Agnes of God brings scandal to the Mondanaro
Three students take on challenging roles in the Catholic Church as the minimalist stage play, “Agnes of God” opens in the Mondanaro Theater on May 10.
An entirely student-produced production, the play was written by John Pielmeier and premiered in 1980. The challenging material is fourth-year performing arts major Sean Carleton’s directorial debut.
“Agnes of God” tells the story of Agnes, a novice nun accused of murdering her newborn child after hiding her pregnancy. Martha Livingston, a court-appointed psychiatrist, comes to evaluate Agnes’ sanity. While Miriam Ruth, the Mother Superior, determinedly keeps her from Agnes. With the infant’s father unknown and Livingston wondering what the Mother Superior is protecting Agnes from, the play questions the meaning of faith and the power of love.
Carleton, originally unaware of the play’s existence, stumbled upon it while randomly selecting new material to read in the theater section of the library.
“It was asking a lot of the same questions that I was asking about my own faith at the time when I first read it,” said Carleton. “I guess you could say it was kismet.”
With a small cast of three actors, the material gives the entire cast and crew the opportunity to form a tighter bond with one another. With such a dynamic script and complex characters, Carleton explained how one of the main challenges in bringing everything together was making sure the directorial vision was on top.
The crew also recently got over their first challenge of raising over $2,000 through the crowd-funding website, Kickstarter.
“Overall I want art to do three things: Realize symbiotic relationships between the earth and humans, ask, ‘Why are we here?’ and ask more questions than answers,” said Carleton. “I truly believe that this show encompasses all three.”
The play features fourth-year performing arts major Gina Hughes as Agnes, third-year performing arts major Amaya Murphy as Martha Livingston, and second-year graduate performing arts student Ryan Long as Miriam Ruth.
Performances are May 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. in the Mondanaro Theater in Crites Hall, located at 217 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and the admission is free.