For that reason, Joel and Tito balked when an unexpected chance came to them last fall. Performing in a first-of-its-kind theatre production of Twelve Angry Men before 2,300 of their peers was daunting. Neither had acted before, so taking part meant stepping out of their comfort zones in a grand way.

Their opportunity came through a Bucknell-led class affiliated with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange program, which brings college students into prisons for joint classes with inmates.

MAKING HER CASE

Mackenzie Gross ’21 knew exactly what to say to the class when pitching her idea to produce the play: “I told the men, ‘I’m deeply passionate about working with you, being on your team, and I would love to introduce art into this equation. I want to bring art into a place where you are just a number.’ ”

“I never wanted to be in the limelight, but part of me changed when I stepped out of my comfort zone. That’s when you grow the most, and the students taught me that.”

Joel, inmate

Despite their reluctance, Joel assumed the role of Juror No. 4, and Tito took the lead as Juror No. 8, the role played by Henry Fonda in the iconic 1957 film.

Professor Carl Milofsky, sociology, who taught his first Inside-Out class at the State Correctional Institute (SCI) at Coal Township in fall 2018, had also been won over by Gross’ pitch when she ran it past him last spring. The comparative humanities and theatre major even sold him on the idea of letting her lead the fall 2019 class.

A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

By mounting the play, “I wanted the students to gain a deeper understanding of the legal system by reading the text and by conversations we would have,” she says. “None of these men [in the class] had jury trials — all had plea deals. It’s a privilege to be granted a jury trial in the U.S., especially if you’re from a marginalized or poor community.”

Under Gross’ direction, the class became an ensemble studying and dissecting Twelve Angry Men, Reginald Rose’s play about a jury deliberating the fate of a teenager charged with killing his father. Gross kept the classroom focus on incarceration and “how race, power and privilege play roles in that conversation.” While the film version of the play featured an all-white male cast, Gross’ cast featured men and women of mixed race and age.

The actors staged two performances — one for fellow inmates and outside visitors, the other for family, prison staff and the Bucknell community.

A MOVING EVENT

President John Bravman, who was in the Nov. 18 audience, said afterward, “In 44 years in academe, I do not recall an event that has moved me so deeply, reminding me of why I chose this career and why education is so vitally important. There absolutely, emphatically, is a public purpose of private higher education and about 150 people witnessed it on display tonight in this makeshift theatre.”

The task of transforming the prison visitation room into what was dubbed the Coal Theatre fell on the nonperforming students in Gross’ class. Set designers created a New York skyline using paper, scissors and paint, while costume designers tailored brown prison uniforms to more closely resemble 1950s suits. Superintendent Thomas McGinley granted permission for the men to wear neckties, one of many ways in which he championed the production. He’s been a supporter of the Bucknell partnership since 2013, when he observed an Inside-Out class at SCI Muncy.

“I’ll support anything to have the inside and outside students grow together,” McGinley says. “They all grow intellectually, socially and emotionally.”

FIRST TIME FOR PROGRAM

McGinley is proud to note that this fall’s class marked the first time an Inside-Out class has performed a play inside a prison.

Gross, who plans a career as a reform-minded criminal prosecutor, hopes it’s not the last theatre production at SCI Coal Township. “My dream is to serve as a mentor to a young director interested in this form of activism — to continue the legacy and the momentum,” she says.

Tito and Joel, the once-reluctant actors, also hope Coal Theatre continues. “This experience changed my life in a profound way,” says Joel. “I never wanted to be in the limelight, but part of me changed when I stepped out of my comfort zone. That’s when you grow the most, and the students taught me that.”

Tito was also moved: “Besides the birth of my daughter, what happened on that stage Nov. 18 is the most profound thing in my life.”’