The essential question that begins and centers all of our show selection deliberations and decisions is the decievingly simply, "who does this serve?"
With the consistent development and sheer depth and breadth of our student talent both on and off stage, myself, Mr. Silcox, Ms. Nakuci, and Mr. Rogers attempt to slate productions that offer the maximum opportunity to serve and empower each of our students. While shows like Lightning Thief may focus on our student technicans, Merrily, We Roll Along may focus on our student musicians and costume team, and The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood may focus on you, our audience.
12 Angry Jurors is an exercise in the art of acting. Throughout this entire show, only one of our main cast actors ever leaves the stage (The Gaurd, played by Julia Young, who has also strengthened our cast by playing nearly every character in this play throughout the rehearsal process). Maintaining the reality of 13 characters through that sheer amount of time (nevermind the innumerable shifts in emotion, internal monologue, intangible reaction, and communal impact that is an innate part of ensemble acting) is a grueling marathon for young actors. I am quite proud of the manner in which these young thespians rose to the challenge inherent in this production, not to mention the leadership of our managers, Ava Anderson and Marc Croteau.
Throughout this process, our cast and crews have grown tremendously. Our cast worked through acting exercises and methods of Uta Hagen, Viola Spolin, Michael Chekhov, and Michael Gellman. We discussed difficult and complex ethical matters - can a person be both guilty and innocent? In what ways does our own experience color our perception of truth? To what extent is justice impacted by perception? In what ways are we blinded as "jurors" in our own lives?
Our set crew, lead masterfully by Emma and Faunus, learned and re-built over 14 theater flats, restocking our stock pieces for years to come while also learning marbling paint techniques, persepctive design, how to hang a door sucessfully, and how to turn a comb into a switchblade. Our largest set crew ever also worked diligently on long term maintenance projects from recovering our backstage slop sink, categorizing an online paint database, and organizing our new storage space.
Our Costumes and Makeup Crews, lead by Gen Scales and Oli Toner respectively, worked collabortively in their professional-grade design presentations prior to the research, purchasing, practical skill building, and construction processes of their designs.
However, the element of this production that is most impressive and fulfilling to have been a small part of, is nothing with which a show selection can create on it's own.
This cast and crew has been one of the most collaborative, supportive, and positive casts I have worked with, both here at HBHS and beyond. With every cast rehearsal came a rotation of delicious homebaked goods, or personalized Juror buttons (thanks, Colby!). Crew days included teambuilding games and new traditions like Makeup Crew's "design your work apron" day. It has been so much fun to watch our student leaders choose to create such an inviting, involved, and active space for all of us.
This show was meant to serve our actors. I have happily found that our actors (and crews) have served each other instead.
Juror #13
