A head of the tour arriving in cheltenham, bill ward speaks to bradey & mills about the role he plays in the show

1. What attracted you to the role of Juror 3, and what do you find most interesting about playing such a complex character?

 Juror 3 is fascinating. As with many of the characters in the play, the writing hints at a half realised backstory. For juror 3, we know he is married, we know he has a son, and (spoiler alert!) we also know he hasn't seen him for two years after they had a serious, nasty, physical fight. We also know he has anger management issues, which he references throughout the play. He's a glorious mixture of absolute certainty and heartbreaking vulnerability, and he's an absolute delight to play.

2. The play explores justice, prejudice and reasonable doubt. Why do you think its themes remain so relevant to audiences today?

There's so much that resonates with a modern audience. As you say, justice, prejudice and reasonable doubt are all on the table, themes to which Reginald Rose (the writer) returned to time and time and again across his long career as a film and television writer. Although the TV play on which our stage play is based was originally written in 1954 during the McCarthy era in the US (a year after Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible), in many ways its themes are every bit as troubling now as they were then. Its central theme of standing up for what you believe in, when all around you think you're crazy, speaks clearly to the social media pile-on of the modern world, while its discussion of issues of Immigration and Racism have never been more startlingly and troublingly relevant. 

3. Many people know you from Coronation Street and Emmerdale. How does performing live on stage compare with working in television?

I've been lucky enough to have done a fair amount of both TV and Stage work over the 25 years I've been a professional actor, well over 30 TV shows and films, and nearly 60 plays. TV I love for its immediacy: increasingly there's either no (or very very little) rehearsal, so you do all your work before filming, and bring your character in. There's a thrill that comes with making instant choices in the moment. Stand and deliver, if you like. With stage plays, the main differences are that you have a rehearsal period, a live audience, and only 1 take (although I've done plenty of TV where 1 take was pretty much standard!). I love the rehearsal period for the exploration and investigation that it allows, that sense of really getting under the skin of a character and finding what makes him tick... on a long running tour like this (we run through till June 2027), you also have the luxury of working on the piece every day of every week, quietly tweaking things here and there, as the play lands in such different ways with different audiences in different towns and cities around the country.  

4. With such a strong ensemble cast, what has it been like working with your fellow actors on this production?

An absolute joy. This is a true ensemble piece. All the characters have their moments, we get to know them all intimately by the end of the play. And it's so rare to be working on such a large cast play (there's 13 of us on stage at all times) in the modern world. I knew a number of the actors from last year's tour of The Shawshank Redemption (which was produced by the same production company, Bill Kenwright Ltd). A number of them had worked on Twelve Angry Men before, and they all spoke very very highly of it indeed... 

5. What are you most looking forward to about taking Twelve Angry Men on tour around the UK?

Well, we've been touring since August, and it's been huge fun so far. The show itself is so rewarding to do, such a fine piece of writing, utterly compelling, and then there's the bonus of visiting over 30 separate towns and cities around the British Isles and Ireland. A real treat. 

6. Finally, what would you say to encourage audiences to come along and experience the production for themselves?

This is a properly immersive piece of theatre. As an audience member, it feels like you’re right in there with the characters in the jury room, on a bit of a rollercoaster ride with them, as they deliberate the outcome of the trial in real time. The stakes are high, and the temperature is hot. It’s a strong, muscular, thoughtful and (in places) surprisingly funny piece of writing, a genuinely thought provoking and moving piece of work. All in all a great evening out!