Bay Street Theater Welcomes All-Female Reading of TWELVE ANGRY MEN

In support of The National Voter Registration Initiative, Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will present Twelve Angry Men performed by Twelve Impassioned Women, on Sunday, April 7 at 2 pm. This is a FREE reading of the 1954 classic by Reginald Rose featuring an all-female cast. The show is directed by Suzanne Clifton Walsh and features all local actors and community members.

"We are honored at Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts to host a community event such as this," says Allen O'Reilly, Bay Street's Director of Education. "Female artists will come together for a good cause and will provide a fresh insight and perspective to this classic piece of theater."

Following the staged reading on April 7, audience members, cast and staff will have the opportunity to update their voter registration. Information will also be given about how to increase voter registration and voter turnout.

About Twelve Angry Men
The play was adapted form Reginald Rose's 1954 teleplay of the same name for 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.

Suzanne Clifton Walsh is a Theater Specialist. After studying Acting at Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Institute & Connecticut College, she transferred to NYU where she graduated with a BA & MA in Educational Theatre. She has taught drama and public speaking to students of all ages. She has also directed numerous musicals and plays. Her 40-year teaching career in New York City included the founding of a very popular summer multi-arts program called CREATIVE ARTS www.creativeartsnyc.org. Supervising a staff of 50 artists and an enrollment of about 200 children, Suzanne also instituted a Guest Artist program for the campers. Renowned actors, musicians, athletes and costume designers visited the camp and shared their experiences at daily Noontime Shows!

Suzanne always looked forward to visiting Bay Street during the summer. But now that she has recently relocated to Water Mill as a full time resident, she is excited to join Bay Street Theatre's Summer Teaching Staff.

For more information and cast updates log on to baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500. The Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm or until showtime.

Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. We serve as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.