By KERRIGAN TYSON

Lights, camera, action! The Fine Arts Department took no break after their fall production of “She Loves Me,” falling right into performing the play “Twelve Angry Jurors” at the beginning of February.

With so many people cast as the play’s twelve jurors, each one had their own unique personality. Two of these jurors included seniors Ryan Carroll and Anna Kate Scott.

“With my role as Juror 8, the one who attempts to convince the other eleven jurors that the defendant on trial is innocent, I have to stay convicted to my cause and be able to persuade both the other characters and the audience,” Ryan said.

Juror 8 wasn’t the only one with a response like this. Anna Kate had faced a similar challenge.

“This role is so much different than any role I’ve ever played as I’m sort of the antagonist of the show and the character is just so angry at the world and the people around her, so it’s very interesting and difficult to play, ” Anna Kate said.

Even though the was not as “big” as the other musicals the club has performed, it still offered a lot to the cast and audience members.

“A lot of the other shows we’ve done have been comedies or light-hearted plays, but this is a straight drama so it carries such a different feel. What I’ve noticed is that the cast and show feels much more intimate because we’re taking everything seriously and we’re analyzing every scene and almost every line or action that each character says. It’s also different and more difficult compared to other shows because none of us leave the stage through all three acts,” Anna Kate said.

The plot of “Twelve Angry Jurors” told the story of twelve members of a jury trying to deliberate an inner-city teen, who may be involved in a murder trial. They must be careful, or they could make the wrong decision in a process that could decide one teen’s fate. If they accuse the teen of being guilty, his penalty would lead to death.

“The plot of this show is very interesting, as it features mystery, tension, and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat the entire time. I love the plot, as it constantly twists and turns, swinging back and forth in doubt,” Ryan said.

With its serious tone and alternating lines between each juror, the play presented challenges for all of the actors, who never left the set. Each actor was responsible for showing their character’s personality and changes through the course of the play.

“It’s also challenging to play such intricate characters that we sort of get to make up the back stories; it’s such a blank canvas and we just get to make it our own,” Anna Kate said.

With a school cancellation on January 30 and 31 of show week, the first performance was cancelled, leaving only two show nights. Choir teacher Mr. Eric Brinser, who was the director of this show, said he was pleased how the runs went overall, especially considering the missing practice time.

“Students did well in spite of the fact that we missed all that time for cold. It was a very strong performance both nights, I was pleased. The students got together on their own and practiced those days. It was a show that worked well because there wasn’t dancing, we just had to practice the lines. We just had to keep it fresh and ready to go, which they did. But it’s always good to have more time,” Mr. Brinser said.

In the end, although there was a small audience, the feedback that came from the audience was only positive.

“It was a smallish attendance, we had about 200 people over both nights. This was a kind of show where there’s no scene changes for them to applaud, or dances, not really any jokes. But you could hear them respond verbally. But at the end they said how much they enjoyed it,” Mr. Brinser said.