Sister Aloysius despotically runs a church school where the likeable and popular Father Flynn works as a teacher. With his modern views, he is a thorn in the side of the headmistress. When the young and naïve Sister James, who also teaches there, tells her about Flynn's friendly dealings with the colored student Donald Muller, her suspicions are aroused. Though she lacks evidence, Sister Aloysius accuses Flynn's father of abuse. He denies everything; she searches obsessively for clues. Torn between the two, the easily unsettled Sister James gradually becomes a pawn in a fierce battle for the "truth." "Doubt" (the original title) celebrated sensational success on Broadway in 2005. The play received the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award, among countless other awards. Doubt is a play of today. It is a play about racial issues and educational misery, about equality and the battle of the sexes. It is a play about homosexuality and homophobia. It's a play about abuse of the protected, about mistrust and blind trust. It is certainly a play about the church and also about the post-9/11 world. The almost inquisitorial way in which Sister Aloysius pursues her once formed, extremely vague suspicions, finally sees them "confirmed" and lets them lead to consequences, is also reminiscent of the loss of civil liberties and constitutional guarantees in the alleged fight against terror. In any case, John Patrick Shanley's questions about how to deal with suspicion, guilt, and condemnation make for an intelligent and provocative piece.
by John Patrik Shanley
Directed by: Peter Kühn
Text source and further information about this event: http://www.fritzremond.de/theater/spielplan.php
