The students of Conway High School delivered a gripping performance of “12 Angry Jurors” on Thursday, October 23, and Saturday, October 25. The cast captivated the audience with a stunning presentation of justice, prejudice, and moral responsibility. The play follows twelve jurors as they debate the fate of a young immigrant defendant accused of murder. Mr. Passmore, a teacher at Conway High and Junior High School, also the director of “12 Angry Jurors,” described the play, and says,” It is a theatrical play that deals with racism, negative views on immigration, etc. It’s very riveting!” This performance was distinguished by its immersive design, in which the audience joined the actors on stage, surrounding them in a circle of benches & jurors’ seats. Mr. Passmore says the reason for adding the chairs on stage was ”To create a very intimate venue that allowed the audience to be up close and personal and feel like they were on stage with the actors.”

     Farrah Sherman, an actress who delivered a remarkable performance as the foreman, aka Juror #1, a caring and thoughtful juror, proud of what she does for a living, and confident in her choices. Sherman said, “She is intelligent, careful, considerate, and patriotic. She is proud to be chosen as the foreman for the jury, and she thinks that the United States legal system is just, fair, and she is proud to be a part of it.” It took Sherman about a week to fully mesmerize her lines. Her technique to achieve this goal was to first say and memorize the first line, then the second line, and she would then say both lines together, adding on more lines as she went through them. Sherman said that the play “allowed the actors to dive deep into the material and actually think through their characters’ stances on the case.”

    Dylan Mercer gave an unforgettable performance as Juror #7- A racist and cocky yet intelligent Juror, was described by the actor, Mercer says “My character was ready to get out of it and didn’t really care about anyone or anything, he hated when people were doing stuff” Even though Mercer originally wanted to play Juror #3 Because of the sentimental scenes in the movie, he still captured and enjoyed his role. When Mercer was asked to describe the play, he said, “The play itself is very tense. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Every word carries the weight to blow up the whole room.”

     This play took about 2 months to complete. The inspiration came from the movie “12 Angry Men,” and the actual idea of the play was completed after looking at other versions of the play and adding in what the crew thought was necessary. It took about 2 months to fully develop the play with the help of an amazing crew. The stage manager, Ethan Brock, says that working with the crew, “The crew was amazing, we were able to joke around but also work hard and work together. There was good clash and communication when making the script, props, etc. Everyone did a great job contributing and doing their part without any conflict.”

The next play coming up is “Mamma Mia!” Come see our spectacular students create a lively show filled with love, family, and a story told through a series of songs at Conway High School, so that you don’t miss another exceptional performance.