Lantern Theater Company's DOUBT Begins Next Month

Lantern Theater Company begins the new year with John Patrick Shanley's award-winning play Doubt: A Parable, running January 15-February 15. The production features Philadelphia veteran actors Mary Martello and Ben Dibble in a rare appearance together in a drama. Directed by Lantern Associate Artistic Director Kathryn MacMillan, the cast also includes Clare Mahoney and Lisha McKoy.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, Doubt: A Parable is a suspenseful, timely American drama that grapples with questions of moral certainty - and doubt. Surrounded by the turbulence of the 1960s, Bronx Catholic school principal Sister Aloysius is stoic and severe while parish priest Father Flynn is progressive and popular. When she suspects him of wrongdoing with a troubled student, the stage is set for a clash of authority, tradition, and faith.

"Doubt, both the play and the concept, continues to be timely, and Shanley creates characters of great depth that are as challenging to create onstage as they are interesting," said Kathryn MacMillan, who is directing the production. "Mary Martello and Ben Dibble are ideal for these roles. Sister Aloysius puts a high value on self-discipline, to the point of coldness. Mary Martello, in contrast, is a raging inferno-she's boldness, life, heat. Pairing Mary with Sr. Aloysius will help us hint at the layers between the surface of the character Shanley has created. Ben's character, Fr Flynn, is morally ambiguous, but Ben is warm, charismatic, open. With this casting, we are hoping to explore the deep uncertainties of Shanley's play."

Doubt: A Parable runs January 15 - February 15, 2015 (press opening: Wednesday, January 21, at 7 p.m.). Tickets are $22 - $39 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Discounts are available for seniors 65 and up, groups of 10 or more and U.S. military personnel. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. $10 industry tickets are available online, by phone or at