ALL RISE
New immersive show puts San Antonio audiences in the jury box
The Jury Experience is a different kind of legal drama.
Odds are, if you've ever served jury duty in San Antonio, it was to decide the fate of a ne’er-do-well who threw rocks at a pecan tree. A new immersive production opening at the Magik Theatre on November 7, The Jury Experience, aims for a less nutty legal drama.
The live, 60-minute production invites the audience to vote on key procedural points and ultimately decides the fate of the accused. More than that, production company Fever says the show is designed to promote a sense of civic responsibility and pride.
Before staging the show, Fever commissioned public opinion firm Ipsos to survey Americans on jury duty. The Survey found that 62 percent said they would be willing to serve, a comforting majority considering the entirety of the American legal system rests on the right to trial by a jury of peers. Far fewer people said they were actually excited about serving.
Respondents attributed their disinterest to a lack of feeling that the work was impactful, as well as practical barriers such as compensation. The Jury Experience may be able to change that with an experimental theatrical approach where each show is different based on how the audience feels and votes about it.
“Jury duty is one of the few civic responsibilities most of us will be asked to take on, yet many people have no idea what happens inside a courtroom,” said Isabella Szpigiel, Head of The Jury Experience, in a release. “This data shows Americans are curious about the drama of a trial, especially hearing the evidence and reaching a verdict together.”
Voting at the venue is done either through a QR code or a physical paddle the audience members hold up. The whole experience is akin to Jury Duty, Prime Video's hit reality series, except the audience is in on the ruse.
That doesn’t mean they’ll go into the experience knowing what to expect from the case. Subjects for the case include descriptions or portrayals of violence, grief, substance use, domestic violence, medical injury, and emotional manipulation, so some viewer discretion is advised. Still, for true crime obsessives, it’s a way to bring their favorite podcasts to life.
The Jury Experience runs from November 7 to December 4 at the Magik Theatre (420 S. Alamo St.). Tickets are $29.01 each and can be purchased online.
Los Tigres del Norte play Noche del Vaquero, February 21.Los Tigres del Norte/ Facebook