LaKecia Harris won a role never played before by an African American in the Department of Theatre's production of "Doubt: A Parable."
"A non-traditional casting choice was made, and I am grateful and ecstatic that it was," Harris, a senior theatre major, said.
The context of the story makes this casting choice bolder than it may initially seem. Set in the racial turmoil of 1964, "Doubt" explores the suspicion surrounding a popular priest's ambiguous relationship with a young African-American student.
Harris portrays the Catholic school's stern head nun, Sister Aloysius - a character many viewers will remember from the 2008 film adaptation starring Meryl Streep. The play hinges upon the conflict between her and Father Flynn (senior acting major Derek Grabner), which emerges from her disapproval of what she suspects is his sexual relationship with a black student.
As Grabner said, the unconventional casting of Aloysius "adds a new layer" to a play already thick with tension.
"It adds even more to the crusade that Aloysius is on," Harris said.
Most importantly, the casting pushes the play's allegorical implications closer to the surface, literalizing Aloysius' black-and-white world view.
"It brings to bear the complicated racial overtones of the play, creating complex questions," said Bill Jenkins, director of "Doubt." "And what better place to grapple with those than in an educational setting?"
John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony award-winning play is provocative aside from this new layer as well. As Jenkins said, the edgy casting simply further complicates the already complicated play.
With a lean set design and runtime of 90 minutes, it may seem like a trifle, but this production exudes a haunting, palpable atmosphere of claustrophobic dread. The lighting casts stark shadows across Strother Theatre, a setting with intimacy that could not be more fitting for this white-knuckle thriller of a play.
Not only are viewers literally close to the subjects on stage, but the ambiguous nature of the story also encourages them to interact.
"The script does not tell the audience whether or not my character is guilty or innocent," Grabner said. "The audience gets to decide for themselves. They will feel the emotion as they sway from side to side."
The tension builds for the actors as well.
"By the time we started doing runs of the show, I would have to dedicate at least 20 minutes to calming myself and talking to hardly anyone," Harris said. "The emotional state of each character is so difficult, and to maintain what our characters journeys are is draining. The undercurrent of the play is constant, and I definitely had to build up my stamina emotionally for this show."
To maintain tension between each other, Grabner said Harris and he "stay isolated from one another while warming up for the show, every once in a while poking fun at one another."
"We get to go at one another for the duration of the show, but when it's over, we are usually some of the last to leave the theater, walking out together, always as great friends," Grabner said.
Grabner said he hopes the play unites audience members in the same way.
"Once the play is over, the second act begins as the audience leaves the theater with questions and opinions and hopefully doubts," he said.
Jenkins agreed, adding, "I hope it forces people to examine themselves in moments when they had doubt, which is always more difficult than certainty. I also hope it forces people to deal with shades of gray and the kinds of questions people don't usually want to grapple with."
"Doubt: A Parable"
When: 7:30 p.m. tonight through Saturday, Wednesday and Sept. 20-22
2:30 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $9 for the public, $7 for students
University Theatre Box Office: 765-285-8749 or boxoffice@bsu.edu.
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