A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Twelve Angry Men

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  15m

Reginald Rose

A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. "He doesn't stand a chance," mutters the guard as the 12 jurors are taken into the bleak jury room. It looks like an open-and-shut case—until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    15m
  • Duration
    Duration
    75 Minutes
  • Suggested Use
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. "He doesn't stand a chance," mutters the guard as the 12 jurors are taken into the bleak jury room. It looks like an open-and-shut case—until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts. "This is a remarkable thing about democracy," says the foreign-born juror, "that we are notified by mail to come down to this place—and decide on the guilt or innocence of a man; of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. We should not make it a personal thing." But personal it does become, with each juror revealing his or her own character as the various testimonies are re-examined, the murder is re-enacted and a new murder threat is born before their eyes! Tempers get short, arguments grow heated, and the jurors become 12 angry men. The jurors' final verdict and how they reach it—in tense scenes that will electrify your audience and keep them on the edge of their seats—add up to a fine, mature piece of dramatic literature, an experience you'll be proud to present.
Cast Attributes
Performing Groups
FOREMAN - A small, petty man, who is impressed with the authority he has
JUROR NO. TWO - A meek, hesitant man who finds it difficult to maintain any opinions of his own
JUROR NO. THREE - A very strong, forceful, extremely opinionated man within whom can be detected a streak of sadism
JUROR NO. FOUR - Seems to be a man of wealth and posision
JUROR NO. FIVE - A naive, very frightened young man, who takes his obligations in this case very seriously but who finds it difficult to speak up
JUROR NO. SIX - An honest but dull-witted man
JUROR NO. SEVEN - A loud, flashy, glad-handed salesman type who has more important things to do
JUROR NO. EIGHT - A quiet, thoughtful, gentle man, who sees all sides of every question
JUROR NO. NINE - A mile, gentle old man, long since defeated by life
JUROR NO. TEN - An angry, bitter man, who antogonizes almsot at sight
JUROR NO. ELEVEN - A refugee from Europe, who speaks with an accent
JUROR NO. TWELVE - A sick, bright advertising man, who thinks of hunman beings in terms of percentages, graphs, and polls
GUARD - A bit part, can be any age, offstage voice
JUDGE - A bit part, offstage voice
CLERK - A bit part, offstage voice
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting A jury room, 1954. Summer.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 75 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing available for professional groups only. Some restrictions apply.

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Authors

Author

Reginald Rose

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