Bringing Doubt to Corofin audiences

THE Corofin Dramatic Society is undertaking one of its most challenging performances to date this weekend when it brings Doubt, A Parable by John Shanley to North Clare.
The play itself has previously won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as a Tony Award for best play. In 2008, it was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
Bridie Cox is a member of the society and is playing Mrs Muller.
“John Clancy, the producer and director, chose Doubt because he thought it would be a challenge, given that it is the first time an amateur group has taken it on the festival circuit in Ireland,” she explained.
Bridie believes it is a particularly apt time to perform the play. “It certainly is a challenging play because it causes doubt as much in the characters as in people’s minds when they are watching the play. It also reflects what is happening in the church today, thought it is set in 1964,” she outlined.
Doubt, A Parable brings the audience into a Catholic school where a stern principal, Sister Aloysius, learns of a new priest meeting alone with the only black student in the school. From there grow the themes of moral responsibility, of consequences, of doubt. It is a play that lives on in the audience’s consciousness long after they leave their seats in the auditorium.
“The end is very thought provoking. Some people will go away sympathising with the principal, Sr Aloysius, played by Eileen Lahiffe, others will side with new priest Fr Flynn, played by Martin O’Donoghue. The play and its characters are smothered in doubt. Sr Aloysius is in doubt about choosing the right path, the young Sr James, played by Maura Clancy, has doubts about acting like her mother superior, while Mrs Muller talks about ‘maybe, maybe, maybe’ all the time. It is a fantastic play by a brilliant writer,” said Bridie.
“Despite the seriousness of the play, there is a lot of humour in it. In keeping with all good plays, its lighter moments are highlighted more than in the film. It is quite different to the film in many ways,” she added.
Both the play and the film have been hugely successful worldwide and Bridie admits there is some pressure associated with that.
“We have a lot to live up to and we hope to do the writer justice in our performance. John Clancy, the director, is doing Trojan work with us and it won’t be his fault if we don’t succeed. We have a great cast and the people who work behind the scenes in lighting, make-up, stage management and every other aspect of things are brilliant too, so hopefully it will all come together,” she stated.
Corofin Dramatic Society has been in existence since the mid-1950s and has won numerous awards across the country. This is something they are hoping to emulate with Doubt, A Parable when they do eight performances from March 5 to March 27 in different locations from Tyrone to Kerry and Cavan to Kildare.
The play will be performed this Saturday and Sunday night in Corofin Community Hall at 8.30pm. There is an extra feature on Sunday night when the local speech and drama group will also perform two award-winning pieces prior to the main production.