CREDIT: THEATRE WESTERN
The cast of Twelve Angry Men read through the play, overseen by directors Jack Phoenix (left) and Danny Avila (right).

As one political story closes, another begins. Theatre Western's production of Twelve Angry Men is nearly ready for audiences, running from Nov. 16 to 19 at the Mustang Lounge.

The show follows the story of 12 jurors as they debate and examine the truth of a homicide trial.

“This is a debate between 12 people. Twelve individuals coming into a room who don't know each other moving from one end of a verdict to the other,” said co-director Jack Phoenix.

Phoenix co-directs the show with Danny Avila. While this is the first time directing a full-length production for both of them, the joint leadership has worked out well.

“It's really nice having someone in it with you as well. We play to each other's strengths. It's nice to bounce ideas off each other. In that way, I feel very safe and confident about doing it,” Phoenix said.

Avila and Phoenix collaborated on the production's vision, which emphasises the actor's commitment to the characters and to the text.

“From the start, Jack and I have focused on one thing throughout the entire process: play. I come from an improvisation background, so I place immense value on one's willingness to take risks, live and breathe in the moment, and play hard,” Avila said.

According to Avila, their interpretation of the duality behind law and emotion is evident in the setting and production.

“The room dissolves into chaos as time passes. Disorder is inevitable when complex beings are subjected to the fineness of the law. The room melts into itself. The clean geometry devolves into human messiness.”

The play, which was adapted into the 1957 film, was an obvious choice for producer Sarah D'Aurizio.

“The process this year was really easy. We knew, especially with the social climate and political climate, we wanted to do something with legal drama. Twelve Angry Men just seemed like the natural choice from there.”

The message of the show and emphasis on critical thought are still relevant today.

“In the jury room, each character spends most of their time not speaking. They listen. They listen to what other people have to say in order to better understand the situation. Listening is so important, and I think people forget how effective it can be,” Avila said.

Although a 90-minute play might not seem like long, the show packs in lots of drama.

“It's amazing to have this realistic conversation unfold with real people, real characters. There's nothing bogging the show down,” Phoenix said.

The show was cast gender-blind, with a six-six male to female ratio of jurors. “We were in the casting room and we had the last few names on the board. It just happened that way,” D'Aurizio said.

The casting choice isn't a political one — it is simply there to open opportunities to performers and present the text in a more direct way.

“We had the discussion, choosing to make a show gender blind is not a statement. If we know that gender is socially constructed, we don't need to play into these tropes. This show is about prejudice — we can't add a layer of gender because it doesn't serve the text,” Phoenix said.

D'Aurizio reinforces this choice and its meaning.

“We want to get people involved. We were never going to do a play that was only open to just males. We were always going to choose a play that was going to have as much equal opportunity as possible. Looking at the characters beyond gender made the casting process even easier.”

The production opens Nov. 16 at the Mustang Lounge, inside Western's UCC. Tickets go on sale beginning Nov. 7.