomas, Alexandria Holler, Gabriel Cornwell, Dominiq Webster, Mallory Sepulveda, Archer Kiza, Noah Reynolds, Mariah Chartier, Cooper Schwartz, James Burkhalter and Lucas Long.
The play opens with the judge introducing the case involving a young man accused of the murder of his father in the first degree. The audience is then met with the sight of 12 jurors entering and settling down in a room together. It is made obvious that the characters all come from diverse backgrounds and hold differing experiences in life. This helps move the storyline along as they all discuss, argue and unveil new perspectives regarding the case. In the beginning, eleven out of the twelve jurors are ready to wrap everything up and label the young man guilty. However, one juror (juror #8) is determined to prove the defendant innocent. The other jurors are quick to object to number eight’s attempts to bring up evidence they’ve seen before, but over the course of the play, many points are brought up that sway the opinion of a few other jurors.
As the play reaches its climax, there are only three jurors that remain in favor of charging guilty. However, juror number eight further reveals ground-breaking evidence that convinces two out of the three stubborn jurors of the boy’s innocence. Juror number three remains the last one; her motivations for claiming the defendant guilty are made clear and run far deeper due to personal conflicts with her son in the past.
Once it’s established that juror number three is alone in her verdict, she is slowly persuaded that the young man is, in fact, innocent, and they all have come to a unanimous decision. Collectively, the jurors packed up their things, and while the rest were quick to go home, juror number eight and juror number three gave a final goodbye, resulting in a final conclusion for the audience.
The theatre department continues to put on amazing shows. A great deal of work is put in, and it shows! It’s important to recognize Mr. King, OHS performers and stage crew, and it is imperative our school and community continue to support theatre, as well as other art programs at OHS. Be sure to attend “Almost Maine,” a romantic comedy OHS theatre will be performing in December!