Westport Country Playhouse Announces Return to Live Theatrical Productions with “Doubt: A Parable”
Eric Bryant and Betsy Aidem in “Doubt: A Parable.” Photo by Carol RoseggWestport Country Playhouse
Marking its first live theatrical production since 2019, Westport Country Playhouse will stage “Doubt: A Parable,” winner of 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award® for Best Play, from November 2 through November 20. A performance will also be filmed on stage for on-demand streaming in HD video from November 11 through November 21. Written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director, “Doubt: A Parable” will culminate the Playhouse’s 90th anniversary year.
"It's a personal thrill for me to direct the first full production on the Playhouse stage after a nearly two-year hiatus,” said Kennedy. “And to do it with Shanley's remarkable play and this accomplished cast is deeply satisfying. Though a short and simple drama, ‘Doubt’ opens up worlds of complexity and profundity. It truly is a great American drama."
“Doubt: A Parable” is a play that promises to spark conversation. Sister Aloysius, a school principal with a mandate to uphold tradition, is certain something’s terribly wrong about the relationship between a young parish priest and a troubled boy. But beneath her moral crusade to reveal the horrible truth lies a chasm of doubt, where choices made can reverberate beyond imagination. For more information, visit: www.westportplayhouse.org/doubt
The cast includes Betsy Aidem as Sister Aloysius (Westport Country Playhouse’s “Appropriate”; Broadway’s “All the Way,” “Beautiful”; Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance; film “The Greatest Showman”; recurring role on television’s “Law & Order: SVU”); Kerstin Anderson as Sister James (Lincoln Center Theater’s “My Fair Lady” as Eliza Doolittle; Playwrights Horizons’ “Unknown Soldier” and its original cast album; North American Tour of “The Sound of Music” as Maria); Eric Bryant as Father Flynn (Westport Country Playhouse’s “The Understudy,” “The Invisible Hand” - Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor, “Room Service,” and a Script in Hand playreading of “Mr. Roberts”; Off-Broadway’s revival of “Angels in America”; regional credits include “Almost, Maine” - Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Ensemble; MFA, Yale School of Drama); and Sharina Martin as Mrs. Muller (“Z: The Beginning of Everything” on Amazon Prime; “Blind,” with Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore; and the television series, “Redrum”).
Playwright John Patrick Shanley won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film “Moonstruck.” He wrote and directed the film adaptation of his play, “Doubt,” and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Shanley is the author of more than 23 plays, which have been translated and performed around the world.
Director David Kennedy is in his thirteenth season as Playhouse associate artistic director. He has directed Playhouse productions each season, including “Suddenly Last Summer,” “Loot,” and “The Invisible Hand,” which received the 2016 Connecticut Critics Circle (CCC) Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, and for which Kennedy won the CCC honor for Outstanding Director of a Play. He was previously with Dallas Theater Center, and was founding artistic director of The Lunar Society in Toronto and Milkman Theatre Group in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The creative team includes Charlie Corcoran, set design; Sarita Fellows, costume design; Carolina Ortiz Herrera, lighting design; Frederick Kennedy, sound design; Dana Tanner-Kennedy, dramaturg; Shane Schnetzler, production stage manager; and Tara Rubin Casting.
Performance schedule is Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. (No Wed. or Sat. matinees during preview week, Nov. 2 – 6). Special series feature LGBT Night on Nov. 4, Opening Night on Nov. 6, Sunday Symposium, featuring a conversation with director and cast members, on Nov. 7, Open Captions on Nov.14, and Thursday TalkBack on Nov.18. Distanced seating available on Wednesdays, Nov. 3, 10, and 17. Post-show audience discussions with community facilitators on Nov. 11, 12, 16, 19.
Running time is approximately 90 minutes; no intermission. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.
Tickets to attend in person start at $30. Tickets to stream on-demand are $25 individual, $50 pair, and $100 household. Each streaming purchase entitles the ticket buyer to one individual link.
For special offers to seniors, students, military, first responders, educators, and playwrights, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/box-office/
The production of “Doubt: A Parable” is sponsored by the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation, and Judy and Scott Phares, with additional support from the Burry Fredrik Foundation. The 2021 season is generously supported by the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. 2021 season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio.
Last year, the global pandemic shut down the Playhouse’s 2020 Season. During 2021, the Playhouse has produced online, outdoors, and on the radio as pandemic safety concerns prevented staging live theater. Easing guidelines at federal, state, and local levels, as well as those of theatrical unions, has allowed in-person theatrical productions to resume. Currently, patrons must be masked and fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine to attend an indoor performance and must show proof of vaccination with their valid ticket to enter. For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, visit https://www.westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/
All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.
To purchase tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).