By Heidi Trautmann

Who does not remember the film of 1957 with Henry Ford and Jack Klugman two of the angry men, two of a jury of twelve men enclosed in a room for hours to decide whether a boy on trial for murder is guilty or not.

The stage set the Istanbul City Theatre has brought with them was stunning and told already half the story. Well done. A world in itself, a cage high up in the sky, with the clouds racing – a good light effect – which were speeding up when the scene became dramatic.

The actors were thus chosen to represent twelve different types of people who meet for the first time, twelve people from different backgrounds and professions.

In the course of many hours the members of the jury slowly pass on their way from guilty to non-guilty through angry disputes and acting and recreating the situation of murder.

Some jury members get carried away and finally the scales of verdict move towards non-guilty realising that some hardliners have a bad experience in their own life influencing them.

They finally leave the cage where they were forced to decide on life or death and where they have learnt a lot about themselves.

The cast received standing ovations for a long while, well deserved.

Playwright: Reginald Rose

Translator: Cemal Berk

Director: Arif Akkaya

Dramaturg: Hatice Yurtduru

Stage Design: Ayhan Doğan

Costume Design: nihal Kaplangı

Light effects: Özcan Çelik

Cast: Ahmet Özarslan, Ali Gökmen Altuğ, Burteçin Zoga,Enes Mazak, Erkan Akkoyunlu, Gün Koper, Kutay Kırşehirlioğlu, Mehmet Avdan,Metin Çoban,Nihat Alpteki, Rahmi Elhan, Serdar Orçin, Can Ertuğrul

PS: The play before this performance was cancelled due to illness of one of the cast. It was the day when the Syrian dusts came over us and took our breath.