Photo Flash: Take a Look Inside the TWELVE ANGRY MEN All-Female Reading

Verdict is in! Producer Lauren Class Schneider's all-female ensemble for the staged reading of Twelve Angry Men (September 16, Theatre Row) received standing ovations for the stellar all-star company of Broadway women. Tony Award winner Cady Huffman directed the show which inspired and drew laughs from the standing-room-only house.

With only hours to rehearse (some of the "jurors" had Sunday matinees!), these exceptionally talented women made each "juror" their own. In her remarks to the audience, Huffman stated that the League of Women Voters was there to facilitate voter updates and registration, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience and the actors on stage. "Reginald Rose wrote the original teleplay in1954, some 19 years before women could serve on juries in all 50 states. The female voices remind us how much change there's been and how much more change is still needed," Ms. Schneider said. Schneider also revealed interest for future productions with all-female casts, followed by voter registration and outreach opportunities.

"We can increase awareness and participation through the medium we all love," Schneider says. "The need for continuing towards gender equality is real. It's vital to our country and the entire planet. "Twelver Angry Men performed by 12 Impassioned Women allows us to use our voices to tell a story, influence and motivate others to action. It's also a powerful statement for the value of civic involvement."

The Jurors: (in alphabetical order):

• Kathleen Chalfant - Tony Award winner Angels In America, Racing Demon, Dance With Me, Wit. 2018 Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement
• Lynn Cohen - Mags in "The Hunger Games," "Munich," Magda in "Sex and the City," Recipient of Richard Seff Award from Actors' Equity Association
• Jenn Colella - Tony Award nominee/Drama Desk winner for Come From Away. Original Broadway productions of If/Then, Chaplin, Urban Cowboy.
• Ariana DeBose - Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominee, Currently Disco Donna in Summer:The Donna Summer Musical
• Jenn Gambatese - Broadway: School of Rock, Footloose, Hairspray, A Year with Frog and Toad, All Shook Up, Disney's Tarzan, Is He Dead?
• Ann Harada - On Broadway: Cinderella, Avenue Q, 9 To 5, Les Miserables, Seussical, M.Butterfly
• Amber Iman - Peggy in the national tour of Hamilton, Nina Simone in Soul Doctor, Shuffle Along (Broadway)
• Chilina Kennedy - Carole King in Beautiful Toronto/Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway), Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Broadway)
• Caitlin Kinnunen - Upcoming: The Prom on Broadway, Original Broadway cast of The Bridges of Madison County
• Jill Paice - Milo in the Original Broadway Cast of An American in Paris, two-time Helen Hayes Award winner, Matilda The Musical, Bridges of Madison County
• Dale Soules - Frieda in "Orange is the New Black," Hair, Hands on a Hardbody, The Magic Show, The Crucible on Broadway
• Ana Villafañe - Starred as Gloria Estafan in On Your Feet! on Broadway. Currently starring in Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties off-Broadway.
• The Judge was played by Gabrielle Reid - On Broadway Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Hairspray, Mamma Mia!

The Director: Tony Award winner Cady Huffman - The Producers (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics' Circle Awards), The Will Rogers Follies (Tony nomination) Chicago, The Nance. For Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, she recently directed the opening number for the "Gypsy Of The Year" competition, which raised $5 million.

Sponsors for the initiative include: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Fantasy Camp, New York New Works Theatre Festival, Scott Wynn Photography, Russell Bouthiller and Bandbox Strategies.

The reading was hosted by Gene Fisch Jr.'s New York New Works Theatre Festival.

Photo Credit: Merle Frimark