New play at BW causes audiences to ‘Doubt’

A new play exploring the concept of doubt in all its forms is coming to Baldwin Wallace later this month from senior BFA Acting major Danny Wall.

“Doubt: a Parable”, written by John Partick Shanley, is a critically acclaimed play, winning the Tony Award for Best Play in 2005. Eventually, it became a movie featuring Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. The play itself focuses on St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx in 1964, as the new and old ways of the Roman Catholic Church come clashing together with conflicts that arise leaving the audience, well…in doubt.

The clash of the conservative and progressive ways is a big motif in the show.

“It takes place after the changing of the Second Vatican Council, they have completely uprooted all of the things that the Catholic Church was doing, they changed the attitude that the church had towards the people. They were to become more welcoming and inclusive,” Wall said.

This new way of thinking is especially targeted and detested by the prominent character of Sister Aloysius played by Holland Rolapp, senior BFA Acting.

“Sister Aloysius was born approximately in 1904, and this takes place in 1964. She’s seen a lot. It’s a very strict way of living and someone who would choose to live like that is not someone who’s fond of change,” Holland said.

This is in direct conflict with the new age characters in the show.

“I think this perfectly represents how generations hold on to what is familiar, and to what extent you will go to fight for what you think is right,” Wall said.

Rolapp explained more about the complexity and gray area of not only her character, but all the other characters in the show.

Her belief is that “everything I say is a fact. It’s stark honest truth and the objective is the only thing that you can see.”

She said that it’s a challenge yet fun because “you have to be so sure of what you want. And I think the moral grayness is a blanket on top of the deep want. The best you can do is let the truth guide you.”

The biggest reason why Wall chose “Doubt: A Parable” is because it “doesn’t answer questions. It causes you to ask questions. It’s a different play that I wanted to bring to a modern audience. It causes so much thought.”

According to Rolapp, another thing that makes “Doubt: A Parable” such an interesting play to watch is that, “a lot of the conflict in the show is not happening directly in the room. In our action of doing that, we are also giving the audience an opportunity to think outside of the room with us.

“If we overthink our connections and overthink the truth of the situation, we won’t by playing the fight for the truth,” she added.

Regarding the play’s themes, Wall said those are reflected in the title.

“The title of the play is less of a noun and more of a verb. It’s a call to action to doubt and to renew that humanity, that he [John Patrick Shanley] was saying. That we can’t know everything,” Wall said.

When asked what they wanted their audience to take away from the show, “This play encourages curiosity, and encourages you to question. And I think that’s a very healthy trait to have as a human being. I’m not saying to live a questioning life full of doubt. I’m saying, be aware of your surroundings, be present, be curious, and allow the play to wash over you. Dive into something that is challenging,” Rollapp said.

“Doubt: A Parable” is a show that will leave you with more curiosity than when you started the show, and leave you questioning everything in the play and, possibly, in your life too, the play’s actors said.

The show will be running on Baldwin Wallace Campus at the Lindsay-Crossman Chapel from November 11-14, 7:30-9:30pm. Tickets are free, open to the public, and on sale now.

The rest of the cast includes Owen Rich, junior BFA Acting, as Father Flynn, Clementine Connell, junior BFA Acting, as Sister James, and Jasmine Baines, junior BA Acting/Directing, as Mrs. Muller.

New play at BW causes audiences to ‘Doubt’

Comments