By Lindsay Newfeld
As Dr. Porter’s authoritative voice booms over the loud speaker, the mood of 12 Angry Men immediately becomes apparent. This is a tense situation in which 12 jurors must determine the verdict for a 16-year-old boy on trial for killing his father. If the jurors decide he is guilty he will be sentenced to death by electric chair. With these ominous instructions from Dr. Porter (the Judge presiding over the case) the play begins in the jury room.
At first it seems that everyone on the jury agrees the boy is guilty but any decision the jury comes to must be unanimous and in a preliminary vote it is found that Juror 8 is the sole proponent of a verdict of not guilty. The play continues as Juror 8, played by senior Denzel Rustempasic, slowly convinces the rest of the jury not to convict the young man on trial.
12 Angry Men is vastly different from the musicals Tempe Prep has been putting on each spring for the past six years. These include My Fair Lady, Carousel, and The Pirates of Penzance, all of which are very lively and cheerful. However, Mr. Sanderson chose to do a straight play this year because “they allow each cast member to actually act, as opposed to merely being a ‘singing head’ in the background.” 12 Angry Men is the perfect play to accomplish this because it features an ensemble cast and allows everyone onstage their own individual part.
Denzel does a fantastic job as Juror 8, as he tries to convince the rest of the jury to vote not guilty. While he is simply a juror, he acts more like a lawyer, finding weak points in the prosecution’s case and bringing exhibits from the courtroom back to the jury so they can be further examined.
Sophomore Rochelle Lilly, playing Juror 3, appears the most angry with the jury, especially after more and more of them switch their vote to not guilty. Even she, however, is eventually convinced.
One of the best parts about this play is that each of the 12 jurors has their own individual personalities and character. Juror 2, played by sophomore Grace Fraser, is quite shy and soft-spoken but finds her voice as the discussion wears on. Juror 7, played by junior Sophie Welter, is a Yankees fan who is impatient to get out of the jury room so she can watch the game, but is also determined that the boy on trial is guilty.
Juror 9, played by junior Francesca Lily, is a shy old woman but is the first to change her vote from guilty to not guilty. Each of the jurors establishes their presence on stage and the audience is kept in suspense as to what the jury will finally decide until the very end of the play.
As cast member Sophie Welter says, “Hard work pays off.” And it has certainly paid off for the cast of 12 Angry Men who put together an amazing show. Kayla White also says, “Dedication is a 12- hour day,” and it is evident that the cast worked long hours rehearsing their production because it turned out phenomenally.
Mr. Sanderson says, “I would love to do a musical at TPA again at some point, but for now, we are more deeply engaged with the Great Books – that is, classic plays or stage adaptations of classic novels.” Potential future spring plays include Pride and Prejudice, You Can’t Take It With You, 1984, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Crucible.
12 Angry Men set the bar high for TPA’s spring plays but it was only the start of what could become a long and successful tradition for our drama department! 
