The scene is a stuffy jury room, in New York City in 1957 — at the end of the McCarthy era.
Twelve people deliberate the fate of a young African-American man accused of murdering his father with a knife.
Emotions run high and the debate about his alleged crime — and whether there is reasonable doubt he committed the offence, which carries a mandatory death sentence — is heated.
Though the play was penned 60 years ago, it's theme of social injustice rings just as true in 2017 given the political climate in the United States, said Charles Harris, the fine arts head at Port Coquitlam's Archbishop Carney regional secondary school, which is staging 12 Angry Jurors next week at Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam.
"The story is just as valuable today," Harris said. "It's about the American jury system, how people project their bias and fear and the tension it creates."
12 Angry Jurors is a spin on 12 Angry Men (or 12 Angry Women), a courtroom drama film adapted from the teleplay of the same name, starring Henry Fonda and written by Reginald Rose.
In the movie version, Fonda played Juror #8, the thoughtful, courageous truth-seeker who proves to be the hold-out. That character is balanced against other roles: from racists and bullies to wimps and wallflowers.
Their deliberations, in a closed and uncomfortable room, are also set against the summer heat after a long trial (which the audience does not see).
Harris picked the serious drama for this year's extracurricular theatre studies while the U.S. presidential race took place between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016.
And he said he had the right cast to pull it off — high school students who are able to carry a lengthy and gripping production that's full of words.
The charged play is in contrast to last year's extravagant musical of Beauty and the Beast, a family-friendly Disney show that saw lush costumes and a live orchestra.
• Archbishop Carney regional secondary school's 12 Angry Jurors runs from March 2 to 4 at the Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam (1260 Riverwood Gate). For tickets at $15, email [email protected]. The high school show is sponsored by Bisceglia & Co. Law Corp.
