Doubt (play)
Encyclopedia
Doubt: A Parable is a 2004 play by John Patrick Shanley
. Originally staged off-Broadway
at the Manhattan Theatre Club
on November 23, 2004, the production transferred to the Walter Kerr Theatre
on Broadway
in March 2005 and closed on July 2, 2006 after 525 performances and 25 previews. The play won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
and Tony Award for Best Play
.
, insists upon constant vigilance. During a meeting with a younger nun, Sister James, it becomes clear that Aloysius harbors a deep mistrust toward her students, her fellow clergymen, and society in general. Naïve and impressionable, James is easily upset by Aloysius’ severe manner and harsh criticism.
Aloysius and Father Flynn are put into direct conflict when she learns from Sister James that the priest met one-on-one with Donald Muller, St. Nicholas’ first African-American student. Mysterious circumstances lead her to believe that sexual misconduct occurred. In a private meeting purportedly regarding the Christmas pageant, Aloysius, in the presence of Sister James, openly confronts Flynn with her suspicions. He angrily denies wrong-doing, insisting that he was disciplining Donald for drinking altar wine, claiming to have been protecting the boy from harsher punishment. James is relieved by his explanation. Flynn's next sermon is on the evils of gossip.
Aloysius, unsatisfied with Flynn's story, meets with Donald's mother, Mrs. Muller. Despite Aloysius's attempts to shock her, Mrs. Muller says she supports her son's relationship with Flynn. She ignores Aloysius's accusations. Before departing, she hints that Donald may be "that way
", and that Mr. Muller may be beating him consequently.
Father Flynn eventually threatens to remove Aloysius from her position if she does not back down. Aloysius informs him that she previously phoned the last parish he was assigned to, discovering a history of past infringements. After declaring his innocence, the priest begins to plead with her, at which point she leaves the office, disgusted. Flynn calls the bishop to apply for transfer, where, later, he receives a promotion and is instated as pastor of a nearby parochial school. Learning this, Aloysius reveals to Sister James that the decisive phone call was a fabrication. With no actual proof that Father Flynn is or is not innocent, the audience is left with its own doubt.
, was performed in one act, running approximately 90 minutes. In interviews, the cast said the second act was what took place when the audience left the theatre and began to discuss their differing opinions of the events — some agreeing with Aloysius and others siding with Flynn. Upon publication, Shanley changed the title from Doubt to Doubt: A Parable. The four original cast members were Cherry Jones
as Sister Aloysius, Brían F. O'Byrne
as Father Flynn, Heather Goldenhersh
as Sister James, and Adriane Lenox
as Mrs. Muller.
In 2006 Eileen Atkins
, Ron Eldard
, and Jena Malone
joined the people, replacing Jones, O'Byrne, and Goldenhersh, respectively. In the fall of 2006, Jones headed the national touring company that consisted of Chris McGarry, Lisa Joyce, and Caroline Stefanie Clay. Doubt won the 2007 Touring Broadway Award
as Best Play.
The West Coast premiere was directed by Claudia Weill
and took place at the Pasadena Playhouse
. Another production was stages at Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California in 2010. It was directed by Artistic Associate Jenny Sullivan and starred Joseph Fuqua
as Father Flynn and Robin Pearson Rose as Sister Aloysius.
In 2007, it was staged in Venezuela, in the Cellarg Theatre; with Elba Escobar, Luigi Sciamanna, Mariaca Semprun y Beatriz Vazquez.
The Australian premiere was mounted at the Sydney Opera House
by the Sydney Theatre Company on 4 February 2006. The cast included Alison Bell, Jennifer Flowers, and Christopher Garbardi, and was directed by Julian Meyrick. This was followed by the Asian debut of Doubt in Singapore
on 21 March 2006 and in the Philippines
on 2 June 2006. Doubt ran at the Auckland Theater Company in New Zealand, from 16 March to 8 April 2006, directed by Colin McColl
, with Latham Gaines
as Father Flynn, Elizabeth Hawthorne
as Sister Aloysius, Kate Prior as Sister James and Goretti Chadwick as Mrs Muller.
The play was staged in the Philippines
in 2006 by Atlantis Productions. This production starred Cherie Gil
as Sister Aloysius and played at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at the RCBC Plaza in June 2006.
The play premiered in Britain at the Tricycle Theatre
. Directed by Nicolas Kent
, it starred Dearbhla Molloy
as Sister Aloysius, Nikki Amuka-Bird
as Mrs Muller, Padraic Delaney
as Father Flynn and Marcella Plunkett as Sister James. The production ran from 22 November 2007 to 12 January 2008.
The play was directed by Roman Polanski
during its run in Paris in late 2006. In April 2007, it was staged in Warsaw
, Poland by producer Gene Gutowski
, at Polonia Theatre.
A new production, directed by Mel Hooley with Zimbabwean actors Kevin Hanssen and Anne Fischer is being staged at Dorchester Arts in Dorset from 19–21 August 2010, supported by the British Council.
' adaptation of the play stars Meryl Streep
as Sister Aloysius, Philip Seymour Hoffman
as Father Flynn, Amy Adams
as Sister James and Viola Davis
as Mrs. Miller (the name was changed in the film). Production began on December 1, 2007 with playwright John Patrick Shanley directing and Scott Rudin
producing.
The film is dedicated to Sister Margaret McEntee, a Sister of Charity nun who was Shanley's first-grade teacher and who served as a technical adviser for the movie, after whom Shanley modeled the character of Sister James.
John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He also contributed articles on the performing arts to The New York Times among other publications.-Life and career:...
. Originally staged off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
on November 23, 2004, the production transferred to the Walter Kerr Theatre
Walter Kerr Theatre
The Walter Kerr Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre. Located at 219 West 48th Street, it is owned and operated by Jujamcyn Theaters. One of the smaller auditoriums in the theatre district, it seats 975....
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in March 2005 and closed on July 2, 2006 after 525 performances and 25 previews. The play won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
and Tony Award for Best Play
Tony Award for Best Play
The Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
.
Plot
The play is set in the fictional St. Nicholas Church School, in the Bronx, during the fall of 1964. It opens with a sermon by Father Flynn, a beloved and progressive parish priest, addressing the importance of uncertainty ("Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty," he says). The school's principal, Sister Aloysius, a rigidly conservative nun vowed to the order of the Sisters of CharitySisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
, insists upon constant vigilance. During a meeting with a younger nun, Sister James, it becomes clear that Aloysius harbors a deep mistrust toward her students, her fellow clergymen, and society in general. Naïve and impressionable, James is easily upset by Aloysius’ severe manner and harsh criticism.
Aloysius and Father Flynn are put into direct conflict when she learns from Sister James that the priest met one-on-one with Donald Muller, St. Nicholas’ first African-American student. Mysterious circumstances lead her to believe that sexual misconduct occurred. In a private meeting purportedly regarding the Christmas pageant, Aloysius, in the presence of Sister James, openly confronts Flynn with her suspicions. He angrily denies wrong-doing, insisting that he was disciplining Donald for drinking altar wine, claiming to have been protecting the boy from harsher punishment. James is relieved by his explanation. Flynn's next sermon is on the evils of gossip.
Aloysius, unsatisfied with Flynn's story, meets with Donald's mother, Mrs. Muller. Despite Aloysius's attempts to shock her, Mrs. Muller says she supports her son's relationship with Flynn. She ignores Aloysius's accusations. Before departing, she hints that Donald may be "that way
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
", and that Mr. Muller may be beating him consequently.
Father Flynn eventually threatens to remove Aloysius from her position if she does not back down. Aloysius informs him that she previously phoned the last parish he was assigned to, discovering a history of past infringements. After declaring his innocence, the priest begins to plead with her, at which point she leaves the office, disgusted. Flynn calls the bishop to apply for transfer, where, later, he receives a promotion and is instated as pastor of a nearby parochial school. Learning this, Aloysius reveals to Sister James that the decisive phone call was a fabrication. With no actual proof that Father Flynn is or is not innocent, the audience is left with its own doubt.
Characters
- Sister Aloysius Beauvier: The head nun and principal of St Nicholas School.
- Father Brendan Flynn: A middle aged priest. Articulate and personable.
- Sister James: A young nun. An enthusiastic but inexperienced teacher.
- Mrs. Muller: The mother of Donald Muller.
- Donald Muller: St Nicholas' first black student. He doesn't appear in person during the play.
Productions
The New York production, directed by Doug HughesDoug Hughes
Douglas Hughes is an American theatre and film director. He is the son of acting couple Barnard Hughes and Helen Stenborg.-References:-External links:...
, was performed in one act, running approximately 90 minutes. In interviews, the cast said the second act was what took place when the audience left the theatre and began to discuss their differing opinions of the events — some agreeing with Aloysius and others siding with Flynn. Upon publication, Shanley changed the title from Doubt to Doubt: A Parable. The four original cast members were Cherry Jones
Cherry Jones
Cherry Jones is an American actress and recipient of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series and the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.-Career:...
as Sister Aloysius, Brían F. O'Byrne
Brían F. O'Byrne
Brían Francis O'Byrne is an Irish actor who works mostly in the United States. He was born in Mullagh, County Cavan.O'Byrne first attracted notice for his performances in the Martin McDonagh plays The Beauty Queen of Leenane as Pato Dooley and The Lonesome West...
as Father Flynn, Heather Goldenhersh
Heather Goldenhersh
Heather Goldenhersh is an award-winning American actress. She has appeared on Broadway, on television, and in feature films....
as Sister James, and Adriane Lenox
Adriane Lenox
Adriane Lenox is an American stage and film actress whose performance in the play Doubt: A Parable garnered her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2005. She also appeared as Hattie in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate and had a role in the 2009 film The Blind Side, as Denise...
as Mrs. Muller.
In 2006 Eileen Atkins
Eileen Atkins
Dame Eileen June Atkins, DBE is an English actress and occasional screenwriter.- Early life :Atkins was born in the Mothers' Hospital in Clapton, a Salvation Army women's hostel in East London...
, Ron Eldard
Ron Eldard
Ronald Jason "Ron" Eldard is an American actor.-Early life:Eldard, the second youngest of seven children , was born on Long Island, New York. Eldard's mother died in a car accident when he was a child, and Eldard and his siblings were sent to live with various family members...
, and Jena Malone
Jena Malone
Jena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television, in films, and on Broadway. She made her movie debut with the film Bastard Out of Carolina , and has appeared in films including Contact , Stepmom , Donnie Darko , Saved! , Into the Wild , and Sucker Punch .Malone is...
joined the people, replacing Jones, O'Byrne, and Goldenhersh, respectively. In the fall of 2006, Jones headed the national touring company that consisted of Chris McGarry, Lisa Joyce, and Caroline Stefanie Clay. Doubt won the 2007 Touring Broadway Award
Touring Broadway Awards
The Touring Broadway Awards recognize outstanding achievement in Broadway plays and musicals that tour North America.Founded in 2000 by the League of American Theatres and Producers, the TBAs celebrate excellence in touring Broadway by honoring artists and productions...
as Best Play.
The West Coast premiere was directed by Claudia Weill
Claudia Weill
Claudia Weill is an American film director best known for her film Girlfriends , starring Melanie Mayron, Christopher Guest, Bob Balaban and Eli Wallach, which she made independently, then sold to Warner Bros after multiple awards at Cannes, Filmex and Sundance...
and took place at the Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
. Another production was stages at Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California in 2010. It was directed by Artistic Associate Jenny Sullivan and starred Joseph Fuqua
Joseph Fuqua
Joseph Bernard Fuqua is an American actor. Joseph's parents were Brig. Gen. Stephen Ogden Fuqua Jr. and Mary Ann Sherman Verspoor . Joseph's father remarried in 1969 to Frances Huston Spackman , who adopted him 1971. At this point Joseph was the youngest of ten children. Joseph's grandfather was...
as Father Flynn and Robin Pearson Rose as Sister Aloysius.
In 2007, it was staged in Venezuela, in the Cellarg Theatre; with Elba Escobar, Luigi Sciamanna, Mariaca Semprun y Beatriz Vazquez.
The Australian premiere was mounted at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
by the Sydney Theatre Company on 4 February 2006. The cast included Alison Bell, Jennifer Flowers, and Christopher Garbardi, and was directed by Julian Meyrick. This was followed by the Asian debut of Doubt in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 21 March 2006 and in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on 2 June 2006. Doubt ran at the Auckland Theater Company in New Zealand, from 16 March to 8 April 2006, directed by Colin McColl
Colin McColl
Sir Colin Hugh Verel McColl, KCMG was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1989 to 1994.-Career:Educated at Shrewsbury School and at Queen's College, Oxford, McColl joined the diplomatic service in 1950...
, with Latham Gaines
Latham Gaines
Latham Gaines is an American actor, artist and inventor. Born February 3, 1964 in Birmingham, Alabama, he is the son of the novelist Charles Gaines and artist Patricia Ellisor Gaines.-Acting career:...
as Father Flynn, Elizabeth Hawthorne
Elizabeth Hawthorne
Elizabeth Hawthorne, ONZM, is a New Zealand-born actress who is best known for her role as Mrs. Macready in the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Peter Jackson supernatural comedy The Frighteners. She played Judge Harriet Caldwell in the 2004 TV...
as Sister Aloysius, Kate Prior as Sister James and Goretti Chadwick as Mrs Muller.
The play was staged in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 2006 by Atlantis Productions. This production starred Cherie Gil
Cherie Gil
Cherie Gil is a Filipino actress of Swiss German American, Spanish, and Filipino descent.-Biography:Cherie Gil is the daughter of Filipino actors Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil and sister to actors Mark Gil and Michael De Mesa .She was formerly married to Rony Rogoff, an internationally-renowned...
as Sister Aloysius and played at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at the RCBC Plaza in June 2006.
The play premiered in Britain at the Tricycle Theatre
Tricycle Theatre
The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
. Directed by Nicolas Kent
Nicolas Kent
-Life:Attending Stowe School and studying English at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, he directed his first play - Look Back in Anger by John Osbourne - whilst still at university before becoming a trainee director at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1967...
, it starred Dearbhla Molloy
Dearbhla Molloy
Dearbhla Molloy is an Irish actress of the stage and screen from Dublin.Molloy consolidated her stage reputation at both the Abbey and the Gate theatres, coming to England to tour with an Abbey production. She was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company and has played Gertrude to Kenneth...
as Sister Aloysius, Nikki Amuka-Bird
Nikki Amuka-Bird
Nikki Amuka-Bird is a Nigerian born British actress of the stage and screen. Her theatrical credits include Welcome to Thebes ; Twelfth Night ; World Music ; Top Girls ; A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest and The Servant of Two Masters Nikki Amuka-Bird is a Nigerian born British actress of the...
as Mrs Muller, Padraic Delaney
Pádraic Delaney
Pádraic Delaney is an Irish actor best known for playing Teddy O'Donovan in the Ken Loach film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, for which he earned an IFTA nomination as well as being named Irish Shooting Star for the 2007 Berlin Film Festival...
as Father Flynn and Marcella Plunkett as Sister James. The production ran from 22 November 2007 to 12 January 2008.
The play was directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
during its run in Paris in late 2006. In April 2007, it was staged in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland by producer Gene Gutowski
Gene Gutowski
Gene Gutowski born as Witold Bardach Son of Julius Bardach and Anna Bardach ....
, at Polonia Theatre.
A new production, directed by Mel Hooley with Zimbabwean actors Kevin Hanssen and Anne Fischer is being staged at Dorchester Arts in Dorset from 19–21 August 2010, supported by the British Council.
Film adaptation
Miramax FilmsMiramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
' adaptation of the play stars Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
as Sister Aloysius, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
as Father Flynn, Amy Adams
Amy Adams (actress)
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
as Sister James and Viola Davis
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
as Mrs. Miller (the name was changed in the film). Production began on December 1, 2007 with playwright John Patrick Shanley directing and Scott Rudin
Scott Rudin
Scott Rudin is an American film producer and a theatrical producer.-Early life and work:Scott Rudin was born in New York City, NY, on July 14, 1958, and raised in the town of Baldwin on Long Island. At the age of sixteen, he started working as an assistant to theatre producer Kermit Bloomgarden...
producing.
The film is dedicated to Sister Margaret McEntee, a Sister of Charity nun who was Shanley's first-grade teacher and who served as a technical adviser for the movie, after whom Shanley modeled the character of Sister James.
Awards and nominations
- 2005 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Best New Play - 2005 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play
- 2005 New York Drama Critics' CircleNew York Drama Critics' CircleThe New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Best Play - 2005 Pulitzer Prize for DramaPulitzer Prize for DramaThe Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
- 2005 Tony Award for Best PlayTony Award for Best PlayThe Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...