2025 Spring Play #3 - "DOUBT A Parable"

This play has been on the Department's radar for some time and several of the Advanced Acting students over the years have read read it and performed cuttings from it in class showcases. One year two students did take a scene to conference. We had not, up to this point, ever given it a full production. It was time. 

The 2024-2025 Advanced Acting Class was planning to tackle several full length plays in Repertory through the month of April and all of the scripts needed to be small casts with minimal sets. Doubt by John Patrick Shanley fit the bill perfectly. 

                                                           

The display cases outside of the library became our marquee for the plays. We would swap out the posters and info for each play as they closed and put up the next show's information. 

We ran slides on the hallway monitors and also had the info put into announcements.  

The poster design we used for the show

Mr Schaefer selected the actors for each of the plays based on the work they had done in the department up to this point. Several of the actors in the class had done main stage roles in the auditorium and several had not. we tried to use this project to stretch each of the actor's range and to push them toward characters (or a type) they had not played up this point. 

The selection of plays was very difficult and fitting each actor in the class to role and a play that gave everyone equal stage time was also a huge challenge. Once the groups got to sit down together and tabel read their scripts we knew we had something. The roles in Doubt a Parable were perfect for this particular group of actors.

THE CAST

Julian Pool...........................Father Flynn

Daun Pawlicki.............................Sister Aloysius

Charlotte Runge.......................................Sister James

and featuring

Miss Trinity Madison (alumni '19).....................Mrs. Mueller

                                            REHEARSALS

We started rehearsing this group in one of the smaller rooms in the department because their scenes were contained to small locations. The play takes place either in an office or in a small garden. Then we moved them into the Black Box Theater for some staging rehearsals. Finally, the production loaded into the Frick Theater and we set up the stage and lighting for the run.

                      

Daun &Miss Madison working on Scene 8 when Mrs Mueller comes to the church for a meeting

   

                 The costumes for the show came from our department's stock to keep costs down. 

The Play takes place in the 1960's 

and Mrs Mueller's clothing is the only civilian outfit we see in the story.

       

Julian (Fr Flynn) is the one that is at the center of the story 

being accused of wrong doing by Daun's character

The tension builds throughout and 

the close walls of the office are felt even though not seen

       

                     Julian and Daun were great at listening to each other in the scene work

The other nun in the story is Sister James (Charlotte Runge)

The garden scenes are a way the playwright takes us into another part of the church grounds,

in these scenes we find the two nuns battling over their purpose and their faith.

Their was a wonderful chemistry between Daun and Charlotte on stage

The Guest Director and Stage Manager are brought in...

Luca Thies &  Mira Thies

Luca Thies joined the production as a guest director to help the cast get to show night. There were a couple of scenes that needed some coaching and focused rehearsal. Luca was able to bring some fresh perspective on the scenes. Mira Thies joined as a stage manager to give the actors someone on book. 

  

Luca directing a scene in the Frick Theater and Mira on book

This brother & sister duo also ran the lighting and sound effects for the show.

THE SHOW

Julian's monologues were a highlight of the show 

and he captured the essence of the Catholic mass's homily perfectly.

The Frick seats 132 audience members total...

perfect for an intimate story like this!

                      The costumes for the nuns and priest tried to capture the time period as well.

                 We had to construct the veils for the nuns and we assembled the full look for all three                                                            characters from our department's stock. 

       

     

The Frick Theater was a perfect venue for this play

We used a stain glass projection on the backwall for context 

and to give the stage picture some much needed color

   

The set was assembled from our department stock as well. All of the plays used the white coat rack in their show as a unifying element between all four plays we produced in April 

BACKSTAGE

The Frick Theatre has a great dressing room behind the stage area

The cast had time to hang out before the show and get dressed to impress!

The Advanced Acting Class 2024-2025

Charlotte Runge even won the Department Pig at the end of the festival!

THE CAST OF DOUBT SAYS,

"GO SEE A PLAY!!!!"