Witness a bit of theatrical justice in Antioch

A 19-year-old boy is accused of stabbing his father and now awaits his fate as the case is brought before a jury of 12 men.

The drama that unfolds during the trial is the context for "Twelve Angry Men," which starts tonight for a three-weekend run at the PM&L Theatre.

The show kicks off the Antioch theater's 47th year.

Actor Jim Behr, who plays one of the jurors, said "Twelve Angry Men" illustrates justice, the cornerstone of our society. It shows that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

"I hope the audience comes away with a renewed appreciation for the whole process," he said.

In the drama, sitting around a large wooden table the entire show are 12 men of different backgrounds.

Playing one of the lead jurors is Behr as juror No. 8. Behr said he is well educated, believes in the judicial process and will give over facts in the case to make sure the verdict is well thought out.

"As a result, he's not willing to vote guilty and let it be done," he said.

Juror No. 7, played by Jay Aufmann, got roped into serving on the jury and wants to get out.

"Whether he's guilty or not, I want to move on," he said. "I get agitated why people are prolonging the situation."

Dave Gasior plays juror No. 3 who has an estranged son who is the same age as the person on trial. It is this troubled relationship with his son that influences him to take something personally against the young man on trial.

It is his stance that leads to many heated conflicts, particularly with juror No. 8.

"It gets as far as you can take it without having a second murder trial," Gasior said. "Several times, we push it to the limit."

Behr adds there are tense moments and even murder threats between the group.

"I hope they will be memorable ones here or we're not doing our job," he said.

Bigotry also comes into play through juror No. 10, played by Steve Phelan. Phelan said his character's hate is connected to an underlying insecurity, but his hatred of a specific group shows in his actions.

Also making up the cast are jurors Ken Albrecht of Zion, Adam Armstrong of Antioch, Kevin Carr of Lindenhurst, Dean J. Griffiths of Lake Villa, Wally Juravic of Park City, Frank Pinneo of Round Lake, Romeo L. Sobrepena of Lindenhurst and Phillip Van Bussum of Wauconda and Mark Buchtenkirch of Round Lake Beach as the guard.