November 11th, 7 pm. The buzz of the crowd starts to hush as the lights dim. Curtains roll open to reveal a room, and the show begins. The crowd is charged with excitement, this is the first in-house show Shawnee has performed since before the pandemic. 

It is the summer of 1957, and 12 members of the jury have gathered around to discuss a case. A murder case. A boy is accused of killing his father, and most evidence seems to point toward the boy being guilty. Or so the jury thought in the beginning. There is only one juror who stands out, feeling that there is something missing. He claims that the boy is not guilty. 

At first, this sparks some outrage, but as the play goes on, he uses logic and facts to help convince everyone to agree with him. 

Every character in this play is dynamic. We can see their viewpoints, prejudice, and backgrounds, and get to know them just in the time the curtain opens to when it closes. This play is able to reveal a lot and do it well. Not only about the inner workings of the American judiciary system and human nature and how we affect one another. 

But this story couldn’t be told without our students! The character’s personalities are displayed incredibly through the talent of Shawnee’s actors.  Every one of the students up on the stage took their role seriously. It was easy to tell that they gave their best performance. The dialogue felt natural and interesting for the entire duration. (Nearly 2 hours!)

My Opinions:

Though every person on stage held immeasurable talent, Matthew Baker, who played Juror #8, had the best acting.

The best stage presence goes to Kierra McClure, who played the role of Juror #10.

And lastly, the two who stayed in character the best were Chris MacConnach (Juror #3) and Adele Marie-Alix (Juror #11). 

All in all, I think that the talent of Shawnee brought these characters to life and transported the audience to a different place. Fantastic job to all of the cast, crew, and directors. I can’t wait to see the next Shawnee performance this spring: A Chorus Line!