Twelve Angry Jurors (St. Bart’s)
original teleplay by Reginald Rose
adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel
February 2008
St. Bart’s Players, New York City
Producer: Daniel Burke
Director: Matt Schicker
Set Design: Carl Tallent
Lighting Design: Mike Gugliotti
Costume Design: Meredith Neal
Production Stage Manager: Ellen Marks
Assistant Stage Manager: Brian Busby
Cast: Ken Altman, Max Cohen, Jill Conklin, Leslie Engel, Joe Gambino, Ulises Giberga, Danielle Giorgetti, Brian Haggerty, Neal Jones, Penny Robb, Jonah Rosen, and Leni Tabb.
The cast of Twelve Angry Jurors. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
What I’m Most Proud Of: When St. Bart’s Players hired me to direct Twelve Angry Men, they made it clear that they intended on including women in the cast. At first I felt that this was either missing the point of the play, or, worse, anachronistic to the time period. It turns out that neither was true. Although it would be unusual for 4 women to serve on a single jury in 1953, it wasn’t impossible, which actually added some dramatic interest to an already exciting play. And in the end, many who saw the show, including me, found that not only does the play work just as well with the inclusion of female characters, once you get used to it it’s hard to imagine the show without women in it!
Photo by Carl Tallent.
This show also gave me a great opportunity to work with some terrific designers. Mike Gugliotti somehow managed to come up with some great lighting in the St. Bart’s Chapel space (which was not where the play initially was supposed to perform); Carl Tallent designed a very appropriately claustrophobic, realistic jury room and found some nice period pieces to make it feel really authentic; and Meredith Neal accentuated character in her costumes while remaining fully and believably within the 1950s styles. She also created some beautiful costumes from scratch, including the dress pictured below, worn by Leslie Engel as Juror No. 4.
Reviews and Quotes:
“A stirring (and involving) production of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men….The direction works quite well and Schicker should be credited with being able to bring out a surprising amount of humor (much of this coming from the women) and thus adding an extra layer to what is normally a very serious show….A stellar cast and strong direction.”
- Off-Off Broadway Review
Photo by Carl Tallent.
(l to r) Penny Robb as Juror No. 10, Neal Jones as Juror No. 3, Leslie Engel as Juror No. 4, and Ken Altman as Juror No. 8. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
Photo by Carl Tallent.
The cast of Twelve Angry Jurors takes their bows.
