Twelve brave women step into jurors' shoes

Silence in Court, The cast of OTTC's 12 Angry Men

Twelve Angry Men storm around their jury room on a hot summer's day debating the facts of the court case but this week it is 12 angry women.

Swindon drama group, OTTC, Old Town Theatre Company, as usual enjoy the twist in their drama and for the spring production are presenting Reginald Rose's court room drama but with women taking the part of the jurors.

Ashley Heath from OTTC said: "The play is a tense study of the doubts and prejudices of 12 New York city jurors deliberating their verdict in the capital murder trial of a young man accused of stabbing his father.'

The drama was first written in 1955 as a play for television and then adapted by the writer for film in 1957. The famous movie starred Henry Fonda.

Ashley says that the play is rarely seen in the UK although it is a favourite among American audiences. The jurors are sometimes mixed in the USA versions but never wholly female.

Ashley said: "After all, why can't bigotry or misplaced rage be portrayed as female failings? Are women immune or do we assume they can't feel them."

The director of the play is Julian Smith who thought it would be fascinating to put women into the roles. "In some ways it hasn't been as difficult as we imagined. Our actors have had to rethink their values right from the start, because they are women", he said.

Nancy Heath, a teacher from West Swindon, takes on the role of Juror Number eight, the role taken by Henry Fonda. "The challenge is to think how a woman would think and feel in the same position. I ended up basing my characterisation on my mother", she said.

OTTC chose 12 Angry Men to mark the company's 10th anniversary. Their first play was What The Butler Saw by Joe Orton in 1993 although they were actually formed in the December of 1992.

The curtain rises on 12 Angry Men tomorrow at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road, Old Town at 7.30pm and runs until Saturday.

Tickets are £5 from (01793) 614837.

Flicky Harrison

Article ©Evening Advertiser 2003 and used with their kind permission.
Photographs ©Michael Heale 2003 and used with his kind permission.

The following preview appeared in the Western Daily Press on 22 May 2003:

Intriguing... OTTC get to grips with the play

A unique production of the classic court room drama Twelve Angry Men is being staged in the West for the next three nights - with an all female cast.

The absorbing 1957 film starred Henry Fonda as a juror who persuades his fellows against finding a Puerto Rican defendant guilty of murder.

Director Julian Smith, of Swindon's Old Town Theatre Company, said: "I've seen it on TV many times."

"Not so long ago, I discovered that the rights were now available for amateur companies in the UK."

"As far as I know, no-one has yet taken advantage. It seems a great opportunity."

He knew they would be stretched to provide a dozen men and it was suggested they use a mixed cast.

"Then someone said, 'why not an all women cast?' It sounded interesting and different."

"We thought about calling it Twelve Angry Women but we weren't allowed."

As in the movie, Sidney Lumet's first feature film, none of the cast have names and are referred to as Juror One, Two, three, etc.

Nancy Heath plays the Fonda role as thoughtful, liberal minded Juror Eight.

Twelve Angry Men runs at the Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Swindon, from tonight, (Thursday May 22) until Saturday (May 24).

Barry Leighton

©Western Daily Press 2003 and used with their kind permission.
Photographs ©Michael Heale 2003 and used with his kind permission.