The Department of Theatre at Hope College will present the award-winning play “Doubt” by John Patrick Shanley on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15, and Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 20-22, at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a free matinee on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. All performances will be held in the DeWitt Center studio theatre.
Directed by Richard Perez, assistant professor of theatre at Hope, “Doubt” raises questions about faith and moral responsibility. The story is set in 1964 at St. Nicholas church school, where all is going well until Sister Aloysius, the principal, suspects that the school’s priest has been inappropriately involved with a young altar boy who is the school’s first African American student.
“There are two things I have always loved about the play, ‘Doubt,’” Perez said. “First, the playwright masterfully pins the wills of two strong characters against each other so we are never quite sure who to believe. Second, the play reminds us that the complexity of doubt haunts us all. Whether we choose to engage with it or not, it is a cross we all bear.”
Those attending will have an opportunity to explore the themes. Each night after the production, there will be a conversation between the audience and a panel of guest moderators.
“Doubt’s” accolades include the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Shanley adapted his play for a 2008 film starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis.
In addition to Perez, the college’s production team includes Michelle Bombe, assistant professor of theatre and department chair, as costume designer; Ken Chamberlain, dance and theatre lighting and sound technician, as lighting designer; Eric Van Tassell, assistant professor of theatre, as sound designer; and Richard Smith, professor of theatre, as scenic and properties designer. Staff members Stephen Krebs and Darlene Veenstra serve as technical director and costume shop manager, respectively. Also on the production team are sophomore Valerie Dien of Fountain Valley, California, as stage manager and sophomore Allyssa Sanderson of Richland as assistant stage manager.
The cast includes senior Rachael Fornarotto of Pocatello, Idaho; freshman Tia Hockenhull of Southfield; senior Kathryn Joachim of Dearborn; and senior Maxwell Lam of Holland.
Tickets are $10 for regular admission; $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff; and free for Hope College students and students ages 18 and under. Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 616-395-7890. Tickets may be purchased by calling or visiting the ticket office, online at hope.edu/tickets, or in person at the performance.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The DeWitt Center is located at 141 E 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th streets. The studio theatre is near the southeast corner of the building’s lowest level.