Franklin Stage Company Presents DOUBT By John Patrick Shanley

Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County's only admission-free professional theater, will present John Patrick Shanley's Tony award-winning drama Doubt, A Parable, August 9th - 26th, at FSC's historic theater, Chapel Hall in Franklin, NY.

Directed by Julie Kline, who directed FSC's visiting production of Magdalen last year, the play explores power dynamics, faith, and uncertainty in a taut and masterful unfolding. Set in a Bronx parochial school in 1964, audiences are pitched between the school's principal, Sister Aloysius, and Father Flynn, the parish priest she suspects of improper relations with one of his male students. "When I saw the play on Broadway, I walked out feeling sure Sister Aloysius was in the right," said Ms. Kline, "and when I re-read the play again this year I was equally sure that Father Flynn was in the right. It's a testament to the play's rich complexity. It doesn't illustrate the idea of doubt, it takes the audience through the experience and keep us wrestling with our own uncertainty."

The play features: FSC Co-Artistic Director Patricia Buckley as Sr. Aloysius, Charlie Kevin (last seen as Victor in The Price) as Father Flynn, and FSC newcomers Laura Menzie as Sister James, a young nun caught between the two adversaries, and Adara Alston as Mrs. Muller, the mother of the boy in question.

"Mr. Shanley has crafted a story that grabs the audience from the beginning," said Co-Artistic Director Leslie Noble, "and at each turn challenges our assumptions." Added Ms. Buckley, "The fact that the play is "a parable" reinforces that there are no easy answers and allows space for the audience to draw their own conclusions."

Part mystery, part clash of Titans, the play asks, Can we ever know the truth for certain? If faith is the glue that holds communities together, what is the value of doubt? Doubtis the recipient of both the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. Time Out New York praised it as, "An eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequences. A gripping mystery, tightly written."

Doubt is made possible by the O'Connor Foundation and the NY State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Showtimes are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 3:00PM (new time!) and Sunday at 5:00pm. Admission is free. Donations gratefully accepted. Limited seating. To reserve and for more information, visit www.franlkinstagecompany.org or 607-829-3700.

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