DOUBT Production Notes
About John Patrick Shanley | Catholic Church Organization | The Times, They Are A-ChangingWelcome to the Show
Our favorite plays are beginnings. They begin in the theatre, on the stage, under the lights, then continue, and are only truly realized, when you leave the theatre, and lively discussion begins. Doubt is such a play - the most talked about piece of American playwriting in years. Honored with the Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards®, Doubt is a play filled with tantalizing ambiguity and compelling questions.
Academy Award®–winning playwright John Patrick Shanley takes us to 1964, when a feeling of doubt is taking hold of the nation, and at a time when the Catholic Church is on the brink of enormous change. Serious accusations are leveled at a priest by the principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx. Shanley perches the discussion atop a delicate balance - you are constantly asked to determine who you believe and why, and as the play begins to turn through time, this balance shifts enough to create the seeds of doubt.
So often, we carry our preconceived notions with us as unchangeable ideas. It's a thrilling experience to encounter a piece of theatre that challenges these ideas. Join us as the characters begin a discussion - a conversation that explores ideas of doubt and belief, of innocence and guilt, and then take the discussion home with you. We guarantee this is a play you'll want to talk about. |
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| Preston Lane Artistic Director |
Rich Whittington Managing Director |
ABOUT JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY
In his own words: “John Patrick Shanley is from the Bronx. He was thrown out of St. Helena’s kindergarten. He was banned from St. Anthony’s hot lunch program for life. He was expelled from Cardinal Spellman High School. He was placed on academic probation by New York University and instructed to appear before a tribunal if he wished to return. When asked why he had been treated in this way by all these institutions, he burst into tears and said he had no idea. Then he went into the United States Marine Corps. He did fine. He’s still doing okay.”
“There is an uneasy time when belief has begun to slip but hypocrisy has yet to take hold… It is the most important experience of life. The beginning of change is the moment of Doubt. It is that crucial moment when I renew my humanity or become a lie.”
– Shanley, in his preface to Doubt
In addition to Doubt, Shanley’s plays include Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (1984), Savage in Limbo (1985), Women of Manhattan (1986), the dreamer examines his pillow (1986), Italian American Reconciliation (1988), The Big Funk (1991), Beggars in the House of Plenty (1991), Four Dogs and a Bone (1993), Psychopathia Sexualis (1995), Where’s My Money? (2001), Dirty Story (2003), Sailor’s Song (2004), and Defiance (2005). He won an Oscar for his screenplay of Moonstruck (1987). Other screenplays include The January Man (1989), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Alive (1993), Congo (1995), and the television drama, Live From Baghdad (2002).
“I wanted to write a play embracing Doubt. About the merit of Doubt as opposed to certainty. People want to get everything all settled… But if you want to understand anything about the human experience, it’s not about ‘the verdict.’ How the two adversaries handle their clash is the important thing.”
– Shanley, in the Houston Chronicle
Doubt has garnered numerous awards, including the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. During its Off-Broadway run, the production received several Obie Awards, and upon reaching Broadway, was nominated for eight Tony Awards® and received four, including Best Play of 2005. The production was also named Best Play of the Season by the New York Critics Circle. The film version of Doubt is currently in production, under the direction of John Patrick Shanley.
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