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HOLLY BURDICK
Special to The Leader
“I have never seen a PAC show done this well,” senior philosophy major Julie Patel exclaimed right after the show.
The Performing Arts Company Presented “Twelve Angry Jurors” this past weekend. It was filled with many lessons to be learned, powerful women personalities and intense messages throughout the performance. Each member of the company involved had made the piece one to remember.
Twelve women on a jury were chosen to determine the fate of a young 19-year-old boy. They were chosen to answer the question, “What does a guilty man look like?” The women gathered around a table in one room, with one window, one water cooler and one trash can. They had to discover the meaning of a “reasonable doubt” in order to determine the boy’s fate. Life was at stake.
Photo by Kait Covell
During their time in the room, tempers quickly rose. Racism, childhood backgrounds and families were mentioned, triggering all sorts of emotions. Controversial topics that are usually not spoken about in this manner were brought up. This forced the audience to question its own beliefs and feel the tension throughout the entire room.
First-time director and junior musical theater major Christine Boehm explained why this work stood out to her.
“I read this book … everybody has read this in high school, everybody is familiar with it or knows the movie,” she said.
Boehm wanted to present “Twelve Angry Jurors” because of its familiarity. Boehm enjoyed the opportunity to examine the piece as literature earlier and now study it as a piece of theatre. She also explained that she pulled quotes from some of the text from political figures that are currently running for president.
“The text was written in 1953, and almost everything is relevant now,” she said.
“Twelve Angry Jurors” was so interesting to her because everything could take place now. Although it was written in the ‘50s, it can still be looked at as modern text with modern tensions and modern characters.
When choosing the piece, Boehm knew she wanted all of the jurors to be women, no doubt about it. It was a very strong decision and very powerful. Her vision was fulfilled and “the girls are kicking butt.” The aspect of having a jury full of women was such a great decision, and everyone’s different personalities played a special part in the decision-making process. There were the shy women who barely had an opinion, the women who had an opinion when it was triggered and the very outspoken women who always voiced their opinions. Ages ranged and each woman had a different background. The special personalities were vital to determining the verdict.
Photo by Kait Covell
The positioning of the table, the places in which each juror sat and the black and white costume scheme were well thought out. Although there were only three colors, black, white and grey, that the ladies could wear, each wore their personality, revealing who they were.
Boehm was very nervous for her debut, yet proud of her work. She enjoyed the aspect of being able to be the leading team member to communicate a story to the audience. She has been a part of the communication between actors and audience, but not yet director to actor or director to audience. It was a new eye-opening experience for her.
“It has been really cool to discover what that role is,” she said. “I think I’d like to pursue this for the rest of my life.” Boehm wishes to go to grad school to get her doctorate in theatrical studies.
Overall, the “Twelve Angry Jurors” team worked very well together, even with jobs that were unfamiliar. This was a great success and will be remembered for time to come.