Douglas J. Rathbun Design: Twelve Angry Jurors

This is the final season of Mount Royal University's Theatre Program productions. MRU has cancelled our theatre performance, theatre production and music performance diplomas because of massive budget cutbacks by the Alberta Provincial Government.

Our second year students need to graduate and we are here for one more year and one last season of Theatre MRU. The 2013/14 Season consists of "Twelve Angry Jurors" (November 21-30), "The Winter's Tale" (February 6-15 - copro with The Shakespeare Company) and "Dracula" (March 27- April 5).

I am designing the scenery and the lighting for our production of "Twelve Angry Jurors". The play was originally a teleplay for live television in the 1950's called "Twelve Angry Men". It was then made into a movie staring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, and E.G. Marshall. Subsequently, it was adapted for the stage by Reginald Rose. The play received a revival in the '90's on Broadway and the script has been adapted to allow for mixed cast (Twelve Angry Jurors) or an all female cast (Twelve Angry Women).

Twelve Angry Men 1957

The play will be presented in the MRU Nickle Theatre. I approached the set design with a view to bringing the message of the play home to the Mount Royal University situation. I wanted to reflect the image of the university within the play to illustrate the play's theme of finding truth and justice amidst prejudice, ignorance and apathy and how relevant that is to our present situation. Therefore, I mirrored the architecture of the university's West Gate facade into the design of the jury room. I found it extremely ironic that the icons of ARTS, MUSIC, JUSTICE and NURSING are etched into the MRU West Gate glass windows and yet the university has decided, in its wisdom, to completely remove two of those four pillars of education from its curriculum.

MRU West Gate Entrance

Perspective Colour Sketch of Twelve Angry Jurors Set Design

View From Inside the West Gate

The jury room table is a replica of many of the board room tables found in MRU Faculty meeting rooms. The wood trim is a replica of the trim features of the interior spaces of the university and the walls are painted with a colour and texture similar to the stone of the West Gate facade.

Construction began on the scenery last week. I will be documenting the progress of the production here.