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Performance has a long history at South Kent School, from the many shows in the old playhouse and Bringhurst Theater, to the Nativity Play put on annually in Chapel. Our Humanities IV students carried on that tradition this past fall with a reading and performance of Reginald Rose’s play, Twelve Angry Men. 

Students examined Mr. Rose’s character study, the ‘American melting pot’, and the United States legal system. Twelve Angry Men leaves many of the ethical questions up to the reader or viewer for interpretation. It's up to the students to do that interpretation and to debate with each other to determine their own sense of the play.

“Each student brought something unique and special to the performance. It was wonderful to watch each student’s creativity and confidence grow throughout the rehearsals. They offered constructive feedback and took time to critically and positively reflect on their own and others’ performances. The best part was seeing how much fun was had by students during the final performance. Surprisingly, some of the students asked if we could continue working on the play and perform it for the school before the holiday break. So that is our plan, which is very exciting for me,” said Upper Form Dean and Humanities teacher Patrick Beer.
 
Twelve Angry Men has always been a popular choice for teachers at SKS, as it helps students gain an understanding of justice, prejudice, race, and duty. In working on this project, students are pushed to think critically about what justice is, how it works and for whom, and what it means to be educated. Performing the play challenges students’ perceptions about justice, crime and punishment, fairness, and democratic responsibilities, like serving on a jury. This play is an opportunity for the exploration of empathy with situations that might seem distant to these boys’ lives. 

“This play truly made me understand the problems that were portrayed within the play. It also gave me an understanding of how much work goes into creating a quality play and what it takes to create a character that is authentic and interesting for the viewers of the play to watch,” shared Sixth Former Felikiss Gavars.

Drama opens up new dimensions of experiences for our students. In drama, students express ideas, observations, and feelings by making choices about roles and/or characters portrayed. Through performance, students develop their skills of listening, interacting through dialogue and debate with others, considering different perspectives, and developing self-confidence to take a position in an ethical dilemma. These skills are vital to ensuring that fairness and justice are enacted in our communities. It is important that young men have time to discuss the function of justice and how it is only as ethical as the individuals that help support and affirm such concepts. 

“I feel like performing in this play for the group was definitely an eye-opening experience for us all. We were able to tap into being our characters effectively because we got to understand where each of them was coming from. We got to see prejudice and how it has been around in the U.S and it opened our eyes to the real world. Sometimes we get caught up in the bubble we live in called South Kent, but this play allowed us to see outside of that and really focus on the problems still going on today in America,” said Post Graduate Nazir Williams

Throughout the whole process, these Humanities students grew closer as a group, helping each other with their reading and performances, and cheering on their successes.