This page serves to show the research I have done for this project. I took this research into the show and used it to inform all of my character work. Attached to each piece of research is a link relating to it.
Wearing a Hat
I found in my research that more often than not, men would wear hats outside. They would typically take them off when they came inside as that was common etiquette. I imagine this would be especially the case for a courtroom/jury room as it is an incredibly serious, professional, and reverent environment. Because of this, I carry my hat into the room and only put it on as I leave at the very end of the show and briefly when I move from seat to seat for the sake of convenience. Otherwise, I kept it on my leg, the table, or used it as a fan.
https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/what-men-wore-1950s/
https://www.levinehat.com/pages/hat-etiquette
A Mechanical Watch
The first ever electric watch, the Hamilton Ventura, was released in 1957. While Juror 2 is well off, I am certainly not rich to have the latest in watch technology so I would definitely still have a mechanical watch. This explains why I look at the big clock across the room when I want to know what time it is. My watch would likely need to be wound. I obviously couldn’t actually wind the watch on stage as the costume piece was a non-functional electric watch but I did watch a video on how to wind a watch just to be aware. I also found some eBay listings for 1950s watches just to take a look at some of them.
https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a46013555/1950s-most-important-watches/
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?nkw=Vintage%20Watches
Women on a Jury
One question I had for myself is if women would have been able to serve on the jury. The short answer is yes, in 1937 women were allowed to serve on a jury. However, the longer answer is that they probably wouldn’t have. The 1937 rule was a “permissive jury bill,” where women were allowed to serve but could opt out for absolutely any reason. Most of the female characters in our show complain about being called for jury duty and want it to end so one would guess that if they could opt out, they would have. This led to us having to employ a sense of suspension of disbelief concerning that aspect of the production.
https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2024/02/womens-rights-women-jurors/
Public Transportation
The subway has been a critical part of the city since its inception. From 1953-1966 the fare was just 15 cents. Many of the Jurors would likely have taken the subway into the courthouse. I likely would have as I live in an apartment in Manhatten so the subway would be a cheap and easy way to get there.
Image Credit: Angelo Rizzuto
Tenements
I watched an interesting video from the Tenement Museum in New York which showed some tenements and covered some interesting information about them. The tenements were small, cramped spaces with layers of old wallpaper. They were often home to immigrants who couldn’t afford more upscale housing. I was glad to have a strong source to be able to picture the tenements as one of our given circumstances is that we visited them.
Where the Crime Took Place
Early in the process Marc tasked us to create a theory of where the crime occured. I posited that the crime took place somewhere along the 2nd El line. The Lower East Side was notorious for its slums filled with tenement buildings, which aligns with what we know about the crime’s location. Additionally, the 2nd Avenue El line ran through the area, with tenements on both sides, as shown in a map of train lines I found of the neighborhood.
https://lespi-nyc.org/immigration-and-transformation/
https://www.tenement.org/explore/lower-east-side
Image credit: Time travelling on the NY City 2nd Ave El
Map Credit: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C.
Home is Where the Heart is
I made the choice that I live in an apartment in the city. I am not rich per se but I do make a lot to live well. I found that the Upper East Side is where the nicer apartments typically were so I decided that is where Juror 2 would live.
https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/postwar-apartments-new-york-city
Image from: Encyclopædia Britannica Online
The Names
I decided that Juror 2 was 32 years old so when deciding on his name I looked at baby names in 1925. This is where I first came across the names Edward and David for myself and my brother.
https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names/most-popular/top-baby-names-1925
The Supreme Court
One image I have yet to show is the New York Supreme Court building. I referenced this image regularly when thinking about where exactly we have been for six days.
Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for Other Images Used on Site
Icon by pngtree.com
Banner image: “Court Gavel – Judge’s Gavel – Courtroom” by weiss_paarz_photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.