Our off-week flew by – we can’t believe the cast of 12 Angry Jurors will already hit the stage again tomorrow! Be sure to come out this Friday or Saturday (3/31 and 4/1) to see this classic drama brought to life.
Today we’ll spotlight our resident Juror #6, Michaelangelo Burt. Juror #6 is typically described as honest, but dull-witted, a man who comes to decisions slowly and carefully. He finds it difficult to create positive opinions, but must listen to, digest, and accept those opinions offered by others that appeal to him most. Read on to get to know more about Michaelangelo and his character!
- Can you tell me a bit about why you auditioned to be a part of 12 Angry Jurors?
I am not known to be angry very often, so I though that it would be a good experience for me to learn how to express ANGRY. I did take the opportunity to put some anger in a small line or two, but then the director informed me that the line to Juror #3 was to be forceful and annoyed, but not angry. So much for that goal.
But then Juror #3 kept jumping my sought out cue line cutting my forceful and annoyed comment out of the play. This was making me angry, so I petitioned the director to let me say the line as angry as I was feeling, but he rejected my petition.
- Tell us a little about the character you play. Do you relate to him at all?
There is a lot of Divine Providence in casting. I know my character very well because I am him. Confused, indecisive, and swinging from Guilty to Not Guilty like a ship on a stormy sea at times. But like him, eventually coming to the right decision.
- Tell us about your life outside theater. Do you have any hobbies?
I spend a lot of time at a small law firm and when I am not writing briefs, motions, and drafts of stipulated orders, I minister to people fearing going to prison, is there life after bankruptcy, will I ever see my children again, and a score of other calamities.
Many immobilize themselves worrying that “I should have done this, or I should have done that.” I tell them to stop shouldering on themselves. I tell them that they made good decisions with the best information available to them at that time. Worrying about what they should’ve done is a waste of time creating unnecessary stress in their lives. Worrying about it doesn’t change what is, so relax, forgive yourself, take a deep breath, and enjoy life without shouldering on yourself.
Then others worry about one million things that might happen. I assure them that 999,999 of those things will not happen. Something will happen, and when we know what it is, then be rested and decide what we are going to do with a clear mind.
The law firm also publishes 20,000 free copies of a monthly newspaper to every home in the Township. We believe that in every person there is a hero awaiting the call to action. We recently had an Awards Banquet for the paper’s “2015 Man of the Year,” who made national news by assisting in the arrest of an escaped prisoner from jail, and the “2016 Man of the Year,” who heard about the quality of water in Flint and said ‘somebody should do something about that.’ And then he took a deep breath, and said,’Here I am, Lord, what can I do to for the people thirsting in Flint?’ He then passed along his hero blueprint to tens of thousands of people who donated, lifted, stacked and shipped 11 semi trucks with water and sent them to the City of Flint. He also inherited a high school baseball team that rarely won a game. Four years later, after giving them a hero blueprint that they followed to win back-to-back league titles while increasing the team’s GPA from 1.6 to 3.4, he defined the definition of a hero.
And finally, we gave a memorial to a fallen hero, a policeman who guarded a ‘peaceful protest’ so that they could express their opinion. Then a sniper’s bullet among them pierced the thin veil of peace, killing him. 3,000 attended the funeral, the largest funeral in the history of the Township. We honored him by presenting a plaque to his mother who smiled for the first time since the funeral.
Our honored guests were given certificates of recognition from the Township Board of Trustees-clerk-treasurer, County Commissioner, State Senator and Representative, Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, and the paper’s plaque.
I also cantor in the St Vincent de Paul choir and am part of a ministry to help men restore their lives after difficult times.
- Why do you think audiences should come see 12 Angry Jurors?
They should come to learn what a responsible juror could do. They should look at details rather than overlook them, and analyze testimony and exhibits rather than making assumptions and prejudicial judgments, it could save a man’s life.
This is important. In The Crucible, I played Francis Nurse whose wife was falsely accused of witchcraft and was sentenced to death. Then I played Tom Boleyn whose daughter Anne married King Henry VIII, who suffered through a false trial of perjury and false documents ending in a guilty verdict. I told both juries that my wife and my daughter were innocent, but they ignored me. Fearing I could be typecast, I want to be a good juror who does not sentence innocent people to death.
12 Angry Jurors will play at the Michigan School for the Arts in Pontiac March 24th, 25th, 31st, and April 1st. All shows begin at 8pm. Tickets are $12 and available here or at the door. More information on our Facebook event here!