Overview
Synopsis
“What do you do when you’re not sure?” So asks Father Flynn, the progressive and beloved priest at the St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, in his sermon. It’s 1964, and things are changing, to the chagrin of rigid principal Sister Aloysius. However, when an unconscionable accusation is leveled against the Father, Sister Aloysius realizes that the only way to get justice is to create it herself. And as for the truth of the matter? As Father Flynn says, "Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.” In stunning prose, John Patrick Shanley delves into the murky shadows of moral certainty, his characters always balancing on the thin line between truth and consequences. Doubt: A Parable is an exquisite, potent drama that will raise questions and answer none, leaving the audience to grapple with the discomfort of their uncertainties.
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Context
Written in 2004, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt came about at a time when the Catholic Church was under particularly harsh scrutiny for alleged child sex abuse scandals perpetrated by church workers, and the lack of prosecution for these workers by Church authorities. A young Irish Catholic from the Bronx in the 1960s (like the students at the fictional St. Nicholas School), Shanley expresses both gratitude for the nuns who watched over him during his education and awareness of the problematic
to read the context for Doubt: A Parable and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty,” states the beloved parish priest Father Flynn, expounding on the topic of uncertainty in the sermon that opens Doubt.
Elsewhere, Sister Aloysius, the principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx where Father Flynn teaches, and a nun with the Sisters of Charity, is writing at her desk. Young nun Sister James enters, and the two Sisters discuss a few problem students. Sister Aloysius has a cynical view about the relationship
to read the plot for Doubt: A Parable and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Doubt: A Parable.
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Key Terms
A prestigious U.S. award for achievements in journalism, literature, and drama. Many modern plays that reflect social and political themes have received this honor.
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