Dozens of people crouch down into computers, prints and large Ziploc bags in a small, bright, bright meeting room hidden in the corner of an office building in London. The whiteboard on the wall behind it is a colorful maze of notebooks, names and theory.
This group – this ju umpire is trying to determine whether a person is guilty of arson and murder. In about 70 minutes, they decide whether he will walk freely or face decades in prison.
However, this is not a real jury who has the power to convict real people. Rather, these ju apprentices – groups of friends, couples of dates – pay £46.50, or about $60 each, spend the night in this room, scrutinizing the evidence, reviewing the testimony in the video, and deliberating on reaching a consensus of the verdict.
This is “Ju Judge Games,” one of several immersive theatre productions that have been receiving ju Judge service, as the New York Times said in 1887 to repackage as entertainment.
Similar experiences will appear in cities around the world this year, including “The Jury Experience” in Brooklyn, Toronto, Dublin, Madrid, other cities in North America and Europe, and touring production in the UK, “Murder Trial Tonight.”
This concept may seem strange to anyone who mailed a ju judge summon or offered excuses ranging from familiar (childcare, work duties) to elaborately exaggerated (extreme fear of height) to be exempt from service.
Several of those who attended the “ju umpire game” suggested they knew they had made what they considered an unconventional choice for disposable income and ways to spend their free time.
“I think games like this are more appealing than real ju umpires,” said Alex Franco, a London resident from Australia. She wants to serve the real ju umpire, but she granted, “I'd be like 'this suck'” if she was summoned.
Boston-based lawyer Eric J. Parker served as a consultant for Fox's legal drama series “The Defendants,” but when he learned about these immersive ju-degree experiences, his first thought was, “What happened on an American dating night?”
“What's next?” he said in an interview. “Do you and your dates get a tax audit just to see what it looks like?”
However, London-based lawyer and television legal consultant Janet Ashmall said such experiences are fascinating as they organize the complicated twists and turns of crime without the gravity and commitment that comes with actual ju apprentices.
“If you're the kind of person who likes true crime documentaries, it's like you're seeing it in real life,” Ashmoll said in an interview. “Who doesn't want to see that?”
Joe Ball, one of the show's founders, said the oversized role ju umpire duties have played in pop culture is one of the reasons why the “ju umpire game” that began with Zoom during the pandemic has become popular. Last year, Clint Eastwood directed the courtroom drama “Ju Judge #2.” In 2023, the hybrid reality series, which unconsciously serves a fake ju umpire, made up of actors, and the sitcom “Ju Ju umpire Duty,” became a surprising hit.
Ball cites the classic 1957 film “Twelve Angry Men” as a specific inspiration about a ju umpire deliberating in the case of a young man accused of murder. People attending the “ju-referee game” said “become one of 12 angry men.”
The cultural touchstones also made it easier for people to jump into action, he said.
“Everyone knows what a ju umpire does,” said Tom Black, founder of another “ju umpire.”
But these ju-described nights are not exactly the same as the real thing.
The atmosphere is lighter than the actual trial when someone's freedom is on the line. There is a nervous laugh as the group sits around the table and learns about the incident. This involves a man accused of setting the office building on fire after the person identified as a sales person (but he really is he?) who was accused of setting the office building on fire after the person identified as a sales person.
In the evening, a larger plot unfolds, including government cover-ups and love stories. Unlike the actual trial, there is a video link that ju-describers can use to ask questions about the accused, played by actor Jack Flamigger. (As with mobile phones, you are also allowed to bring drinks from the bar downstairs.)
Clocking in just over an hour, this experience is significantly shorter than most real ju trial trials, lasting weeks or months, and leaning beyond authenticity towards entertainment.
“These experiences are not real,” said Ashmoll, a UK lawyer. But she said, “At the end of the day, no one would buy a ticket, so I couldn't have one of these experiences that were faithful to life.”
People who participate in the “ju referee game” don't necessarily know each other and it can take a little while for everyone to feel comfortable. But enthusiasm is set quickly and brings fun to the business.
“I'm a bit scared when the group is quiet,” said Brendan O'Rourke, an actor who has to act as the court coordinator for the “ju umpire game” and has to sort out fake ju umpires. However, he added, “In the end, everyone is somewhat obsessed with it.”
At the end of every “ju umpire game” night, after the defendant votes guilty or innocent, participants learn what actually happened in this case. On a recent Thursday night in London, 12 participants were in a vivid winter atmosphere, knowing that 12 participants had made the right phone call.
It's a tidy conclusion that most genuine ju umpires can dream of.
