Alliance for the Arts transforms its gallery into a jury room for ‘12 Angry Jurors’
This February, the Alliance for the Arts transforms its gallery space into a jury room for 12 Angry Jurors, Reginald Rose’s powerful courtroom drama, adapted and directed by Michael Hebler. In this immersive, in-the-round production, the audience surrounds the action, blurring the line between observer and participant and placing the weight of judgment squarely at the center of the experience.
A single vote stands between a defendant and a life-altering verdict. What begins as a seemingly straightforward deliberation quickly unravels into a tense examination of truth, bias, and personal responsibility. Twelve jurors of different backgrounds, beliefs, and identities must confront the evidence before them — as well as the assumptions they carry — before deciding the fate of a young stranger.
Hebler’s gender-neutral adaptation reimagines the classic play for a modern, post-9/11 world, where fear, mistrust, and snap judgments feel all too familiar. As tensions rise inside the jury room, deeply held beliefs collide with the principles of reasonable doubt and civic duty, revealing how unconscious bias and lived experience can shape the pursuit of justice.
Staged in the round within the Alliance gallery, 12 Angry Jurors offers an intimate and immediate theatrical experience. Every pause, confrontation, and shift in perspective is amplified, drawing audiences into the deliberation as arguments ignite, alliances shift, and the pressure mounts.
“We are living in an increasingly divisive time, where it can feel easier to go along with the beliefs of those around us rather than risk standing alone,” said director Michael Hebler. “’12 Angry Jurors’ is a reminder of how consensus forms, how bias can masquerade as truth, and how essential it is to think independently, listen critically, and have the courage to stand apart when morality demands it.”
Urgent, intimate, and deeply relevant, 12 Angry Jurors is a compelling reminder that democracy depends not on conformity, but on individuals willing to question, to listen, and to seek truth beyond appearances.
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12 Angry Jurors
By Reginald Rose
Adapted and directed by Michael Hebler
Performance dates and times
Feb. 13, 14, 20, 21, and 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances available on Feb. 14 and 22
Tickets
$35 general admission — $30 Alliance for the Arts members — $15 students and children
Tickets available at artinlee.org.
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About Alliance for the Arts
From yesterday’s vision to tomorrow’s masterpiece, a legacy of art and soul. The Alliance for the Arts is celebrating 50 years as a nonprofit community visual and performing arts center located in the heart of Fort Myers. The Alliance campus and galleries are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. just south of Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. For more information, please call 239-939-2787, visit www.ArtInLee.org, find us on Facebook, MeetUp and Instagram.