Doubt: A Parable

Doubt, A Parable
Written by	John Patrick Shanley
Characters	Sister Aloysius Father Flynn Sister James Mrs. Muller
Date premiered	November 23, 2004
Place premiered	Manhattan Theatre Club New York City, New York
Original language	English
Subject	A nun suspects a priest of molesting an altar boy
Genre	Drama
Setting	A Catholic school in the Bronx. Autumn 1964.

Doubt, A Parableis a dramaticstage playwritten by American playwrightJohn Patrick Shanley.Originally stagedoff-Broadwayat theManhattan Theatre Clubon November 23, 2004, the production transferred to theWalter Kerr TheatreonBroadwayin March 2005 and closed on July 2, 2006 after 525 performances and 25 previews. The play won the 2005Pulitzer Prize for DramaandTony Award for Best Play.

In 2008, the play was adapted as a feature film titledDoubt.It starredMeryl Streepas Sister Aloysius andPhilip Seymour Hoffmanas Father Flynn and was nominated for severalAcademy Awards.

Plot

The play is set in the fictional St. Nicholas Church School, in theBronx,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." The school's principal, Sister Aloysius, a rigidly conservative nun who is vowed to her order, theSisters of Charity,insists upon constant vigilance. During a meeting with a younger nun, Sister James, Aloysius reveals a deep mistrust toward her students, her fellow teachers, and society in general. Naïve and impressionable, James is easily upset by Aloysius's severe manner and harsh criticism.

Aloysius and Flynn are put into direct conflict when she learns from James that the priest had a one-to-one meeting with Donald Muller, St. Nicholas's firstAfrican-Americanstudent. Mysterious circumstances lead her to believe thatsexual misconductoccurred. In a private meeting, purportedly regarding theChristmas pageant,Aloysius, in the presence of James, openly confronts Flynn with her suspicions. He angrily denies wrongdoing by insisting that he was disciplining Donald for drinkingaltar wineand claims to have been protecting the boy from harsher punishment. James is relieved by the explanation. Flynn's next sermon is on the evils of gossip.

Aloysius, dissatisfied 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,"which may cause her husband to be beating him.

Flynn eventually threatens to remove Aloysius from her position if she does not back down. Aloysius informs him that she phoned the last parish to which he was assigned and that she discovered a history of past infringements. After declaring his innocence, the priest begins to plead with her, but she blackmails him and demands that he resign immediately, or she will publicly disgrace him with his history. Disgusted, she leaves the office. Flynn calls the bishop to apply for a transfer, and is subsequently promoted to pastor of a nearby parochial school.

After hearing the news, Aloysius reveals to Sister James that the decisive phone call to Flynn's previous parish was a fabrication and that she has no evidence of past wrongdoing. As a result, Aloysius is left with ambiguous doubt, and the audience is left to wonder if the doubt is in either herself or the Church. With no proof of Father Flynn's guilt or innocence, the audience is left with its own doubt.

Cast

Character	Broadway	Film Adaptation	Broadway Revival
	2005	2008	2024
Sister Aloysius	Cherry Jones	Meryl Streep	Amy Ryan
Father Flynn	Brían F. O'Byrne	Philip Seymour Hoffman	Liev Schreiber
Sister James	Heather Goldenhersh	Amy Adams	Zoe Kazan
Mrs. Muller	Adriane Lenox	Viola Davis	Quincy Tyler Bernstine

Characters

• Sister Aloysius Beauvier: The head nun and principal of St Nicholas School. Driven by a high sense of duty but rigid and conservative.
• Father Brendan Flynn: A middle-aged priest. Articulate and personable.
• Sister James:A young impressionable nun. Enthusiastic but inexperienced teacher.
• Mrs. Muller: The mother of Donald Muller, the school's first black student.

Productions

TheNew York Cityproduction, directed byDoug Hughes,was performed in a one-act performance running approximately ninety minutes. In interviews, the cast said the second act took place when the audience left the theatre and began to discuss their differing opinions of the events, with some people agreeing with Aloysius and others siding with Flynn. Upon publication, Shanley changed the title fromDoubttoDoubt: A Parable.The four original cast members wereCherry Jonesas Sister Aloysius,Brían F. O'Byrneas Father Flynn,Heather Goldenhershas Sister James, andAdriane Lenoxas Mrs. Muller.This production had scenic design byJohn Lee Beatty,costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Pat Collins, and original music and sound design byDavid Van Tieghem.

In 2006,Eileen Atkins,Ron Eldard,andJena Malonejoined the cast and replaced Jones, O'Byrne, and Goldenhersh, respectively. In the fall of 2006, Jones headed the national touring company, consisting ofChris McGarry,Lisa Joyce, and Caroline Stefanie Clay.Doubtwon the 2007Touring Broadway Awardas Best Play.

The West Coast premiere was directed byClaudia Weilland took place at thePasadena Playhouse.Another production was staged at Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, California in 2010. It was directed by Artistic Associate Jenny Sullivan and starredJoseph Fuquaas Father Flynn andRobin Pearson Roseas Sister Aloysius.

In 2007, the play was staged inVenezuela,in the Cellarg Theatre, with Elba Escobar, Luigi Sciamanna, Mariaca Semprun and Beatriz Vazquez.

The Australian premiere was mounted at theSydney Opera Houseby the Sydney Theatre Company on February 4, 2006. The cast included Alison Bell, Jennifer Flowers, and Christopher Garbardi, and was directed by Julian Meyrick. This was followed by the Asian debut ofDoubtinSingaporeon March 21, 2006, by ACTION Theatre, directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall, with Nora Samosir as Sister Aloysius, Lim Yu-Beng as Father Flynn and Pam Oei as Sister James. The next production was in thePhilippineson June 2, 2006. Doubt ran at the Auckland Theater Company in New Zealand, from March 16 to April 8, 2006, directed byColin McColl,withLatham Gainesas Father Flynn,Elizabeth Hawthorneas Sister Aloysius, Kate Prior as Sister James and Goretti Chadwick as Mrs Muller.

In theCzech Republic,the play was premiered in 2007 byNational TheatreinPraguewith Jaromíra Mílová, Jan Novotný, Magdaléna Borová and Eva Salzmannová. In 2012 it was staged by a Czech non-professional theater groupwith Andrea Jeřábková, Libor Ulovec, Lucie Koderová and Martha Coutin Caicedo in the roles. The latter was awarded the Best Czech Non-Professional Drama Performance 2012.

The play was staged in thePhilippinesin 2006 by Atlantis Productions. This production starredCherie Gilas Sister Aloysius and played at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater at theRCBC Plazain June 2006.

The play premiered in Britain at theTricycle Theatre.Directed byNicolas Kent,it starredDearbhla Molloyas Sister Aloysius,Nikki Amuka-Birdas Mrs Muller,Padraic Delaneyas Father Flynn and Marcella Plunkett as Sister James.The production ran from November 22, 2007, to January 12, 2008.

The play was directed byRoman Polanskiduring its run at theThéâtre HébertotinParisin late 2006. In April 2007, it was staged inWarsaw,Poland,by producerGene Gutowski,at Polonia Theatre.

A production directed by Mel Hooley withZimbabweanactors Kevin Hanssen and Anne Fischer was staged atDorchesterArts inDorsetfrom August 19–21, 2010, supported by theBritish Council.

A production opened in Sydney, Australia, at theOld Fitzroy Theatreon May 12, 2017. The cast, Belinda Giblin (Sister Aloysius), Matilda Ridgway (Sister James), Damian de Montemas (Father Flynn) andCharmaine Bingwa(Mrs Muller), was directed by Dino Dimitriadis.

On June 1, 2023, theRoundabout Theatre Companyannounced that the play would receive its first Broadway revival at theTodd Haimes Theatreas part of its 2023–2024 season, starringTyne Dalyas Sister Aloysius andLiev Schreiberas Father Flynn.However, the first preview was cancelled, and on February 6, 2024, it was announced that Daly had to exit the production due to hospitalization.Isabel Keating,Daly's understudy, took over the role until February 11, 2024, withAmy Ryanassuming the role full time on February 13, 2024.

Awards and nominations

2005 Broadway production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2005	Tony Awards	Best Play		Won
		Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Brían F. O'Byrne	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play	Cherry Jones	Won
		Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play	Heather Goldenhersh	Nominated
			Adriane Lenox	Won
		Best Direction of a Play	Doug Hughes	Won
		Best Scenic Design in a Play	John Lee Beatty	Nominated
		Best Lighting Design in a Play	Pat Collins	Nominated
	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding New Play		Won
		Outstanding Actor in a Play	Brían F. O'Byrne	Won
		Outstanding Actress in a Play	Cherry Jones	Won
		Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play	Adriane Lenox	Won
		Outstanding Director of a Play	Doug Hughes	Won
	Pulitzer Prize	Drama	John Patrick Shanley	Won
	Theatre World Award		Heather Goldenhersh	Won

2024 Broadway revival

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2024	Tony Awards	Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play	Liev Schreiber	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play	Amy Ryan	Nominated
		Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play	Quincy Tyler Bernstine	Nominated

Adaptations

A2008 film adaptationbyMiramaxstarsMeryl Streepas Sister Aloysius,Philip Seymour Hoffmanas Father Flynn,Amy Adamsas Sister James andViola Davisas Mrs. Miller (the name was changed in the film). Production began on December 1, 2007, with playwright John Patrick Shanley directing andScott Rudinproducing.

Anopera based on the play,commissioned by theMinnesota Opera,premiered in 2013, with music byDouglas J. Cuomoto alibrettoby Shanley.

Bibliography

• Shanley, John Patrick (2005).Doubt: A Parable.New York: Theatre Communications.ISBN978-1-55936-276-4.

External links

• ​Doubt: A Parable​at theInternet Broadway Database
• ​Doubt: A Parable​at theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Doubt: A Parableat theRoundabout Theater Company,(Spring, 2024)