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player ready...U.S. Courts say “jury service is one of the most important civic duties you can perform.”
That civic duty is explored in “12 Angry Jurors,” which Governors State University Theatre and Performance Studies stages from April 7 to 9 at the Center for Performing Arts in University Park.
“It’s about 12 individuals who are brought together to serve on a jury,” said Patrick Santoro, director of “12 Angry Jurors.”
“The idea in our production is for us to consider in 2022 what’s changed, what’s remained the same since it was written in the 1950s. Particularly interesting is our production will feature a specifically 1950s period set and the actors will wear modern costumes.
“What we’re trying to do is bridge a time before and generations ago with now and have the audience question, ‘Have things changed? What are still the issues that we need to address when it comes to justice in the country?'”
The late Reginald Rose wrote “Twelve Angry Men” for the “Studio One” anthology series in 1954 and adapted the drama for the stage as well as the 1957 film “12 Angry Men” starring the late Henry Fonda.
Santoro, who is also artistic director of Theatre and Performance Studies, said the play is similar to the movie, which was selected in 2007 for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
“It is about a 19-year-old who has committed a crime, a murder, and these 12 people are brought together to determine whether or not this individual is guilty or not guilty,” he said.
“What it asks of us is to put aside our biases, to put aside our emotional responses, to put aside those things and for us to think really carefully about using logic and reasoning to determine a person’s guilt or innocence.”
Governor State University’s cast for the drama includes women, hence the title “12 Angry Jurors.” The show is adapted by Sherman L. Sergel and based on the teleplay by Rose, who won an Emmy Award for best written dramatic material for the 60-minute “Studio One” TV episode.
“The Theatre and Performance Studies program is committed to doing works that are relevant and timely,” said Santoro, who is also an associate professor at Governors State University and teaching the Performance and Social Change course during spring semester.
“With the last couple of years, especially when I think about important jury verdicts, this seemed like a good time to stage a piece about the responsibility of being on a jury and to engage the audience in a conversation of what that means and what the responsibilities are.
“We’re trying to do works that are socially relevant.”
Actors for “12 Angry Jurors” include Governors State University students, faculty and staff along with community members.
“We have a lot of new student talent. In fact, we have more students than we’ve had in shows past so it’s clear that students have wanted to reengage in art making and live performance as we are coming out the other side of the pandemic,” said Santoro of Chicago.
“We also have a very diverse cast. They’re doing great work. I think this is a show that has allowed the cast members to understand this is more than a theater piece but there’s actually a lot more at stake than that. This staging of ’12 Angry Jurors’ hits home for a lot of people.
“Anyone who’s turned on a television or been on social media has seen results of cases that juries have decided. There’s a lot at stake for many of our students who are students of color so I feel as though they have felt that. They have a personal voice in this performance. There’s a personal stake.”
The staging of “12 Angry Jurors” caps Theatre and Performance Studies’ three productions for the 2021-22 school year.
“Theater is an extension of our classroom so it’s sort of an applied performance classroom,” Santoro said.
“It’s been really exciting to work with students on a show that is really timely and they can all have a voice in. It’s been great to have conversations about important issues and really allow students to drive that in terms of what it is they want to discuss.
“This production has been a nice reminder of why performance education is so important.”
’12 Angry Jurors’
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When: 7:30 p.m. April 7-9
Where: Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts, 1 University Parkway, University Park
Tickets: $10-$15
Information: 708-235-2222; centertickets.net
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.