Post Falls presents courtroom drama
<p>Sarah Nicholes, playing juror No. 4, tries to hold back her frustration as Alex Schwartzmeyer, playing juror No. 3, tries to convince her to maintain her guilty vote during the dress rehearsal Monday for Post Falls High School's production of "Twelve Angry Men," which begins its three-night run Thursday.</p>
POST FALLS - A "homicide trial" will take center stage at Post Falls High this week.
Drama students will present "Twelve Angry Men" at the school Thursday through Saturday with showings at 7 p.m.
"It's definitely one that makes you think," said senior Karen Hunt, who will be the jury foreman. "It's really thought-provoking. I catch myself listening a lot."
Tickets are $5 and on sale at the high school.
The drama, initially broadcast as a TV play by Reginald Rose in 1954 and was adapted for the stage the year after, is about the deliberations of the jury of a homicide trial.
It's a story about a teen boy who is accused of fatally stabbing his father. A jury of eight women and four men must sort through evidence and testimonies to determine if the boy is guilty.
Despite diverse backgrounds, experiences and beliefs, jurors must arrive at a unanimous verdict.
Early on, the jury has a near unanimous decision of guilty, but the single dissenter pitches reasonable doubt throughout the play.
"Tempers get short, arguments grow heated and the jurors become 12 angry men and women," Fry said.
Student Erin Roush, who plays Juror 8, presents a convincing argument that an elderly man witness who said he heard the boy yell "I'm going to kill you" could not have heard the voices as clearly as he had testified.
The play was the second choice of PFHS drama students last year, so it was a natural for this fall, said instructor Linda Fry.
"This play is referenced by the high school's government classes in their judicial units," Fry said.
Many of the actors are sophomores, so Hunt said she has enjoyed taking a leadership role in her final year.
"It's been a growing experience because a lot of the kids in the cast haven't done a lot of productions," Hunt said. "It's been cool watching everyone grow into their characters."
Hunt said "Twelve Angry Men" is different than previous PFHS shows because actors are on stage the entire time.
"We're always in character," she said.