Conflict arises as jury determine fate of teen accused of murder
THE students of Coláiste Chraobh Abhann wowed audiences last week with their production of 12 Angry Jurors.
The play, which ran for three nights in the Knight’s Theatre at the Castle Inn, Newcastle, was directed by Sharon Hennessy and Sean Ó Suilleabhain.
In the play, which was adapted from the film 12 Angry Men, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate on a murder trial, with a guilty verdict meaning a life sentence for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the jurors try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy’s fate.
In the play the jurors were played by Rachel Crimes, Yvonne Kavanagh, Reme Atiyota, Marc Brady, Glenda Tigirigi, Matthew Byrne, Ciaran Fox, Odhran Wall, Colm Flynn, Erika Bellamy, Lars Schwarz and Lucien Aurich. Ryan Noranha Bennan played the guard while Patrick Doyle was the boy. The lawyer was Jenitta Jimmy and the judge was Natalia Winkel.
Lighting was by Victor Cahill.
The Coláiste Chraobh Abhann Players was founded in 2005 to cater for students who have an interest in acting and production. Under the direction of English teachers Seán Ó Súilleabháin and Sharon Hennessy, they have staged numerous plays including One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Burke and Hare, Shadow of a Gunman, Sive and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. They have also won numerous awards in the Arklow Drama Festival and have also been shortlisted for the National Bord Gáis Theatre Awards for their productions of Burke and Hare and Shadow of a Gunman.