The curtain opened on Thursday, Jan. 14 for Laredo International Theater Guild’s production of “Doubt: A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley. Texas A&M International University professor and veteran actor, Vernon Carroll, directed the play.
The drama, set during the mid 1960’s, takes place within and around the walls of St. Nicholas Church School.
As the space in the theater fills with silence, audiences are greeted with a sermon read by Father Flynn (played by Brendan Townsend). His hands grip the podium, if only for seconds, and out of his mouth expel words as chilling as they are resonating, setting his character’s tone for the remainder of the performance.
This presumption that we will understand these characters based on first impressions alone, just as the writer of this intricate story would have it, will not be without its doubt.
With each scene introduction, three other pivotal characters are then established: Sister Aloysius (played by Carllyn Walker) as the cold and manipulating nun with a vendetta against all those that attempt to taint the sacristy of tradition, namely Father Flynn; Sister James (played by Casandra Canales), the seemingly impressionable, innocently subservient nun, and last but far from least, Mrs. Muller (played by Lilly Austin) the stubborn but passionate mother to Donald Muller, the first African American boy at the school, who the play will later allude to Father Flynn engaging in inappropriate relations with.
Despite “Doubt” garnering much of its notoriety because of these allusions, those in production strongly emphasize that audiences should not go watch “Doubt” merely to see a play about controversial affairs. “The play is not about whether a priest did or did not do something indecent with a child. It is about the idea of uncertainty. That certainty of belief, belief in the church, the idea of right and wrong,” says Townsend.
As each scene takes the characters from one path to the next, each light change marks a new encounter, a new additional piece of uncertainty left for the audience to infer. “Sister Aloysius’ suspicions about Father Flynn quickly grow into her certainty about his guilt, maintaining this certainty without concrete proof,” explains Joe Arciniega, Artistic Director and Co-founder, Laredo Theater Guild International, “In the end, this is a story about doubt, but also, from the beginning and throughout most of the play, it can be said to be as much about certainty.”
Even after viewing the play, if nothing else remains definite, one thing is wholly evident: Regardless of where the spotlight falls throughout the production, from the heart pounding inflections to the intensity of the silence itself, each actor has managed to successfully immerse themselves into their characters, providing audiences with an opportunity to enjoy a truly thought-provoking play.
“Doubt: A Parable” ran at the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Sam Johnson Experimental Theatre from Thursday, Jan. 14 to Sunday, Jan. 17.For more information, please contact 319-8610.