Claustrophobia, Containment: 上学校 Boys Perform 12愤怒的人 in the Round

作为陪审员8, Grade 12 student John Raftus played a pivotal character in the 上学校 production of 12愤怒的人. “Initially it's an 11-to-one vote and my character is the one who votes not guilty.“在整个演出过程中, the tide turns as he instills doubt around the jury table regarding the guilt of a young boy accused of a vicious crime. Raftus’ character faced the challenge of changing the minds of his fellow jurors, while he and his fellow actors faced their own challenge: performing in the round. “老实说，压力很大, 在离人群两英尺远的地方表演, 但这也是一次很酷的经历,Raftus说。.

Director and Head of 艺术 Godric Latimer-Kim has only done one other Crescent production in the round and felt it was appropriate for this production. (“In the round” is a term used when the audience surrounds the stage, 而不是面向舞台坐成一排.) “We wanted to show the claustrophobia of the jury room, that element of being contained,” she says. “The front few rows of the audience were lit and very visible, putting them in the jury room with the actors.”

Around half of the cast had never done a play before, presenting another twist. “We had such a collaborative ensemble this year because virtually every member of the cast was on stage at all times,Raftus说。. “The whole cast and crew really got close and we were able to save each other when we made mistakes.” Ms. Latimer-Kim says that she and co-director and 较低的学校 drama teacher Jen Johnson choose plays based on the boys who will act in them. “We ask ourselves, ‘what is the student pool that we have? What is going to be the most interesting, engaging, and challenging experience?’”

Ms. 拉蒂默-金和金女士. Johnson weren’t able to watch the three performances on December 6, 7 and 8 in real-time — they had to stay in the wings to support the production. When she received a professional recording of the production, Ms. Latimer-Kim says, “I started watching it and I couldn't stop. The performances were each very different experiences. 每一个都是活生生的，会呼吸的东西.”