Lauren Farberman
Executive Theme Editor
Sophie Hefter
Theme Editor
Mira Costa’s Drama and Tech Department’s fall season consists of two plays titled “12 Angry Jurors” performed Oct. 12-14 and “The Diviners” which will open Nov. 3. Both are performed in the small theatre.
“12 Angry Jurors”
Cary Jordahl was the Executive Director of the play, with Cathy Shambley-Baer as Director and Debbie Busby as Producer for the Drama and Tech Department’s production of “12 Angry Jurors.” The play ran Thursday, Oct. 12 through 14 and had four showings.
The play, written by Reginald Rose, and adapted by Sherman L. Sergel, follows a murder trial of a boy accused of murdering his father. Eleven of the twelve jurors are initially convinced the son is guilty, but one juror believes he is innocent. The play follows their decision of a verdict.
“Last year the fall play was a comedy, so this year we picked two dramas because we think of the students being exposed to the genres we choose in four year chunks,” Jordahl said. “So we try to, every four years, to cover a variety of material such as 0cl0assic material, comedy, and dramas, so the kids can leave here with a well rounded education in theatre.”
Auditions were held on Sept. 5 and callbacks were the following day. Students interested in auditioning had to select a one-minute dramatic monologue of their choice. Senior Shelby Friedman, who played the role of Juror Number Four, said her audition monologue helped her prepare for her role.
“For my audition, I found a monologue that takes place in a courtroom to get in the mindset of the play,” Friedman said. “My character serves as the voice of logic and facts in the courtroom and a lot of my lines consisted of recounting facts from the trial so practicing definitely helped.”
Junior Jack Gebele, who played Juror Number Two, said there were some setbacks along the way such as sick cast members and a short amount of time to prepare for opening night. Although there are eight weeks from auditions to opening night of “The Diviners,” the cast of “12 Angry Jurors” only had five weeks to prepare.
“One major set back we have had is time, since we basically learned the entire play in a month,” Gebele said. “A third of our cast has also been sick for one or more parts of the rehearsal process, but despite the challenges I am super proud of what we have all been able to accomplish and put together.”
This play is revelent in society today as it concerns themes of prejudice and social bias, Friedman said. She is also incredibly proud of her fellow castmates and crew.
“I have bonded with the cast and the crew and it is incredible to see how talented my friends are, and I am proud of everyone involved,” Friedman said.
“The Diviners”
“The Diviners,” which tells the story of citizens in the fictional town of Zion during the Great Depression, will run from Nov. 3-11 with a total of six performances. Senior cast member Molly Desimone says she is excited to show off the hard work the cast and crew has put in.
“My favorite part of the play has been getting to work with all the other actors and see how all the technical elements come together throughout the rehearsal process to help enhance the story,” Desimone said. “I am excited for the audience to see something unlike other productions Costa has done.”
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