You may have heard that John Patrick Shanley’s hit show Doubt: A Parable is opening its doors to the college next weekend. This last week, I had the privilege of being able to talk to the cast and the director about the upcoming production.
As you may or may not know, Doubt was recently a critical and commercial success on Broadway, with Brian F. O Byrne. It won several Tony Awards including Best Play, Best Director and Best Actor.
It was also adapted into a 2008 film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Viola Davis: all of whom were nominated for Oscars in their respective performances.
John Patrick Shanley’s play has received overwhelmingly strong critical acclaim, and now, returning director Nancy Hoffman brings the play to the Tansill Theater.
“I think it’s such a great play for a college to do because it has so many layers. It poses so many rich questions to the audience about ethics, to the point where it will force you to talk,” said Hoffman.
The cast is small, featuring only four actors on stage. It consists of two seniors, Charles Cochran and Sarah Hornbach (both of whom were seen in Hoffman’s directorial effort Language of Angels last year) and sophomores Kristin Hutchins (debut) and Shani Brown (Hair).
“It’s certainly the biggest role I’ve ever had,” said Cochran. “Father Flynn is a very complex character to tackle – it’s been a lot of fun, and it’s definitely the best acting experience I’ve had at Conn.”
“One of the biggest challenges about playing this role is figuring out whether or not [Sister Aloysius] is the absolute hero or the absolute villain. It poses a real question: where is she? Is she a horrible person or a grand heroine?” asked Sarah Hornbach about tackling the emotionally enduring lead role.
Sophomore Kristin Hutchins, who had an appearance in the Theater Foundation production Talk Radio, breaks out in her most complex role at Connecticut College, taking on the role of Sister James, who provides the middle ground in the main conflict of this story.
“Her presence allows them both to defend their point of view,” said the actress. “Whose side is she on? What does she feel? It’s important for the audience to hear that as well.”
For this show, the expectations are certainly high. Written in 2003, John Patrick Shanley’s play has been hailed by critics and audiences as one of the most intriguing works of theatrical art in the recent generation. Its relevance and importance to society is definitely still there.
“When he wrote this play, he was influenced by the questions that were asked during the beginning of the Iraq war,” Hoffman said. “There were many deep questions to be asked, and it works so well for this play because the theater is such a wonderful contemplative space. By the time you hear the last line of the play, you will be forced to talk about it.”
The rivalry and debate between these two characters certainly makes it an interesting play to discuss. It provides incredible food for thought. It is a story of faith and trust that poses some truly remarkable questions to the audience.
If you want to see Doubt, tickets are available at the box office or in the Crozier-Williams Center. The play runs November 19th through the 22nd, with 8:00 performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2:00 matinees Saturday and Sunday.
