This year, the fall play was 12 Angry Jurors, a show about determining the innocence of a 19 year old boy accused of murdering his father. This show is special to OSHS because this is the first show directed by Mrs. Willis, who also did 12 Angry Jurors when she was in high school. The show was led by Samantha Walsh and Drew Demers who played opposing sides of the jury spectrum, arguing over the guilt of the accused boy.
The show had many positive reviews about it; from the acting to the plot the audience loved it. Senior Owen Courtright thought the play had a very intriguing and unique plot line, stating, “They did a good job of keeping people intrigued even though there was no intermission and they were on stage the whole time.” 12 Angry Jurors is different from the usual OSHS play because it focuses on only 12 characters who are constantly on stage with no break or intermission, something that’s new to the OSHS Drama Club. This new type of play brought positive aspects. Senior Kylie Lake shares that she got to experience a different kind of acting at this play, one that relied heavily on “little moments for the audience to remember.”
On the flip side there were a few complaints about the show missing a concession stand. In years past, students who are a part of the Drama Club, along with parent volunteers, have provided a concession stand for pre-performance and intermission treats. In addition to this, there were minor issues with the audio, with many stating that when the characters went around the table it was really hard to hear them, and that the volume levels were too loud unexpectedly. This problem was due to the lack of microphone on the actors, which is something that will be resolved during the musical.
Overall, the student feedback from this play was largely positive, with some critiques sprinkled throughout, making new director Mrs. Willis’ first ever play at OSHS a success. Students are excited to see what she and the rest of the drama department will bring to the table with this year’s school musical, “Mean Girls”.