Early November typically calls for a sold-out Henderson Theater, as Pegasus Production Company presents their fall drama.

While there will not be 300-plus people in the audience, the student-run theater company will perform six shows of Twelve Angry Jurors beginning November 6.

The Pegasus student board of directors was determined to put on a live fall performance, beginning with mid-summer virtual meetings to decide on a show that could be acceptable under COVID-19 precautions.

“Watching the students come up with and police their own guidelines has been an amazing experience,” said Mr. Marcos Orozco ’01, director of Pegasus Production Company. “It’s not very often that we see teenagers put more restrictions on themselves and firmly follow the rules, but they did so because of their commitment to their craft and their genuine concern for each other.”

Rehearsals started outdoors and the set was built over a long weekend. With the weather getting colder, rehearsals have moved inside with the company creating cohorts that stay spread out in the theater, while the newly-upgraded ventilation system is always running.

“Looking at Twelve Angry Jurors, we felt we could make it either as simple or complicated as we needed it to be, which provided us with a lot of flexibility going into a show at a time with so much variability,” said Andrew Guarino ’21, Pegasus student stage manager. “Our main goal was to aim as high as we could, wanting to have as much of the usual in-person rehearsal and production experience as possible. Getting to perform in front of a live audience, while great, was always secondary.”

The cast will indeed get to perform in front of a minimal live audience. The company ultimately decided to limit seating to 50 individuals, which is below 25 percent capacity and put ticket ordering restrictions in place so that students’ families were able to attend the shows.

The audience will be discouraged from gathering in the lobby before and after the show. In lieu of intermission and concessions, which is typically a fundraiser for the company, the students will offer the guests snacks outside as the depart the show.

The Academy purchased company masks that all actors and crew will be wearing on stage and the students have created complex schedules to get actors dressed and prepared for the show with minimal person-to-person contact. Hair and makeup is encouraged to be done at home, while minor preparations will be done on-site using masks and gloves.

Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Jurors follows the deliberation of a 12-person jury to decide whether a boy accused of murdering his father is guilty. While a nearly unanimous decision almost seals the fate of the boy, one man stands alone and attempts to prove the reasonable doubt that lies in the case.

Listen to more on Pegasus’ Twelve Angry Jurors preparations from the CBA Digital Network: