The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: KRISTIN BOYD (left to right) Leon Jourolmon, Kyle Branan, Scott Wilson and Dango Nguyen, portraying four of the twelve jurors, rehearse the play Twelve Angry Men at the historic Elbert Theatre in Elberton on Wednesday. [Click to enlarge]

Richard Campbell knows the ins and outs of courtroom drama on and off the stage.

As the judge of Elbert County State Court, Campbell doles

out sentences by day. But by night, he is a budding theater director at Elbert Theatre in Elberton.

So when it came time to direct another community play, Campbell decided to bring the courtroom on stage with a production of "Twelve Angry Men."

"I'm an attorney. I always wanted to do a courtroom drama," Campbell said. "Once you start working, you kind of get immersed not only in the courtroom drama but also in the human drama."

Made popular by the 1957 film version starring Henry Fonda, "Twelve Angry Men" follows the intricate deliberations between 12 jurors who must decide the fate of a 19-year-old boy accused of murdering his father.

At first, the case seems to be a no-brainer; the defendant has a weak alibi and the witness accounts are against him. However, one juror votes not guilty on the account that guilt has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

As the jurors piece together the evidence themselves, they argue and expose personal prejudices clouding their judgment.

"It manifests itself as anger," Campbell said.

While the play has traditionally featured an all-Caucasian cast, Campbell made his cast multicultural.

"In the '55 [television] version, they talked about 'those people.' In my version, some of 'those people' are on the stage," he said. "It's going to confront people [about] their own prejudices."

Dennis Bryant, who portrays juror No. 11, echoed Campbell's sentiments.

"I think a lot of people will see in these jurors people they know, maybe [themselves]," he said.

Elbert Theatre is one of three community theaters in the country allowed to produce the play this year. The company that licenses "Twelve Angry Men" restricted the number because of the national tour.

"The topic is so volatile, but it needs to be examined," she said. "We wanted to challenge the community."

Campbell sees a law background as a boon to the play.

"As lawyers, we think we can act," he said. "When you go to courtroom, you create a persona."

As much as he enjoys the stage, Campbell isn't nursing dreams of stardom.

"I know not to quit my day job," he said.

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