The senior class of 2026 at Fordham High School for the Arts gathered in a circle in the dressing room backstage as they practiced call and response vocal articulation exercises.
“Unique New York, New York’s unique, you know you need unique New York,” students called out, warming up their voices to build control, projection and crisp, clean annunciation.
It was about 15 minutes ahead of curtain call for what would be a historic fall drama production. The students were performing the school’s first original fall play in the school’s history and the project they took on was ambitious. It ultimately led to the largest audience turnout the school had ever seen for a fall production, according to faculty.
Reasonable Doubt —a courtroom comedy drama entirely written, directed and produced by students at Fordham High School for the Arts— told the story of Elena Price, who was on trial for the murder of her husband and Philadelphia football superstar London Price.
The production asked audience members to decide Elena’s fate: guilty, or not guilty.
But the students didn’t set out to write their own play. 17-year-old Aylee Diaz, who plays Elena in the production, told the Bronx Times that they knew they wanted to do a show with some type of audience participation element but that when they were researching courtroom dramas, nothing seemed like exactly the right fit.
“ We want to make the community that’s coming to see us feel something and walk out changed in a way,” Diaz said.
Yet, they felt that the existing plays out there didn’t go far enough to satisfy their plans to leave an impact and feel a sense of ownership in the production.
“ We wanted a play that showcases everyone’s talent and their voice,” Diaz added.
With the full support of their teacher, Linda Key, the students began drafting their own courtroom procedural, packed to the brim with all the classic villains, misdirects, twists and shocking witness stand confessions.
Senior Kassidie Lucca, who played the prosecutor on the case, Kaia James, told the Bronx Times that just like any good lawyer, she would genuinely be trying to convince the jury (the audience) that Elena Price murdered her husband.
To get into character, Lucca said that she built an entire backstory for the prosecutor, one that relates to murder victim London Price. Her character and the dead football star came from a place of struggle, and achieved success through hard work.
Lucca said this gave her character a bit of a bias against the accused.
“ During this case, my job is to send Elena to jail and I personally believe that she killed him for his money,” Lucca said.
The auditorium was filled with more than 100 students, teachers, friends, parents and family members. Students helped out by manning concessions selling popcorn, pizza, candy and even courtroom sketches depicting dramatic scenes of actors on the witness stand.
Quinn Almonte, who co-directed Reasonable Doubt with Key, sat with friends waiting for the houselights to dim and watch their vision come to life.
“ Some people are not who you think they are and they could be going through a million things,” Almonte said. “But sometimes your expectations may also be deceived.”
Reasonable Doubt, gave no shortage of opportunities to question what really happened the night that London Price died. The production took on intense themes like domestic abuse, childhood trauma, infidelity and revenge.
It’s revealed that multiple people had a motive to want London Price dead, including his mistress and an estranged brother harboring a grudge and an unrequited love of his brother’s wife.
The defense then builds a deep sympathy for Elena through a series of flashbacks revealing her history rooted in physical and emotional abuse throughout her marriage and going back into her childhood.
The audience was completely in sync with the production, gasping at shocking revelations, jeering over the prosecutor and the defense attorney matching wits and sparring with witnesses over the self aware scenes.
One scene like a flashback of Elena Price walking in on her husband London Price and his mistress, sports reporter Mya Torres. The catfight that ensued garnered hoots and laughter from the audience.
Once the prosecution and defense both rested their cases, the house lights came on and the audience (turned jury) was given time to deliberate. Underneath each theater seat, the students taped signs that read “guilty” on one side and “not guilty” on the other.
Audience members had impassioned discussions and shook their signs in the air. There was such an overflow of people in the auditorium that there weren’t enough pre-made signs. Some audience members typed their decisions onto their phones to hold up and be counted.
The bailiff called up a volunteer to be the jury foreman, who read the final verdict.
“We, the jury, find Elena Price,” the foreperson said. “Not Guilty!”
Screams erupted all throughout the auditorium and the actors on stage cheered or sulked according to their characters.
The audience soon realized that they had let a murderer walk free, when Diaz, playing Elena Price walked back out onstage with a trophy she used to bludgeoned her unsuspecting husband to death. As London Price tried to crawl away, his murderous wife attacked him again with her stiletto heel until he finally lay still.
The shock and uproar over the final twist was deafening. Audience members rocketed to their feet to congratulate the cast which ran out on stage to make their final bows.
Drama teacher and co-director Key, said that she hopes to continue to allow students to create their own productions, as it taps into often overlooked, behind-the-scenes roles in high school theater.
“ I think it’s much more empowering for those students that we know are gonna be directors or producers,” Key said. “Having that production experience is key and it fits in with our career and technical education because we’re trying to train the kids for professions that are actually available and paying in film and theater.”
Almonte was visibly emotional following the final curtain, they were hugging friends and cast members and wiping tears from their eyes. Afterward, they said that they felt it was an important step toward the future they saw for themselves in directing.
“ it was like a glimpse into my future, seeing how rewarding it would be and knowing that I’m working towards doing that [directing] again and again and again,” Almonte said.
Reach Sadie Brown at sbrown@schnepsmedia.com or (214) 994-6723. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
