By Staff
Special to The Star
Dec. 31, 2000
Tryouts for Meridian Little Theatre's production of "Twelve Angry Men" will be held Jan. 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. at the MLT Playhouse on Highway 39 North.
According to Resident Director Jimmy Pigford, the thrilling jury room confrontation in which an apparently "open-and-shut-case" builds suspense as jurors become tangled in opinions. Tempers grow short, argument heated and the jurors become 12 angry people. The award-winning drama was written by Reginald Rose.
This dramatic production includes a cast of 12 men, all with speaking roles. The MLT Casting Committee is looking for men to play the following characters:
The foreman. A small, petty man who is impressed with the authority he has and handles himself quite formally. He is not overly bright, bug dogged.
Juror No. 2. A meek, hesitant man who finds it difficult to maintain any opinions of his own. He is easily swayed and usually adopts the opinion of the last person to whom he has spoken.
Juror No. 3. A very strong, very forceful, extremely opinionated man. He is also humorless and is intolerant of opinions other than his own. He is accustomed to forcing his wishes and views upon others.
Juror No. 4. A man of wealth and position, and a practiced speaker who presents himself well at all times. His only concern is with the facts in this case and he is appalled at the behavior of the others.
Juror No. 5. A naive, very frightened young man who takes his obligations in this case very seriously, but who finds it difficult to speak up when his elders have the floor.
Juror No. 6. An honest man who comes upon his decisions slowly and carefully. He is a man who finds it difficult to create positive opinions, but who must listen to and digest and accept those opinions offered by others which appeal to him most.
Juror No. 7. A loud, flashy, glad-handed salesman type who "has more important things to do" than to sit on a jury. He is quick to show temper and equally quick to form opinions on things about which he knows nothing. He is a bully and, of course, a coward.
Juror No. 8. A quiet, thoughtful, gentle man who sees all sides of every question and constantly seeks the truth. He is a man of strength, tempered with compassion. Above all, he wants justice to be done and will fight to see that it is.
Juror No. 9. A mild, gentle old man long-since defeated by life and now merely waiting to die. He recognized himself for what he is and mourns the days when it would have been possible to be courageous without shielding himself behind his many years.
Juror No. 10. An angry, bitter man. He places no values on any human life, save his own. Here is a man who has been nowhere and is going nowhere and knows it deep within.
Juror No. 11. A refugee from Europe. He speaks with an accent and is ashamed, humble, almost subservient to the people around him. He will honestly seek justice because he has suffered through so much injustice.
Juror No. 12. A slick, bright advertising man who thinks of human beings in terms of percentages, graphs and polls and has no real understanding of people. He is a superficial snob, but trying to be a good fellow.
The part of the guard can be any age and wears a uniform.
Season memberships are still available at a pro-rated price. Single tickets will be available at a later date. The MLT Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 482-6371.