Doubt’s Got Us Acting Out, a Preview of NGU’s Newest Play
Abigail Dickerson, Visual Arts Editor
North Greenville University’s first play of the fall semester “Doubt” will be coming to the Billingsley Theatre on September 15, 2022.
“Doubt” deals with heavy issues including conviction, reputation, skepticism and doubt. Who would have guessed? The play also deals with things such as race, gender and the issue of misconduct between adults and children within the school environment.
“We understand the somewhat dated nature of the play, it was a different time” said the director Bess Park. “We understand the salient nature of the topics at hand and I will personally be addressing the audience before the show starts”, she said. This was in reference to topics that may be sensitive to some, including abuse amongst other things.
To provide background information, Doubt was originally written by John Patrick Shanley. The performance is based in 1964 at a Catholic school in the urban parts of New York. The cast only consists of only four characters including Sister Aloysius played by Professor Amy Dunlap, Father Flynn played by Professor Joshua Scott, Sister James played by senior Abigail Thomas, and Mrs. Muller played by junior Jessica Wilson.
Sister Aloysius serves strictly as principal of the school and works alongside a young teacher named Sister James. The relationship between the two was not quite simple, as their styles of education were different indeed. The plot follows the two as they come together and dig deep into some odd occurrences within the school. The two begin to form assumptions regarding Father Flynn and his interaction with a specific student.
As the two women begin to formulate a story about a supposed occurrence that Father Flynn had with a male student, his reputation may be compromised. Sister Aloysius puts her career on the line to get to the bottom of this story.
After conveying her feelings to Sister James, Sister Aloysius becomes even more upset. Now, more confused than ever, Sister James encounters the priest in the garden. In this scene, he shares his side of the story with the young nun, leaving her to decide who is telling the truth.
Throughout the play the characters continue in the struggle of determining the truth behind their feelings towards one another as the discover more information. As is human nature, they begin to doubt what it is they believe to be true which takes them to unexpected places.
This expressive and emotional play is a showcase of the strong performance skills of senior Abigail Thomas. “Each senior in the theater department gets a final showcase. ‘Doubt’ is Abigail’s senior project because she is concentrated in performance” said senior Stage Manager, Lydia Kyrtle.
There is no doubt that the students and faculty have put countless hours into bringing this show to life. Each actor pays such attention to detail, not only with words but also to how their character reacts to the surroundings.
“The garden is in a sense a breath of fresh air for her (Sister Aloysius) amongst the stuffy nature of the school”, said Prof. Amy Dunlap. She went on to compliment how well the students were doing with connecting to their individual characters.
As faculty perform alongside students, they get the chance to experience how far their students have come. The audience will get the opportunity to take a closer look into just how much goes into producing a show. Buckle up for this emotional and charming story, “Doubt” which is coming to the stage this weekend.
The NGU Theatre Department invites students to opening night of the show that kicks off the semester at the Billingsley Theatre on September 15, 2022. The show will also run the two following nights at the Billingsley Theater. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office.
