who makes the first opening statement in a jury trial
Opening statement Generally, the prosecution in a criminal case and plaintiff in a civil case is the first to offer an opening statement, and defendants go second. Defendants are also allowed the option of delaying their opening statement until after the close of the prosecution or plaintiff's case. Few take this option, however, so as not to allow the other party's argument to stand uncontradicted for so long.
Trial by Jury Initially, Trial by Jury, which runs only 30 minutes or so, was played last on a triple bill, on which the main attraction, La Périchole (starring Dolaro as the title character, Fred Sullivan as Don Andres and Walter H. Fisher as Piquillo), was preceded by the one-act farce Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata.[16] The latter was immediately replaced by a series of other curtain raisers.[20][c] The composer conducted the first night's performance, and the theatre's music director, B. Simmons, conducted thereafter.[22] The composer's brother, Fred Sullivan, starred as the Learned Judge, with Nellie Bromley as the Plaintiff. One of the choristers in Trial by Jury, W. S. Penley, was promoted in November 1875[23] to the small part of the Foreman of the Jury and made a strong impact on audiences with his amusing facial expressions and gestures.[24] In March 1876, he temporarily replaced Fred Sullivan as the Judge, when Fred's health declined from tuberculosis.[25] With this start, Penley went on to a successful career as comic actor, culminating with the lead role in the record-breaking original production of Charley's Aunt.[24] Fred Sullivan died in January 1877.[26]