Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2017)
8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM IN DOUBT Rising Tide Productions stages Pulitzer Prize- winning play in Nehalem All three lead performers in the production of ‘Doubt’ take the stage at once during a rehearsal in Nehalem. COLIN MURPHEY THE DAILY ASTORIAN By ERICK BENGEL FOR COAST WEEKEND I n a New York Catholic school in 1964, the head nun, Sister Aloysius, suspects the school’s new priest of sexually abusing a student. The priest, a popular, likable man named Father Flynn, offers a plausi- ble denial. But the nun — equipped with no evidence except her unbend- ing certainty — sets out to remove the priest. The collision between these characters is at the heart of “Doubt, A Parable,” the latest show mounted by Rising Tide Productions, a local nonprofi t theater company. The play, staged at the North County Recreation District Perform- ing Arts Center in Nehalem, opens 7 p.m. Friday, July 14, and runs through Sunday, July 30. Directed by George Dzundza — a professional actor and Netarts resident known for roles in fi lms such as “The Deer Hunter” and “Crimson Tide,” and TV shows that include “Law & Order” and “Grey’s Anatomy” — “Doubt” features actors familiar to community theater audiences in Clatsop and Tillamook counties. ‘Tension and heartache’ John Patrick Shanley’s 2004 play, which won a Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is “relevant for our times,” Dzundza said. “I think that we have a lot of things going on in the United States today that were going on in 1964,” he said. Cast member Brenna Sage, of Hebo, pointed out that looming behind the action is the creation of Vatican II, when the Catholic Church adopted a more welcoming stance toward the modern world. Father Flynn’s liberal views, refl ecting the reformed Church, clash with those of the conservative Sister Aloysius, a staunch defender of the old ways. “When there’s a battle between the traditionalists and a progressive, there’s a lot of tension and heart- ache,” Dzundza said. Is Sister Aloysius on a moral mission to catch a pedophile priest? Or has she merely found a way to take down a man whose openness and tolerance offend her? “There is absolutely no evidence that this priest has done anything wrong,” Dzundza said. “The purpose Continued on Page 9
