Players of the Stage, a local Christian theater group, will present the play "12 Angry Jurors" Oct. 9-11.

This one-act drama set in a jury room, tells the story of 12 jurors who hold the life of a 19-year-old man in their hands.

Written by Sherman L. Sergel, the play is based on the Emmy award winning TV movie, "Twelve Angry Men," by Reginald Rose.

Joseph Marlin plays Juror 8 in cast one. Joshua Lazarus portrays Juror 3 in cast two.

Marlin said his character is the first juror to wonder if the accused is definitely guilty.

"My character embarks on a quest to convenience the other jurors there is reasonable doubt," Marlin said. "I frequently clash with Juror 3, who has a personal interest with the concept.

"Juror 3 doesn't like tough kids because he sees his own kid in the boy.

"I think it is really interesting exploring the concept of poverty and slums and the kids who come out of the slums.

"It is something I intellectually knew about but never experienced before."

Marlin said he recently moved from the nice quiet country to Southside Bethlehem and there he was exposed to a side of living he has never seen before.

Marlin enjoys performing because he likes donating his time to charity and bringing joy to the audience.

Lazarus said his character is one of the antagonists and the last juror to switch to a not-guilty vote.

"My character has issues with his son, mainly he was an abusive father and he identifies with the defendant's deceased father," he said. "Because of his anger issues with his son, he votes guilty."

Lazarus said his character is not really likable.

"It is always fun to play an antagonist," Lazarus stated. "Playing this character gave me a better understanding of what motivates an abusive parent to act the way he or she does.

"In most plays, you have the main characters and some supporting characters. In this play, every person in the show is a human being with a distinct personality and flaws and motivations."

For Director Abigail "Abby" Mills, this is her first time directing a full-length play.

"Twelve Angry Jurors" is an intense drama about the truth and whether the truth is worth fighting for especially if you are alone," Mills said. "It is a play about a 19-year-old boy whom the jurors think stabbed and killed his father."

"The characters in this play face significant questions, 'Will I stand for the truth or am I in too much of a hurry? Will I stand for truth or do I care more about my career? Will I stand for truth or would I rather make an example of someone? Will I stand for truth or am I bound by social prejudice and bigotry? Will I stand for truth or am I afraid of what others will think,'" Mills explained.

Mills said Sharon Gerdes chose the play.

"My husband, Robbie suggested we do this play," Gerdes said. "We watched the movie version of it right when the Zimmerman case was happening in Florida. I was really struck by the similarities of the situations, seeing how complex justice really is and how easily the characters in the play allowed their background, prejudice and emotions cloud their judgment.

"I thought it was a very relevant story to do and one that would challenge our actors with the complexity of the situation."

The theater group will be performing "12 Angry Jurors" 7 p.m. Oct. 9-11 and 2 p.m. Oct. 11 at Living Hope Presbyterian Church, 330 Schantz Road, Lower Macungie.

Tickets are free but reservations are required.

In lieu of a ticket price, an offering will be taken for Care Net Pregnancy Centers of the Lehigh Valley, which provides resources to young women facing the challenges of pregnancy.

For tickets, email potstickets@ gmail.com or call 610-310-7604.

For more information, visit playersofthestage.org.