By Michael Mandigo
Staff writer
The theatre department will debut its fall production, “Doubt: a Parable,” at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 in Degenstein Center Theater.Daily performances will continue through Sept. 23.
“Doubt” was written by John Patrick Shanley and is set in 1964, following a Bronx school principal at the St. Nicholas Church School who investigates a possible inappropriate relationship between a priest and a student.
According to junior Kelsey Dowling, who plays the principal, Shanley is known for having a dialogue-focused nature, which allows the cast to use a variety of techniques.
“There’s a full array… that we, as characters, can use at our disposal to poke and prod our fellow scene partners,” Dowling said.
“It’s been an undertaking to say [in] the least,” Dowling continued. “It’s been harrowing, but so, so much fun to experiment with my fellow castmates.”
Junior Nick Cardillo, who plays the priest, also emphasized the complexity of the play.
“‘Doubt’ is a difficult play to put on – its characters are verbose and complex and each line of their dialogue is filled with so much nuance,” Cardillo said.
“It has been wonderful to see such dedicated actors work to pick apart the intricacies of the script and mold their characters accordingly,” Cardillo continued.
According to Dowling, the themes of scandal in a Catholic school are still rooted in today’s culture.
“It is incredibly important to be telling ‘Doubt’ right now,” Dowling said.
“With the recent allegations and investigations surrounding yet another pedophilia scandal in the Catholic church, stories like this need to be told,” Dowling added.
Dowling also said that the play is an important story to tell in relation to the community as well.
“We’ve recently seen a lot of ripples within our own area,” Dowling continued. “I think that performing this play opens the door for discussion about the power dynamics [as] the structure of the Catholic church has enabled abuse in our play’s setting of 1964 [through] today.”
The production is directed by Associate Professor of theatre Anna Andes. The cast is composed of Dowling, Cardillo, sophomore Precious Emmanuel and sophomore Dalia Hamilton.
Tickets for the production can be purchased at the Box Office in Degenstein Campus Center Theatre lobby Monday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in person or by calling 570-372- ARTS. 15 dollars for Adults and 10 dollars for non-SU students and senior citizens.
