I attended the theatrical production Doubt at the end of september, which was originally written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. This miniature version of the Broadway production was directed by Miranda McClenaghan and was performed at Madison’s Bartell Theatre. I must admit that I have not had much exposure to theatre in the past and as a result, I was not sure what to expect out of this particular performance. The performance captured a significant moral struggle we face as individuals, doubt, and how blind suspicion can end in the demise of not only those being accused, but of the accusers as well. In the production Doubt, a nun accused a priest of harmfully violating a young boy and the audience witnesses her moral certainty turn into unanswered questions that linger over her conscience. At the end of the performance, the audience is left with nothing more than the suspicions spoken of the priest and the ultimate doubts of the nun to determine for themselves what is fact and what is fiction.
The production effectively used a small stage set to create the environment for multiple scenes taking place in different environments. The production not only used the small set effectively, but it was able to create a complete story line with a cast consisting of just four actors. The cast consisted of two nuns, Sister Aloysius (the accuser) and Sister James, Father Flynn, and the mother of the young boy whom Father Flynn was being accused of violating. Perhaps one-sided dialogues were the main reason why the production was possible with such few actors. There were several times when Father Flynn spoke to the students of the school and responded to them as though they had spoken back to him. Sister Aloysius used one-sided dialogue on the phone which created the perception that the world of the production was larger than the audience could see. In addition, the sounds of children playing outside were heard during certain scenes of the play signifying the presence of the students. These sounds also supplemented the atmosphere of the set and gave a true sense of reality. The performance was very well thought out and it was impressive to see a cast of only four actors appear as though there were significantly more actors present. The production, Doubt, was a successful performance for a number of reasons. For one thing, the small set efficiently represented a theatrical world that was much larger than the actual physical boarders of the play. Moreover, theatrical illusions such as one-sided dialogues and imaginary characters provided the audience with a casting presence of more than just the four actual characters on stage. Through the dialogues between characters and the expression of their thoughts in solitude, the audience was given contradicting information that supported both the honesty of Father Flynn and the accusations of Sister Aloysius. At the finale of the play, Father Flynn was in fact removed due to the allegations against him and Sister Aloysius was left finally questioning her previous certainties. It then became the burden of the audience, now faced with their own doubt, to determine where and with whom the truths really lie. As a result, the concept of “doubt” was effectively conveyed to the audience as they left with unanswered questions of their own.
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