Theater 294 Debuts Classic Theater with DOUBT

 

In a return to its classical roots, Theater 294 presents the Pulitzer prize-winning play DOUBT by John Patrick Shanley from April 21 to May 6.

The play, which opened in Manhattan in 2004, has become a contemporary American classic drama.

After Theater 294 presented Lemon Tree, a new play, it's now presenting Shanley's classic work, which ran on Broadway and was adapted for film.

The Theater 294 location, 294 Farmingdale Rd., in East Farmingdale, hosted Long Island theater for more than 30 years.

The newly renovated space provides a comfortable and modern theater experience.

Tickets are available online for $20 and $15 for senior citizens and students by clicking the Tix. link.

"I wanted to see theater continue at this historic location," Marlo Roberson, who owns Theater 294, said."So when I found that it had closed, I obtained the space, renovated the theater from top to bottom, and reopened it to the public."

Doubt, directed by Charles Calabrese, marks the first classic play to be produced at the location under its new incarnation, after serving as the home for the Arena Repertory's Second Stage before that group moved to a new location.

Longtime veterans of theater at this location Adrienne Pellegrino and Judith Anderson take on major roles in this drama that deals with trust, mistrust, suspicion and, of course, doubt.

Television and stage actor Jennifer Alexander returns to Theater 294 in the role of Sister James, a nun who is young and impressionable as well as an enthusiastic teacher.

"It's a very special thing to see classic drama as well as original works return to this stage," said MS. Anderson, who plays Sister Aloysius Beauvier.

"It's fascinating to think of the number of actors, some of them quite famous, who have performed in this space over the past three decades," added Adrienne Pellegrino, who appears as Mrs. Muller.

"The moral and message of this play remains timeless as virtue struggles against human flaws in a pitched battle  for moral certainty," said Calabrese, a member of the theater company who both directs and appears in Doubt as Father Brendan Flynn. "Although, it is as timely and meaningful today as when the play first opened, we have taken a fresh look at the dynamic of this powerful piece and have presented it in a new and interesting light."

DOUBT can be seen at Theater 294, 294 Farmingdale Rd. (Route 109), East Farmingdale, on April 21,22, 29, and May 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. A Sunday 3 p.m. matinee will be performed on April 30. Tickets are available at  Tix. by credit card and at the theater prior to performance with cash or check.