Mira Costa Drama Department’s “12 Angry Jurors” set the scene for another impressive year of plays

By Danielle Smith

Managing Editor

Mira Costa Drama Department’s most recent production “12 Angry Jurors” set the scene for another impressive year of plays.

“12 Angry Jurors” featured outstanding performances by 14 Costa students and impeccable set design which brought the engaging plot to life. The choice to perform the play in Mira Costa’s small theater rather than the auditorium created an intimate setting which allowed the audience to become fully immersed in each scene.

“12 Angry Jurors” takes place in a hot jury room in Chicago in 1967 in which 12 jurors must come to a unanimous decision regarding the sentence of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father. The Drama Department performed Sherman L. Sergel’s adaptation of Reginald Rose’s teleplay “12 Angry Men” in order to include women, as well as diverse ethnicities and ages.

Mira Costa’s Drama Department hosted three performances of “12 Angry Jurors” on Oct. 12, 13 and 14. The play lasted approximately two hours with one 15-minute intermission. Characters in the play included the 12 jurors along with the Foreman, played by junior Sofia Aguirre, and the Guard, played by senior Allison Hanna.

The actors and actresses in “12 Angry Jurors” committed to embodying their characters which resulted in remarkably believable performances. Each individual character possessed unique traits and the cast expertly conveyed the personality of their characters through body language and intonation.   

The adaptation of “12 Angry Jurors” from “12 Angry Men” resulted in an extremely entertaining and dynamic plot. The addition of elderly characters, as well as racially diverse characters, made the storyline relatable to a wider audience than just men, producing an inclusive atmosphere.

The set of “12 Angry Jurors” also contributed to the authenticity of the play. The set designers’ attention to detail enhanced the performances as actors interacted with props including windows with views that changed throughout the play in order to indicate the passing of time and an old-fashioned water dispenser which fit with the 1960’s decor.

In addition, the characters’ costumes, hair and makeup fit with the setting of the play extraordinarily well. The women jurors wore professional dresses that featured vintage prints and the men dressed in bland-colored suits. The accuracy of the visual aspects of the play added to the audience’s enjoyment.

Due to the fact that the play was performed in the small theater, rather than Mira Costa’s auditorium, all members of the audience were able to clearly see the details in the set as well as the actors’ and actresses’ facial expressions. The location created a personal connection between audience members and cast members due to the proximity of the seats to the stage.        

“12 Angry Jurors” was an entertaining and well-executed play that highlighted the talents of the entirety of Mira Costa’s Drama Department. The performances, as well as the set and costume design combined to produce a highly realistic and enjoyable play.  

The Drama Department performed the final show of “12 Angry Jurors” on Oct. 14. Tickets to their next play, “The Diviners” will be available for purchase through the Drama Department’s website miracostadramaboosters.org on Oct. 23.. There will be five performances of “The Diviners” with the debut performance on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.