Notre Dame's production of '12 Angry Jurors' debuts today at the high school

With a different take on the play “12 Angry Men,” the students and faculty at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau are debuting a more “inclusive” version at 7 p.m. today: “12 Angry Jurors.”

We talked with director Cynthia King to find out how this season’s performance — made up of 13 cast members and more than 30 crew members — stacks up among the rest.

The show focuses on the deliberation of a murder case and contains no intermission, King said, in an effort to preserve the intended ambiance of a New York jury room in the late 1950s.

The original script, “12 Angry Men,” was written in 1954 as a teleplay for the CBS series “Studio One,” King said. Soon after, writer Reginald Rose altered the piece to fit the “big screen” gaining three Oscar nominations for the 1957 film.

She said during that time period, the jury pool for such a trial would have consisted of white males, leaving no ethnic diversity or females.

The cast of Notre Dame Regional High School's production "12 Angry Jurors" poses for a photo Tuesday before rehearsal at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau.Joshua Hartwig

“It’s a little smaller than last year’s play but it’s more intense,” King said. “The actors’ roles are larger than last year; the people [the actors] are playing are so far removed from who they are [in real life].”

Performances continue through Saturday at King Hall. Tickets are $10 and proceeds will benefit the school’s theater program.

Brushing up

King said the set was an opportunity for a “learning experience on painting.” Multiple painting techniques — including sponging and lining — were utilized in creating the textured, tan walls of the jury room. Through that, she said, students learned how to create “depth” observable from the audience.

Jumping hurdles

One major challenge King and the cast had to overcome was working with a script written for men originally, coupled with a “female version” containing altered wording, she said. But that allowed King to use any combination of cast, she explained.

“I had to identify who was going to be a male character and who was going to be a female character based on [their abilities],” she said.

King said the production also has given the students an opportunity to become more familiar with the court system.

Attention to detail

Though minimal, King said strategically-placed props on stage include an antique period-specific fan, portraits of presidents behind the jury and a wall clock ticking along with the duration of the performance.

What’s the takeaway?

“One of the things the students have talked about is the value of life,” King said. “It takes a great deal of courage to stand alone,” echoing the words of one of the characters.

One of the main characters makes a point, she said, that the young man on trial for murder is “a person and they should not automatically say he is guilty without reviewing all the information.”

“It’s the value of life,” King said. “You can’t just toss someone’s life away without giving it a little bit more thought.”

Get your weekend plans delivered to your inbox. Sign up for the Expedition: Weekend email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.