“What do you do when you are not sure?”
The first line of John Patrick Shanley’s Tony Award winning play sets the stage for his exploration of certainty, doubt, proof and faith. Can we ever be sure of anything? And what if we think we are sure, but then find out that we might be wrong? We all have doubts, just as the characters in the play have doubts.
Set during the turbulent 1960’s when the world was changing, Doubt is subtitled “A Parable”, which the dictionary tells us is, “a short story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.” The story of Doubt seems pretty clear and obvious but what is it really about? Shanley wrote his script in response to the lead up to the Iraq War. Does that change what you think the play is saying?
Doubt is a fascinating and stimulating one act play. The playwright has said that there is a second act and it happens after the houselights come up, when the play has ended. The second act is the discussions that you have about the play as you leave the theatre, drive home, or sit with friends over coffee. Theatre that makes us think, discuss and even argue is definitely within our reach.
