For the first time in several years, the Warren Hills Drama Club put on a dramatic fall play: 12 Angry Jurors.

12 Angry Jurors is a co-ed adaptation of both 12 Angry Men and 12 Angry Women. With a combination of both male scripts and female scripts, the cast worked hard to create the best adaptation of the drama they could.

A play, television show and film of 12 Angry Men were released in the 1950s. A later drama, 12 Angry Women, is about an all-woman jury that deliberates a court case in 1974.

The play is about a diverse jury deciding the fate of a nineteen-year-old man accused of murdering his father. At the beginning, the jury is convinced that he is guilty, except for one man – Juror Number 8. He offers a different perspective, trying to convince the rest of the jury why he thinks the way he does.

Senior Tyrik Iman-Washington, cast as Juror Number 8, says he’s proud of what the cast accomplished.

“Overall, we’ve worked well as an ensemble,” he said. “We’ve grown so much since the first rehearsal. During this time, I’ve learned the importance of my character to the plot – he’s the reason there’s a show in the first place. If he didn’t speak up, there would be no discussion, no plot. His arguments with Juror 3 shape the whole show.”

Juror Number 3 is as stubborn in their beliefs that the accused boy is undeniably guilty, as Juror 8 proves to be for the opposite argument.

Amelia Albrecht, senior, explains how they got into character every rehearsal.

“To become Juror 3, I try putting my own emotion into the performance,” Albrecht said. “I get stern and angry and keep that going, and as the play goes on, it erupts, which helps me escalate the tension. In terms of emotions, they’re definitely the most intense character I’ve played. I’ve played other comedic, less serious characters before this.”

Last year, Albrecht played contrasting character Shirley Holmes in the comedy The Hound of the Baskervilles. 

In terms of stage time, all of the characters were onstage for the duration of the show, with exceptions of the guard, clerk and judge. This means that there were very few light cues and sound effects, and no costume changes; this left a small portion of the work to an actual stage crew, which was only a few people for this production. 

In fact, a lot of the creative decisions are up to the cast, Backstage Coordinator Cassandra Orenstein and Director Nicole Labrit-Petrewski. Orenstein, a sophomore, even created the original sketch concept for the stage layout.

The shows were performed on Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

“I’m excited for my last show,” said senior Adrian Wolfe. “There’s a lot of talent in this cast and on the stage this year.”