A dimly lit stage houses the office of a Catholic school in the Bronx, looking out upon seats packed with eager audience members. March 6 through 9, crowds gathered in Harper Joy for the showings of “Doubt: A Parable,” directed by Professor of Theater Christopher Petit. The play follows the story of a rigid head teacher, Sister Aloysius (played by senior Paige Yanny), and how she suspects the priest, Father Flynn (played by senior David Kretz), of abusing a young student, leading to a conflict that explores the nature of doubt and moral responsibility in the church and beyond.

The character Sister James (played by junior Nikita Scott) adds to the dilemma of what side of people is true — asking herself if people are inherently good or bad. Nikita reflected further on this internal conflict and her character’s role in the show. 

“The part that I most enjoy is that this character is basically just who I am. When I first read the part, I felt so connected to the character for one thing. Sister James is very happy, very positive, she likes to look on the bright side, and when she gets hurt, whether that be emotionally or physically, she breaks down, and she’s very sensitive which is very much who I am at my core, which can be a good thing and a bad thing and in the show the audience sees that,” Scott said. 

Kretz spoke on the importance of the cast understanding the complexities in the issues the show explores, explaining how he paid special attention to the delivery of his lines and researched the background of his character to make sure he was portraying the nuanced narrative with accuracy.

“I think the most interesting part of playing Father Flynn is balancing the idea of the preconceived notions people have about priests coming into the play with trying to make him believably innocent in order to make it as difficult as possible for audiences to decipher whether he is guilty. It has been so much fun working with my director, Professor Petit, on finding moments where I can bring these thoughts of doubt into the audience,” Kretz said.

The play deals with topics of pedophilia within the church and patriarchy. For assistant director Olivia Wiebe, portraying these difficult topics was key to initiate dialogue. 

“Concerning the subject matter of the play, honestly we don’t shy away from it. The actors are told to think exactly what they think, not to sugarcoat it or anything. None of the subjects are ever actually said out loud, which makes it really interesting to unravel as the show plays out,” Wiebe said. “A lot of it is up to personal interpretation by the audience, and I think it will affect you as much as you let it.”

Kretz agreed with this, seconding the importance of including these complicated topics and how the audience can apply the play’s lessons to their own lives.

“I want the audience to take the themes of the show into their greater lives, calling into question what they know and diving deep into thought about what is unknown to them,” Kretz said. “I hope that everyone can find enjoyment in the show while also understanding and allowing themselves to feel slightly uncomfortable, because as an actor, I think everyone should be able to find moments in time where they can allow themselves to feel a bit uncomfortable.”

For the cast, this meant focusing on technical aspects like delivery to clearly communicate their message.

“It has been really important to us as a cast to bring forward these themes and difficult topics and handle them with as much poise and precision as possible. We are very thoughtful in how we tackle these topics, and we want to make sure we take them seriously and deliver all of our lines and actions in the play with a great intentionality,” Kretz said. 

Despite the show’s heavy themes, Wiebe emphasized how the script was unique because of its use of comedy to initiate difficult conversations.

“Something that I didn’t expect about this show was how funny it is at times. The humor is so well-written and the actors do a fabulous job with it, which adds to the show because it makes the serious moments feel that much more effective. It’s such a rich show, and the little moments that we see connect me with the show more than it would have without them,” Wiebe said.

Scott explained that beyond the content, the group of people collaborating to put on the show was the primary factor for success.

“I’ve loved working with this cast to tell this story. . . they’re all great people, they’re great to work with. . . It just feels really good to be in a production like this with such a good cast and director and very professional, fun people. It’s just been a really fun and challenging experience for me,” said Scott.

“Doubt: A Parable,” with its many different moving parts, told a story that challenges issues, which often go on unnoticed or behind closed doors. With its packed audiences for all performances, this show was able to provide a glimpse into these struggles and spark questions of inner reflection amongst audience members.