A Book In Hand Reading of "Twelve Incompetent Jurors" to take place October 17-18

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 10/12/2026

(OLD BRIDGE, NJ) -- The Middlesex Bar Foundation in collaboration with Main Street Theatre Company presents a book in hand reading of Twelve Incompetent Jurors with two performances from October 17-18, 2026. The play by Ian McWethy is about a man accused of abducting half a dozen cats. He admits it. It's an open-and-shut case, even for a jury filled with oddballs – with the exception of one sane juror.

When a man is accused of abducting half a dozen cats, it's a simple open-and-shut case, even for a jury that's filled with oddballs like a dim-witted PR guy, a bickering couple and a man obsessed with french fries. After all, every scrap of evidence indicts the accused. (I mean so clearly. The man is very, very guilty of stealing cats. Case closed.) And yet, Juror #8, a wannabe lawyer, believes that the “Cat Burglar” is innocent. Will he be able to sway the other jury members? Or will they side with Juror #3, the only sane man in the room, in this hilarious parody of 12 Angry Men.

12 Incompetent Jurors premiered off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City in conjunction with the New York International Fringe Festival in August 2010. It was directed by Jeffrey Glaser.

Performances take place Saturday, October 17 at 8:00pm and Sunday, October 18 at 3:00pm. Tickets are $35 with proceeds to benefit the Middlesex Bar Foundation and Main Street Theatre Company.

12 Incompetent Jurors Is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

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Ian McWethy has written over 60 plays that regularly receive over 1,000 productions every year. They’ve been produced in all 50 states and in over 50 countries abroad. He’s also co-written two novels with Carrie McCrossen, Margot Mertz Takes It Down and Margot Mertz For The Win, published by Penguin Random House. He’s happily married to that same Carrie McCrossen, where they live in Los Angeles with their two kiddos.

The Main Street Theatre Company was founded over 25 years ago by a group of Sayreville High School Graduates who shared a common vision of bringing a high quality community theater to the Greater Middlesex County Community. The group has produced hundreds of theatrical productions; including over 130 full scale plays and musicals, 45 Kidworks Theatre for Children productions, 6 original works, as well as 3 NJ “premiere” productions.

Through the years Main Street has gained recognition from the community and its peers including being named by the Home News Readers Poll as “One of the Best Community Theatres” by its reader and as members of the NJ community theatre organization NJ ACT (Achievement in Community Theatre), Main Street has garnered numerous “Perry Awards” including Best Production of a Musical, Best Direction, Best Scenic Design and Best Musical Direction to name a few. NJ ACT has also honored 3 of Main Streets Trustees with “Lifetime Achievement” Awards for their contributions to NJ Community Theatre.

Formally performing at the historic Step Inn Ballroom in Sayreville for 14 years, the group lost its lease in 2003 and found its new home on Bordentown Avenue in Parlin. Despite the obstacles of limited funding and high production and occupancy costs, Main Street has continually grown over the years to what is now a 6 show season of Main Stage productions and has grown to include MSTC Kidworks, Main Street Junior/Youth Productions, Main Street Theatre Academy, Just Dance, shows and classes from our resident improv troupe "Death by Improve" as well as many other concerts, karaoke and open mic nights. This skill and ability to produce such high quality theater programs with so few resources has amazed theirpatrons and associates and has become known to them as “The Magic That is Main Street”.