Underclassmen Take Center Stage
Antioch Community High Schools’s production of 12 Angry Jurors marked a new experiment for the theater department.
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The Antioch Community High School theatre department opened the first all underclassmen fall production of “12 Angry Jurors” on Friday, October 19th. This production was an opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to learn about theater and experience firsthand what it is like to partake in a high school performance.
“12 Angry Jurors” is a show about twelve very different characters who are pushed into a hot room to decide the fate of a young man convicted of murder. Tempers and temperatures run high as all of the jurors vote guilty in order to reach a speedy verdict — all except one. For a cast comprised of fairly new actors, this play dealt with some poignant themes.
Sophomore and Juror number eight, Lindsey Lubicz, explained the importance of seeing other perspectives and the significance of her own character in the show.
“The other jurors to see him as a boy who killed his father, so she is trying to go through the facts and all the other perspectives of the case,” said Lubicz. “It’s her goal to not just convince the other jurors he’s not guilty, but to show them that they need to see other things than just race or background or where some comes from.”
Having a cast of only underclassmen was a first for the theater department and neither the actors nor the directors were sure of what the outcome was going to be.
Senior and co-director, Kenzie Michalski, explained her experience with this new type of show.
“Welcoming [the new actors] to the family that is the theater department has been just such a really great experience,” Michalski said. “Helping them get to know it, and seeing the fun they have when they finally get a warm up right, or they finally understand an inside joke and they just get to scream it out. It’s been just such a fun experience helping them out.”
Despite the apprehension that came with this new experience, the show was a success and was well received by local audiences. Antioch should expect to see more fresh-faced casts take the stage in the future.
