Twelve Angry Men and Women coming to Havre

Montana Actors' Theatre will be putting on the same show with two different casts, one an all-men and the other an all-women cast, starting Friday.

Artistic Director of MAT and "12 Angry Men" actor Jay Pyette said the scripts are virtually the same, with miniscule variances such as the way people react to each other and circumstances and how they behave.

"It's going to be interesting to see the difference between the casts," he said.

The casts worked hard to rehearse separately, Pyette said

"We didn't want one production to affect the other," he said.

Each cast will be watching the others' performances.

Donald Mayer is the director of "12 Angry Men."

Mayer said, unlike "12 Angry Women," which is set in a more contemporary time, "12 Angry Men" is set in the '50s, the setting of the movie from which the script is adapted.

Mayer has been with MAT since 2000. He said he's directed nine productions and acted in more than 30.

The idea to do the dual casts was his and Pam Veis', the director of "12 Angry Women."

Part of the reason for the double shows, he said, is to utilize more people and to give newer actors another chance to act. Plus, he said, with four shows instead of eight, there is also less stress.

Friday, the cast of "12 Angry Women" will take the stage. "12 Angry Men" will be performed the next day.

The other performances of the female cast are Jan. 26, Jan. 28 and Feb. 3, and for the male cast are Jan. 27, Feb. 2 and Feb. 4. Evening shows begin at 8 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. with the doors opening a half hour before the shows. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, seniors and the military and free to Montana State University-Northern students with a valid ID.