“Theater is a rehearsal for revolution.”

-Augusto Boal

Props & Video

★★★★★

★★★★★

Latest Script

★★★★★

Treatment

Welcome to the 12 Angry Project

If you’re here, you’re probably the kind of person who still believes ordinary citizens sitting in a room together can matter. That idea is at the heart of the first play in this project "12 Angry Floridians". an independently written civic drama inspired by the tradition of American jury-room storytelling.

It imagines twelve Americans wrestling not only with the evidence in a historic criminal case, but with a deeper question: Can democracy survive when citizens no longer trust one another’s reality? This project was never designed for Broadway executives, streaming conglomerates, or large institutional theaters. The subject matter is simply too radioactive.

No One is Coming to Save Us: Major production companies often depend on: - corporate sponsorship, - regulatory relationships, - tax incentives, - government partnerships, - subscriber risk management, - and broad political neutrality. That creates understandable pressure toward caution and fear of retribution. So rather than waiting for permission from cultural gatekeepers, this play is being released freely to the public.

Produce It Yourself If you can gather: - six strong principal actors, - an optional six supporting performers, - a rehearsal space, - and a few folding tables and chairs, you can stage this play. No expensive set required. No elaborate costumes. No Broadway infrastructure. Just citizens in a room confronting one another honestly.

Free Community License: The script, promotional materials, projected media assets, and production resources are being made available free of charge for: - community theaters, - schools, - civic groups, - churches, - independent film producers, - universities, - black box theaters, - libraries, - and grassroots productions. You are encouraged to: - perform it, - adapt staging to your local audience, - organize talkbacks, - host civic discussions, - and use the play as a catalyst for real conversation. Adapt it to a screenplay. The goal is not partisan conformity. The goal is democratic engagement.

Why This Story Exists: Whatever your politics, we are living through a moment in American history where: - institutions are distrusted, - truth is fragmented, - media ecosystems are isolated, - and citizens increasingly experience one another as enemies instead of neighbors. The jury room is one of the last places in American life where people from radically different backgrounds are still forced to sit together and reason with one another. That is sacred. This play is an attempt to dramatize both: - the danger of losing that tradition, and: - the fragile hope that it can still survive.

A Request to Producers: Please stage this responsibly. Do not use the play to inflame hatred or humiliate audiences. Allow complexity. Allow disagreement. Allow discomfort. Allow humanity. No character in this story is meant to represent an entire political movement or demographic group. Every juror carries fears, blind spots, loyalties, wounds, and moments of grace. The point is not victory. The point is the room.

Final Thought: American democracy does not ultimately survive because of presidents, billionaires, cable networks, or prosecutors. It survives because ordinary people continue choosing — imperfectly, painfully, stubbornly — to participate in it. Thank you for considering becoming part of this project. Now gather twelve chairs and begin.

-Michael Tosner Filmmaker/Writer/Producer