60+ Groups Around The US Will Present All-Female 12 ANGRY MEN

Producer Lauren Class Schneider, creator of "12,000 Voices" announced that more than 60 groups in 54 cities in 23 states (plus one in Canada,) will present a reading of '12 Angry Men' performed by 12 Impassioned Women between April 5th and April 8th, 2019. The cities include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Ketchikan, Alaska; Duluth, Minnesota; Lewiston, Idaho; Everett, Washington; Lubbock, Texas; Appleton, Wisconsin and Courtenay, BC in Canada. Each reading will include voter registration and many also include a panel discussion.

Kicking off the national initiative, the first reading will include of cast members from Broadway's hit musical "Beautiful" who created The Black is Beautiful Project. Their reading will be cast exclusively with black Broadway women and directed by Schele Williams.

"Harnessing the power of storytelling by simultaneously presenting this timeless play around the country, we're stimulating community engagement on a local level" said Schneider, who has served as campaign staff on several presidential campaigns along with her experience as a Broadway producer. "Because the play makes a powerful argument for the value of civic involvement, it's a great platform for a voter registration event."

Some other readings/productions will include:

· Long Beach, CA: Disneyland's Frozen cast members will join with Beating of Wings Arts Collective for their reading.

· New York, NY: Persist NYC will present Lynn Cohen, Gloria Feldt, Lynda Gravatt and others at The Actors' Temple.

· Lubbock, TX: An MFA student at Texas Tech has coordinated with her advisors to use 12,000 Voices as her thesis. To help defray the costs of school, she works at the law library on campus, and has coordinated with them to present her reading in an actual courtroom.

· Appleton, Wisconsin: Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is partnering with Lawrence University to present their reading. The cast will include the University's VP for Diversity and Inclusion, The President and CEO of the Fox Cities Chamber, plus community leaders.

· In Idaho, they've asked a local judge to play the role of "the judge" in their presentation.

· Long Island, NY: Girl Scouts aren't only selling cookies! The Girl Scouts of Suffolk County are also presenting "12 Angry Men" performed by 12 Impassioned Women and will earn their 'Women's Suffrage' patch.

· Houston, Texas: Spring Woods High School's Reading is in memory of Lauren Class Schneider's mentor Ruth Denney who founded the High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. 65.5% of students at Spring Woods are considered at risk, and 74.2% are economically disadvantaged.

· Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Thinking Cap Theater at The Vanguard is hosting a brown-bag lunchtime reading on Friday afternoon, to allow community members to attend during their workday.

· Los Angeles, California: Promenade Playhouse and Los Angeles Performing Arts Productions are using their reading to kick off a six-week run of "12 Angry Men" performed by 12 Impassioned Women later this spring.

· Professional Theaters around the country:

o Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach, CA

o Portland Stage in Portland, Maine

o San Francisco Playhouse in San Francisco, CA

o Le Petit Theater in New Orleans, LA

o Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY

Inspired by the successful reading last fall of the classic play, "12 Angry Men," by Reginald Rose featuring 12 extraordinary Broadway actresses, Ms. Schneider invited women in universities, high schools, community and regional theaters, and community centers across the country to raise their voices - with scripts in hand - in readings of the play with all-female casts over the weekend of April 5-8, 2019.

Following each staged reading of "12 Angry Men," audience members, cast, and staff will have the opportunity to update their voter registration. Information will also be shared about how to increase voter registration and voter turnout locally.

"Rose wrote the original courtroom drama as a teleplay in 1954, some 19 years before women could serve on juries in all 50 states. An all-female cast of this play, at this time, is relevant on so many levels," Schneider said.

Schneider said she chose the name "12,000 Voices" for the initiative because of its aspirational value. "Over the course of time, imagine the reading being performed in 1,000 locations, making 12,000 voices."

"12 Angry Men" was adapted from Reginald Rose's 1954 teleplay of the same name for the CBS Studio One television series. The success of the made-for-television courtroom drama resulted in a film adaptation directed by Sidney Lumet. Twelve Angry Men was Lumet's first feature film, and the only producing credit for Henry Fonda (who also starred in the film). Viewed as a classic, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including "Best Director," "Best Picture," and "Best Screenplay." The Broadway debut of Twelve Angry Men came 50 years after CBS aired the play, opening on October 28, 2004 at the Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre where it ran for 328 performances and was nominated for three Tony Awards, including "Best Revival of a Play," "Best Actor in a Play," and "Best Direction of a Play."

In the story, a 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. It looks like an open-and-shut case - until one of the jurors begins opening the others' eyes to the facts. Sequestered in a small room, each juror reveals their own character as the various testimonies are re-examined, the murder is re-enacted and a new murder threat is born before their eyes. Tempers get short, arguments grow heated, and the jurors become Twelve Angry Men.

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