Silver City Community Theatre
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Press Releases
Community Theatre To Present “12 Angry Jurors”
“’12 Angry Jurors’ considers the deliberations of the jury in a homicide trial. Twelve people meet to decide the fate of a teenager accused of murdering an abusive father. At the beginning, 11 jurors vote to find the youth guilty. One juror votes ‘not guilty.’ This dissent sows a seed of reasonable doubt. Eventually the other jurors are persuaded and support a unanimous ‘not guilty’ verdict,” according to Phyllis McQuaide, Director of the upcoming Silver City Community Theatre (SCCT) production.
“Reginald Rose first wrote ‘12 Angry Men’ as a live teleplay which aired in 1954 on CBS Television’s Studio One anthology. Rose wrote several stage adaptations of the story,” noted McQuaide, “In adaptations, such as ours, in which both women and men are cast, the play is retitled ‘12 Angry Jurors.’
“There will be eight performances of ‘12 Angry Jurors’—October 20 to 23 and 27 to 30—at Oasis Coffee and Tea House, 714 N Bullard St, in Silver City.” according to MaryAnn Marlar, SCCT Board President. “This intimate venue is especially suitable for ’12 Angry Jurors;’ the audience will be almost at the table with the jurors. “Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows are at 7 pm; Sunday matinees are at 2p. Tickets are $10 at the door.”
McQuaide says, “The cast is very excited to present this always relevant drama which we have again set in the 1950’s. As our biographies show, cast and crew are a varied group including not only well-known Silver City actors but also others new to our stage:
“Juror 1—Gay Hedges. Gay is new to Silver City and new to acting. She is delighted to have been chosen as Juror 1 (Madam Foreman), and has been enjoying the camaraderie of learning lines with the rest of the cast. Gay works for Frontier Food Hub as the produce van driver.
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“Juror 2—Lisa Timmons. Is making her acting debut as Juror 2.
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“Juror 3—Chellee Chase. Playing both Mrs. Dickens and Jacob Marley in ‘Scrooge and Dickens’ (2019 at Oasis) was Chellee Chase's community theatre debut. Several SCCT productions later, she's playing the most stubborn Juror, Juror 3; angrily concealing the fact that she makes her living as a Life Happiness Coach. Guilty!
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“Juror 4—Michael Iacono. Michael is appearing as Juror 4, International man of mystery, the kind of man women want to be like, and men don't want to be around, no experience, none necessary.
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“Juror 5—Terri Sankovitz. Terri is excited to perform as Juror 5 in her first production in Silver City. Terri participated in high school and college theater as an actor, stage crew, and student director. She moved to Silver City last Fall to open her Audiology private practice. Juror 5 is challenging but fun to play!
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“Juror 6—Michael Bragg. New to Silver City and having never acted before Michael finds being part of this production much like being part of a real Jury, brought together with people you have no idea who they are, all striving towards a common goal of getting things right. A person's life may not be on the line, but we are getting it right?
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“Juror 7—Sarah Thrasher is a musician and artist who moved to Grant County in 2011 and has acted in several SCCT and Oasis productions. Juror 7's flashy and unapologetic nature makes it riveting to be in her shoes.
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“Juror 8—Emma Eileen McKinley. Emma Eileen is excited to be appearing as Juror 8. She attended New Mexico School for the Arts with a focus in theater, but this her first time playing a protagonist. Emma spends her free time sewing, hiking, reading, and laying in the sun with her cats.
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“Juror 9—Akien Maciain. Akien is appearing as Juror 9 in his first stage show in Silver City. He has a history of lighting designer, sound tech, accent coach, historical costuming, and sword choreographer, and finally got talked into a show where he actually had to memorize lines.
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“Juror 10—Melvyn Gelb (Not his real name) Has been in Silver City and the witness protection program for 23 years! ‘I am proud to be in this jury as Juror 10; as it is the first time to be on this side of the jury room.’
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‘Juror 11—Billy Dominguez is a local musician and new member of SCCT. He got started acting by performing in SCCT radio dramas and comedies. As Juror 11 he takes on the challenge of a marginalized immigrant struggling to have his voice heard.
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“Juror 12—Ted Presler. Ted started acting at 10 years old. He served as a Staff Sargent in the US Army and then 35 years in international sales and marketing. Ted has been a member of Gilbert and Sullivan troupes, Theater Group NM, Virus, Raging Thespians, and SCCT. He says, ‘I love ’12 Angry Jurors’ because ‘I loved the film, and I’ve served on juries.’
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“Guard—Jim McQuaide. Before and after retirement from Architecture and boat building, Jim has spent his time mostly singing Barbershop on stages in Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Silver City. His acting has paired him with his wife, Phyllis, in productions including ‘Oliver’ and his favorite, ‘Love Letters’ by A.R. Gurney!
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“Director—Phyllis McQuaide has been enchanted with Community Theatre since she first was on stage in 2000 in Maine. She is very excited to have this opportunity to direct a dramatic play of major significance. She hopes you enjoy these 12 Jurors as much as she has enjoyed working with them!
“Stage Manager—Heather Silver is a recent transplant to Silver City. She has a background in acting, theatre production, and stage management and is enjoying the dynamics of this play and the many roles involved.
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“SCCT is producing ’12 Angry Jurors’ by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.”
Silver City Community Theatre, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is committed to promoting community-based preforming arts opportunities for residents of Southwest New Mexico in all aspects of theatre – behind the scenes, lighting and sound, publicity, acting, costuming and makeup – including voice acting for radio and recording. SCCT’s objective is to enrich, educate, and entertain with a vibrant range of stage and voice acting preforming experiences and trainings for adults and youth year around.
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SCCT Youth Project Presents “The Giver”
“In ‘The Giver,’ 12-year-old Jonas, lives in an apparently utopian society where pain and strife have been removed, variety and emotional depth eradicated, and Sameness adopted. When Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory—the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness—he struggles with new concepts of emotion, variety, and true equality. He ponders whether they are inherently good, evil, or in between and whether it is possible to have one without the other,” according to Wendy Spurgeon Silver City Community Theatre (SCCT) Artistic Director and Director of ‘The Giver.’ “Eric Coble 2-act adaptation of Lois Lowry’s Newbery Award-winning book is definitely thought provoking.
“This is SCCT’s fourth production of 2022 and the second to be performed entirely by young actors. This reflects SCCT’s ongoing outreach to youth and other new actors. It is a delightful experience to work on ‘The Giver’ with this enthusiastic and creative cast.
“‘There will be 6 performances of ‘The Giver’ on November 4, 5, and 6, 11,12, and 13 at Oasis Coffee and Tea House, 714 N Bullard St, Silver City, NM. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7 pm; Sunday Matinees start at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. Doors open ½ hour before performance,” according to Spurgeon.
“‘The Giver’ is produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.”
Silver City Community Theatre, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is committed to promoting community-based preforming arts opportunities for residents of Southwest New Mexico in all aspects of theatre – behind the scenes, lighting and sound, publicity, acting, costuming and makeup – including voice acting for radio and recording. SCCT’s objective is to enrich, educate, and entertain with a vibrant range of stage and voice acting preforming experiences and trainings for adults and youth year around.
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