SEARCY — Center on the Square will present 12 Angry Women, written by Reginald Rose and adapted by Sherman Sergel, in October.
Co-directed by David Goble of North Little Rock, formerly of Searcy, and Daniel Chalenburg of Searcy, the play is the female version of 12 Angry Men, which is based on the 1954 TV movie of the same name that was broadcast live on the CBS program Studio One. A movie version of 12 Angry Men was released in 1957 starring, among others, Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall and Jack Warden.
The play 12 Angry Women is the story of a 19-year-old man who has just stood trial for the fatal shooting of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case until one of the jurors begins to question what has been presented in the courtroom. As the 12 jurors examine the testimonies, each reveals her true character. Tempers get short, arguments ensue, and the jurors become 12 angry women.
Performances will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22, and at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9, 16 and 23. A meal will be served one hour prior to each show, with catering provided by Daisy’s Lunchbox of Searcy.
Different menus will be served each weekend, with chicken Parmesan and lasagna offered as the entrees for Oct. 7-9, crispy cheddar chicken and beef roast for Oct. 14-16, and pork tenderloin and poppy-seed chicken for Oct. 21-23.
Ticket prices for dinner and the show are $35 for adults, and $32 for senior citizens, students and members of the military. Show-only tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for seniors, students and military personnel.
Tickets are available online at centeronthesquare.org or by calling (501) 368-0111.
Goble, who is a member of the Center on the Square Board of Directors, said he began participating in productions at Center on the Square about five years ago as a freshman at Harding University in Searcy, where he was also involved in theater. He graduated in December 2014 and most recently accepted a position as facilities manager at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock.
“Center on the Square produced Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which was really cool,” he said. “I was involved with that production [in 2012]. Then they pulled me onto the board and asked me to direct The Foreigner in May of this year, so this show makes the second one I’ve directed here.”
Chalenburg is also a graduate of Harding, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater in 2006 and a Master of Science degree in educational/instructional technology in 2015. He is employed as a resource coordinator at Harding’s Carr College of Nursing, where he provides on-site technical support.
Chalenburg directed 12 Angry Men in 2008 at Harding. He also appeared as the guard in another production of the drama.
Among the local actors are the following:
• Heather Stringfellow of Searcy, who appears as Juror No. 8, is described as thoughtful and gentle and initially sympathetic toward the defendant.
Stringfellow is no stranger to the stage in Searcy.
“I’ve been acting since I was a child,” said Stringfellow, who has appeared in numerous productions at Center on the Square, as well as the Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre at Harding and other productions at Harding. “I grew up here and graduated from Harding. I spent one summer as an entertainer at Walt Disney World and have been in many productions in central Arkansas.
“My parents, Julee and Steve Holder, have also been involved in theater for many years. My mother appeared as Mammy Yokum at Dogpatch (Dogpatch USA, the former theme park located near Harrison), and my dad played the same juror that I am playing in about 2006 or 2007 at the Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre.”
• Nancy Liles of Searcy, who appears as Juror No. 4, is described as a woman of wealth who urges her fellow jurors to avoid emotional arguments and engage in rational discussion.
Liles is also a veteran actor with Center on the Square and the Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre.
“I grew up in Horseshoe Bend, where we had no community theater. I graduated from Salem High School, and we did not have a theater department, but we did have a junior and senior play. I did both,” Liles said.
“In hindsight, I might have majored in theater in college, but I went to Arkansas State University and majored in education. I retired after 31 years of teaching, with 20 of those years in the Searcy School District,” she said.
“But as a teacher, you might say that I was on stage anyway for about eight hours a day,” Liles said, laughing.
Liles is secretary of the Center on the Square Board of Directors.
• Lauren Lawson, also of Searcy, appears as juror No. 10 and is described as angry and bitter.
Lawson is a graduate of Harding University and is a mental-health counselor.
“This is really a great play,” Lawson said, adding, with a laugh, “They couldn’t find 12 men who would dedicate their time and talent to the show, so they chose the female version to present.”
Other members of the cast include Sally Paine, who appears as the foreman or juror No. 1; Hannah Reimert, juror No. 2; Cassie Renee Bennett, juror No. 3; Kate Wornock, juror No. 5; Wendy Neill, juror No. 6; Kristina M. Chance, juror No. 7; Dot Hatfield, juror No. 9; Jade McGill, juror No. 11; and Hilary Polston, juror No. 12.
All are of Searcy except Hatfield, who lives in Benton.
Goble said multiple women will play the role of the guard.