Alliance for the Arts. -COURTESY PHOTO
This February, the Alliance for the Arts transforms its gallery space into a jury room for 12 Angry Jurors, Reginald Rose’s powerful courtroom drama, adapted and directed by Michael Hebler. In this immersive, in-the-round production, the audience surrounds the action, blurring the line between observer and participant and placing the weight of judgment squarely at the center of the experience.
A single vote stands between a defendant and a life-altering verdict. What begins as a seemingly straightforward deliberation quickly unravels into a tense examination of truth, bias, and personal responsibility. Twelve jurors of different backgrounds, beliefs, and identities must confront the evidence before them—as well as the assumptions they carry—before deciding the fate of a young stranger.
Hebler’s gender-neutral adaptation reimagines the classic play for a modern, post-9/11 world, where fear, mistrust, and snap judgments feel all too familiar. As tensions rise inside the jury room, deeply held beliefs collide with the principles of reasonable doubt and civic duty, revealing how unconscious bias and lived experience can shape the pursuit of justice.
Staged in the round within the Alliance gallery, 12 Angry Jurors offers an intimate and immediate theatrical experience. Every pause, confrontation, and shift in perspective is amplified, drawing audiences into the deliberation as arguments ignite, alliances shift, and the pressure mounts.
“We are living in an increasingly divisive time, where it can feel easier to go along with the beliefs of those around us rather than risk standing alone,” says director Michael Hebler. “12 Angry Jurors is a reminder of how consensus forms, how bias can masquerade as truth, and how essential it is to think independently, listen critically, and have the courage to stand apart when morality demands it.”
Urgent, intimate, and deeply relevant, 12 Angry Jurors is a compelling reminder that democracy depends not on conformity, but on individuals willing to question, to listen, and to seek truth beyond appearances.
Performance dates & times
February 13, 14, 20, 21, and 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances available on February 14 and 22
Tickets
$35 general admission | $30 Alliance for the Arts members
$15 students and children
Ticket available at artinlee.org