In November, West Milford’s award winning theatre program is continuing its new tradition of a fall play with a classic–Reginald Rose’s “Twelve Angry Jurors”. Sound familiar? The three-act play is based closely off of the 1957 Sidney Lumet film, “12 Angry Men”, which is ranked 18th on IMDb’s “100 Best Movies of All Time” list. The script has since been adapted to accommodate the presence of women on juries.

The show centers on a singular room — a jury room — after a grueling, six-day trial. The twelve jurors are sent to decide the verdict of a young man who has been accused of the murder of his father. While sifting through the evidence, the jurors realize that the case is not as open-and-shut as they first believed it to be. This is not, however, an average courtroom drama; as the summer heat begins to get to the jurors’ heads, tensions rise, biases are revealed, and fights ensue. 

Featured in the play are fourteen WMHS students ranging from freshmen to seniors. The play is primarily headed by Seniors Jack Reilly and Jason Pritchett, who play rivaling characters Juror 3 and Juror 8. From seasoned actors to newcomers to the program, tackling such a serious and dramatic show has proved an engaging challenge to all who are participating. 

Director Heather Burns says that she was excited to put on a drama this year, especially one so renowned. According to Burns, “[‘Twelve Angry Jurors’] is so fascinating because, even though the play was written 70 years ago, what I find really fascinating about it is that it’s timeless. Like, all of what happened in the script could happen today. I’m urging people to come out and see it because it may teach them a thing or two about human nature.” The play reflects much of American society and its legal system in a mere two hours, which is quite the feat.

 On the cast that we have this year, Burns pronounced that she appreciated being able to cast more people, as opposed to last year’s play, “‘Lend Me A Tenor’ had, what, eight cast members? I felt bad having to cut so many talented people.” She adds, “I do have high hopes for the freshmen, and they all did well at the audition. I’m just glad to see how many came out, and that I was actually able to use them.” Four WMHS Freshmen — Anna Youngren as Juror 11, Sophie Grizzuti as Juror 12, Wyatt Becker as the Guard, and Olivia Stonaker as the Clerk — are featured in “Twelve Angry Jurors”.

The play will take place on two nights only, November 4 and 5, at 7PM both evenings. Tickets can be purchased in advance at wmtps.seatyourself.biz, or at the door. All tickets are general admission and seats are first come, first serve. They are $15.00 for adults, and $10.00 for WMHS students and senior citizens aged 65+. The play is sure to interest theatre geeks, cinephiles, and beyond, so be sure to come on out and buy some tickets!