Pacific Theatre's DOUBT Opens 3/2

How far would you go to protect a child? In John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, a Parable, presented by Pacific Theatre, Sister Aloysius is faced with this very question. Her answer is swift and ferocious: if a child's welfare is at stake, there is no time to waste. She acts. So when suspicions are raised that the young priest Father Flynn is spending too much time with one of the young male students, she does not hesitate. Hit by her fierce crusade Father Flynn is left to defend his actions, but without concrete proof on either side both are guided only by the strength of their convictions and the nagging of their doubts to guide them.

"When I read this script, long before I ever had a chance to see it, I knew it was pure, absolute essential Pacific Theatre material", says Artistic Director Ron Reed, who is directing the production. "There is an intimacy about this piece, a close-up human focus, a fundamentally personal scale that belongs in a Little Room. Like our in-your-lap, no-barriers, 120-seat theatre."

One of the features of this production is the stand-out cast of Pacific Theatre artists. In order to create the back-and-forth tension the script calls for, all three of the lead roles are played by actors who are not only brilliant, but just plain likeable. In the role of Sister Aloysius is Erla Faye Forsyth (Holy Mo). "We need to dread her, but we need to love her", Reed says on the character, "and it's darn hard to find an actress who embodies both. Effortlessly. And we've got her." Reed calls Giovanni Mocibob (My Name is Asher Lev) an "intuitive, truthful young actor", and he will be bringing these qualities to Father Flynn, while Kaitlin Williams (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) takes on Sister James, andLeslie Lewis Sword (Miracle in Rwanda) as Mrs. Muller.

The second in Pacific Theatre's Shanley Series, Doubt, a Parable provides a fascinating contrast toDanny and the Deep Blue Sea. Both represent high-stakes conflict between fierce characters, one slithering along with eloquent and subtle nuance, while the other stumbles, screams, and battles its way to the finish line.