Friday, October 19, 2012
Theater Artober Nashville: Studio Tenn's Twelve Angry Men a Courtroom Drama in an Actual Courtroom
Posted by Martin Brady on Fri, Oct 19, 2012 at 5:08 AM
Reginald Rose’s high-voltage drama Twelve Angry Men, about the dynamics within a jury deliberating a homicide trial, has had many stage, TV and feature film incarnations since 1954, and the list of prominent actors who’ve participated in those various mountings is impressive. (Let’s see … in no particular order: Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Hume Cronyn, George C. Scott, Richard Thomas, Ossie Davis.) Nashville has had its share of local productions, and TPAC brought in a touring company not too long ago. Clearly it’s a popular and exceptionally theatrical vehicle, and Studio Tenn Theatre Company’s new production ups the ante by staging the proceedings at the historic Williamson County Courthouse through Nov. 14, with the honorable Russ Heldman, a retired county judge, presiding.
This rare verite approach, under the direction of Matt Logan, features bench-style seating for just over 125 and aims to ensure enhanced interactivity and intimacy. Logan’s ensemble features a host of name Middle Tennessee performers, including Jake Speck, Cecil Jones, Eric Pasto-Crosby, Henry Haggard, Brandon Hirsch, Jeremy Childs (as seen on Nashville!), Nate Eppler and Derek Whittaker. Plus Franklin resident and noted stage, TV and film actor John Schuck (McMillan & Wife, Law and Order: SVU, Star Trek, Robert Altman’s M.A.S.H., etc.) also joins the cast. We suggest searching for tickets now, as several performances are already sold out.
