Classic play updated for school production

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This article was published 10/12/2018 (2604 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lots of things can come in quantities of 12 — red roses, bottles of beer, or face cards in a deck, to name but a few.

But it’s 12 jurors that will be the focus of Nelson McIntyre Collegiate’s upcoming production of 12, which will be performed at Théâtre Cercle Molière, located at 340 Provencher Blvd., on Fri., Dec. 14, and Sat., Dec. 15. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the curtain will go up 7 p.m. Adapted for the stage by the school’s Student Writers Guild, the production is inspired by Reginald Rose’s classic courtroom play 12 Angry Men.

Without giving too much away, the play begins as a large high school goes into emergency lockdown, said drama teacher and the play’s director Brandy Cook. Twelve students, many of whom have never met each other, are forced into a room to wait out whatever is happening on the other side of the door. Outside the room, Cook said, a social media firestorm erupts as students speculate about who is terrorizing their school, and focus their accusations on one student in particular. Inside the room, all but one are convinced of his guilt. And if the truth is to come out, the one juror standing alone must convince the eleven others to properly consider the facts.

“The students took the full reins on this, and decided it should be 12 students in a room in a lockdown situation to create dramatic tension,” Cook said, noting the play is “very timely and very powerful.”

Cook said the play will ask audience a number of questions, such as “What do one’s social media posts say about them?” “What biases does one carry from his or her past?” and how assumptions can sometimes change the course of one’s life.

“Their assumptions, in part, are based on the posts of an Instagram account, and they take circumstantial evidence and start putting the student on trial,” Cook said.

Part of the creative process involved looking at each of the characters in the original play, and the components of each character, and asking what some of these characteristics mean today.

Leon Gozho, who plays juror number three, said the specific challenges of working on such a complex project have helped stretch his creative range.

“It’s been some of the most difficult acting I’ve done due to the nature of 12 of us being in a room,” Gozho, 16, said.

“Usually, there are two or three people onstage in a play, so this has been really challenging, and rewarding, too. It’s a pretty intense style of acting.”

Brennan Elson, who plays juror number six and who is appearing in his first Nelson McIntyre Collegiate production, is also grateful to be given the opportunity to be on stage.

“It’s a very difficult play for us, and we’ve worked hard to create a massive understanding between all of us,” Elson, 14, said.

“I’m glad that Ms. Cook and Mr. Fabbri think I was worthy of a part in the play.”

Matt Fabbri, a Grade 9 teacher who is also an advisor to the writer’s guild, said he believes the play captures the authenticity of Rose’s original intention.

“In terms of what Rose originally did, he was hell-bent on making theatre real. Not only have we adapted and changed the play from the original, but I think we’ve adapted and changed it in the spirit of the original playwright,” Fabbri said.

And when it comes to the expectations of audiences, Cook hopes the work will leave a contemporary imprint.

“I hope it outlines for people the power of social media, and that we need to be responsible for what we’re posting,” she said.

“It’s a tool that can be used for good or evil. We need to be responsible, especially as young people in this world. I hope we show that high school theatre can be important and thoughtful.”

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for students. For tickets, or more information, call the school’s office at 204-237-0219 for more information.