The Meowing Nuns at Whitmore-Lindley Theatre Center

“I have read in a good medical work that a nun, in a very large convent in France, began to meow like a cat; shortly afterwards other nuns also meowed. At last all the nuns meowed together every day at a certain time for several hours together. The whole surrounding Christian neighborhood heard, with equal chagrin and astonishment, this daily cat-concert, which did not cease until all the nuns were informed that a company of soldiers were placed by the police before the entrance of the convent, and that they were provided with rods, and would continue whipping them until they promised not to meow any more.”

• The Epidemics of the Middle Ages (1844)

This small transcript lodged in a translator’s note at the end of a 19th century medical journal stands as one of the few written accounts of the strange incident of mass hysteria. The date is unknown, the convent long forgotten, yet these few days of chaos still linger in the minds of the curious and the superstitious, yearning for an answer to what caused the disturbance? Though the true history is lost, Park Lytle offers a speculation; an answer based on a reflection of our current time and its relationship to women and demons alike. Shackleton Theatrics’ presents The Meowing Nuns, a new play by Park Lytle.

In 14th Century France, a convent has begun to erupt in a strange bellowing meow every night. With growing pressure from the superstitious neighbors, Count Giraud (Played by Christopher Martin) is forced to send two priests to investigate for Satanic influence. The hardened Father Raoul (played by David Zeusso) seeks only to punish the nuns for their strangeness, while the young Brother Thomas (played by Karo Dzghalian) hopes for a rational answer. It will not be so simple for either priest, deeper concepts have been unearthed by the inhabiting nuns (played by Savannah Coyne, Eva Hendricks, and Alexandra Tejada) while the lingering presence of the deceased Mother Vivienne (played by Josephine Nunez) drives Thomas to sin. In a house of challenged foundations, Thomas must look through the madness and find the answer to his investigation. Why have the nuns begun to meow?

The Meowing Nuns will open on March 6th at the Whitmore Theatre in North Hollywood. Tickets on sale for $10 via the Shackleton Theatrics website. This production is being led by Hunter Mahmoud Abal, who will be returning for his third collaboration with Shackleton Theatrics after The Dictator and Lands. This show shall be designed by the talented artists of Abbs Stoiber (Stage Management), Alejandro Melendez (Lighting), Jon Flikkie (Sound), Grace Hlavacek (Scenic), Sam Millette (Props) and Ashley Kae Snyder (Costume)