DOUBT is set in the fictional St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx in 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,” he says).  The school principal is Sister Aloysius, a rigidly conservative nun from the order of the Sisters of Charity, who, -- despite the reforms of the Second Vatican Council – clings to the old ways. During a meeting with a young, new teacher, Sister James, it becomes clear that Aloysius harbors a deep mistrust toward her students, her fellow clergymen, and society in general.  Naïve and impressionable, James is easily upset by Aloysius’ sever manner and harsh criticism.

Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn are put into direct conflict when she learns from Sister James that the priest met one-on-one with Donald Muller, St. Nicolas’s first black student. Mysterious circumstances lead her to believe that sexual misconduct occurred. In a private meeting purportedly regarding the Christmas pageant, Aloysius, in the presence of Sister James, confronts Father Flynn with her suspicions.  He angrily denies any wrong-doing, insisting that he was disciplining Donald for drinking altar wine, claiming to have been protecting the boy from harsher punishment.  James is relieved by this explanation.  Father Flynn’s next sermon is on the evils of gossip.

Sister Aloysius, unsatisfied with Father Flynn’s story, asks Donald Muller’s mother to come to the school for a meeting.  Despite the nun’s attempt to shock her, Mrs. Muller says she supports her son’s relationship with Father Flynn, and is glad that the priest is watching out for the boy. Her chief concern is that her son not lose the opportunity to attend the school, and his friendship with a sympathetic male figure. Before departing, she hints that Donald may be “that way” (homosexual), and that Mr. Muller may be beating him consequently.

Father Flynn eventually threatens to remove Aloysius from her position if she does not back down. Aloysius informs him that she previously phoned the last parish he was assigned to, discovering a history of past infringements. After declaring his innocence, the priest begins to plead with her, at which point she leaves the office, disgusted.  Flynn calls the bishop to apply for a transfer. He soon receives a promotion and is instated as pastor of a nearby parochial school.  Learning this, Aloysius reveals to Sister James that the decisive phone call was a fabrication.  She confides to James: “I have doubts…I have such doubts.”

 

Now in its twenty-second year, our program offers experience, creativity, and flexibility to audiences across the country. Every year, our actors and production crew hold workshops and give backstage tours for audiences on our tour. These inspired professionals teach various aspects of theatre craft. Special topics are added each year depending on the themes inherent in the current play and the specific talents of the touring company.

The educational outreach program acquaints audiences with live theatre and the work of playwrights, making the process of play production fascinating and accessible. In doing so, the program educates audiences, developing their appetite for plays and literature. The Montana Repertory Theatre is strongly committed to nurturing and developing new audiences for the theatre and supporting the classroom experience with theatre arts. With that in mind, the company offers a variety of educational programs to presenters.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE:
• Pre- or post-performance discussions with audiences
• Backstage tour with Montana Rep technicians
• Professional acting techniques or improvisation workshops


THE ACTING WORKSHOP: Building Blocks of Acting: Truth in Action
Goal: To make choices as an actor that make a performance more truthful and believable on stage. After a series of warm-up exercises, students are shown the difference between "painting on a bucket of feeling" and letting feelings develop organically through action. Students progress through a series of improvised scenes in which specific emotions and feelings are the focus; for example, suspicion, reluctance, anger, etc. The workshop leaders then lead discussions on truthfulness in acting and its connection to action. Further topics include the character's tactics, goals, and desires with regard to the other characters' feelings.

THE IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP: Building a Group Ensemble
Goal: To familiarize students with some "rules of improv," the value of strong group dynamic, and the inherent need for trust among players. Participants play a series of group games to increase the following skills: cooperation, concentration, observation, and imagination.

THE AUDITIONING WORKSHOP: Making a Good First Impression
Goal: To inform students of the multitude of things to consider for a successful audition, in addition to memorizing a monologue. Leaders will give advice on what to wear, how to introduce oneself, the use of furniture and props, the best way to prepare for a call-back, and monologue selection.

LIFE ON THE ROAD: Professional Tour Actors Speak
Goal: To inform students of the real-life, day-to-day requirements of being a professional touring actor or a working actor in a large metropolitan area, and, possibly, to inspire students to pursue acting as a career. Actors will give firsthand, personal accounts of what it's like to make a living as an actor and how one gets to that point in one's career. Topics will include auditioning, becoming an Equity actor, keeping a performance fresh, stamina, working with other actors in close quarters, and travel issues.