Editor’s Note: This article was also published in the Benet Herald 2025 Graduation Edition.
On the 1st, 2nd, and 4th of May, 2025, 14 Benet student actors put on the Spring Play production of 12 Angry Jurors, directed by Mrs. Alcorn and Mr. Grigas. This show was each of their first times directing a Benet production, since both the fall and spring plays have typically fallen under Mr. Leffler’s direction. This play also featured the largest cast a Benet play has seen since the Fall Play of 2021, indicating a new era of interest in the acting side of St. Daniel Hall.
Auditions and casting took place the week before Spring Break, with senior Joe Abboud landing the role of Juror #8, the contrarian who eventually convinces every other juror to join his side in believing that a teenage boy did not kill his own father. Sophomore Sebastian Cerny, freshman Aiden O’Brien, sophomore Caitlyn Sobkowiak, and freshman Neda Unguraitis were Joe’s biggest opponents, constantly finding reasons to believe without any reasonable doubt that the suspect is guilty of his crime. The jury discussed the case for the entire show, with the help of freshman Lilly Jackson, who played the foreman, and sophomore EJ Maldonado, who supplied the
jury with evidence and kept the jury locked in their room. Throughout the show, characters such as those played by freshman Andrew Tivadar, junior Sylvia Haldorson, sophomore Marilyn Olson, junior Benas Unguraitis, and sophomore Cara Sturm regularly switched their positions from guilty to not guilty and vice versa, keeping a tense environment where a teenager’s life was at stake, as Joe Abboud mentioned numerous times. To keep the situation from boiling over, however, junior Leah Huie, who played a juror who worked in a media company, supplied comic relief for the audience.
This production broke many creative boundaries, notably by having the audience sit on the stage itself to act as the court. This made the show more immersive than a typical musical, since the actors could get significantly closer to the audience. Reflecting upon her experience in such a new environment, freshman Neda Unguraitis said, “I felt a mix of excitement and curiosity working with two directors who had never directed a play at our school before. Instead of uncertainty, their fresh perspective brought new energy and creativity to the production, making the experience both inspiring and memorable.” The production of 12 Angry Jurors serves as an important stepping stone for future Benet plays, and the large cast and the passionate directors are a good sign for an incredible future in St. Daniel Hall.
