Interactive courtroom theater experience debuts on Long Island

It’s not unusual for people to cringe when they learn they’ve been called for jury duty — but when the trial is performed on stage and lasts just over an hour, being a jury member can be fun, says Anderson Lawfer, global creative lead of a new show called "The Jury Experience" that's come to Long Island for the first time.

Using their smartphones and projected QR codes, audience members not only decide who is guilty, but also vote on whether certain evidence should be admitted, for instance. "We have a deliberation time period before every vote. We encourage people to talk not just with their friends but other people in the crowd," Lawfer says.

Two separate performances with different scenarios were planned for the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale — the first took place on Sept. 5 and the second is scheduled for Nov. 6. 

The first show, called "The Jury Experience: An Immersive Courtroom Case," explored a moral dilemma in a negligence case involving the use of artificial intelligence. A self-driving car swerved to avoid a crash but took a life instead. Audience members decided whether the creator of the technology was to blame.

The Nov. 6 show — which is offered at 6 and 8:30 p.m. — addresses a different case — Lawfer wouldn’t say what that case will entail. "We’re playing it close to our chest for now," he says. Future performances may address "more juicy, more scandalous cases like murder or heists," he says. A version of the show currently running in Boston, for instance, is called "The Jury Experience: Secrets, Lies, and Blood Money."

Five actors engage in each performance — a judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney, the defendant and testimony from perhaps a witness or a forensic expert. Other evidence is also included in creative ways, Lawfer says.

Wendy Way, 61, of Holbrook, and Denise Bertolotti, 43, of Copiague, both teachers at Bethpage High School, attended the Sept. 5 performance together. "I teach philosophy and coach  the ethics team at my school," Way says. She says the thinks her students would really love the show. "I like the idea that the audience interacts. I like the way they lay out all the evidence."

Berolotti says the play is a good choice for "a light and easy Friday night." She says it can help people understand what being on a jury entails. "I still don't want to be on a jury," she jokes. "This was enough. I was wondering if this could count toward my actual service."

The Jury Experience is produced by Fever, a company that also produces candlelight concerts as well as serving as a ticketing platform for other company’s shows. The idea came about when the company was trying to come up with a theatrical project that could engage the audience members in a different way than they are used to, Lawfer says. The show, which launched in March, is performed worldwide and is best for high school age through adults, he says.

The CM Performing Arts Center brought the show to Long Island as part of its quest to feature more types of art, including original plays and book signings, says Marc Hollid-Ausset, CEO and president. "We're making a real concerted effort to focus on things other than what we normally do, which is Broadway-style musicals," he says. "The Jury Experience is perfect because it's the most immersive thing we've ever done here."

CM Performing Arts Center is at 931 Montauk Hwy. in Oakdale. Shows are at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Friday and Nov. 6. Tickets start at $41 at feverup.com.