Rivalries put aside in Naperville's version of '12 Angry Men'
Naperville North and Central high schools may be rivals on the field but on stage, they've called a truce.
The two are joining forces to put on production of the legal drama "12 Angry Men."
The show begins at 8 p.m. today and Saturday, April 23 and 24, in Central's Little Theatre, 440 W. Aurora Ave. Tickets are $5.
The show follow 12 jurors trying to reach a verdict in a murder trial in which a teenager is accused of killing his father.
Central senior Ian James plays a juror who is convinced the teen on trial is guilty. He calls the show "compelling" and "the opposite of a mystery."
"You know everything that happens and you don't know the real answer," he said.
The joint effort is Central's experimental show, directed by senior Lauren Ruvola, president of the Theatre Central drama club. Ruvola thought the two schools teaming up would make for a good experiment and said it has been a success.
"Generally speaking, theater kids are pretty open to making new friendships so it was not difficult at all," she said.
She recruited Julia Celentano, a senior at North, who is serving as assistant director.
"It's been very beneficial to both sides because in high school you usually work with the same people and it gets a little repetitive so it was a great experience, at least for me, to work with so many new people, a new system - a different theater," Celentano said.
Among those differences: Actors say Central tends to rehearse on a tighter schedule than North and has more student-directed shows. North actors use microphones in their shows more often but had to focus more on projecting their voices for this show.
Kendra Benner, a junior at North, plays a juror who keeps changing her mind about whether the defendant is guilty. She likes that the show allows the actors and audience to really delve into the characters.
"Most shows' characters come on and you never get to know them as well," she said. "But this show, the characters are on stage almost the entire time so if you wanted to you could watch the show over and over and just look at one character and see their reactions."
Central senior Ashley Lamb, who plays the holdout juror, thinks audiences will enjoy watching the passion of the jurors.
"We get pretty emotional, we scream, we threaten," she said. "It gets pretty intense."
'12 Angry Jurors' CastForeman: Carolyn FooteJuror 2: Greg LarsonJuror 3: Ian James Juror 4: Olivia CuffJuror 5: Angela GiessJuror 6: Emily NovakJuror 7: Alex SistowiczJuror 8: Ashley LambJuror 9: Beth WhiteJuror 10: Daniel Crowley Juror 11: Kevin BrownJuror 12: Kendra BennerGuard: Regan Carey Judge: Maddy Hollis Production staffProducer: Ellen BanachDirector: Lauren RuvolaAssistant director: Julia CelentanoStage manager: Jackie HoffmanAssistant stage manager: Kat WiersumFalse13282000Naperville Central senior Ashley Lamb tries to convince her fellow jurors that the teen on trial is not guilty of murder in a production of "12 Angry Men." The production is a joint effort of Naperville Central and North high schools and opens today.Tanit Jarusan | Staff PhotographerFalse <p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p><p class="News"><b>What:</b> "12 Angry Men," a student-run production with actors from Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools</p><p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. today and Saturday, April 23 and 24</p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Little Theatre at Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave.</p><p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $5</p><p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 420-3885</p>