SPOTLIGHT: Sara L. Wright '09

Let’s pray that Harvard can handle a little “Doubt.” In her first directorial project since high school, Sara L. Wright ’09 brings John Patrick Shanley’s provocative play about priesthood and pedophilia to the Loeb Ex this weekend.

“Doubt,” which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005, tells the story of an abusive priest named Father Flynn, who is accused by Sister Aloysius of sexually abusing a student. Wright cites the play’s relevance and powerful thematic content as the primary reasons behind her decision to direct it this semester.

“Even though this play is about the Catholic priest scandal, it is a debate play as well about ‘Old’ Catholicism and ‘New’ Catholicism because Sister Aloysius represents that old school way of teaching, making her students do things the hard way,” she says. “And Father Flynn is kind of the liberal, new school, loving, ‘I want to be like one of their friends,’ ‘I want them to be able to talk to me’ kind of figure.”

Wright was also motivated to bring this play to the stage as soon as possible because a big-budget film version, starring Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is slated to debut this December.

She maintains that the undergraduate cast and unique venue provide artistic possibilities that Hollywood simply can’t offer.

“I think the actors themselves set this production apart. Being in the Ex, which is kind of a representation of the versatility and openness to change of this production, it’s a kind of symbolic representation of the uncertainty of the show in a way,” Wright says.

Though she acknowledges the hefty time commitment, Wright is undaunted by the difficult nature of the play itself. When asked about her directorial choices, she respectfully defers to the actors.

“This is a very ambitious play to do for undergraduates, and every single actor in this show has made very bold decisions about their characters, and I don’t think it’s ever been played this way,” Wright says.

Wright chose to capitalize on the actors’ natural qualities, not the least of which is their youth. She expects these choices to make this a distinctive production of the widely performed play.

“Sister Aloysius has been played, I think, usually as much older than we’re playing her in this play,” Wright says. “But Marielle [E. Woods ’08], who’s playing that part, brings a new kind of strength to it and a new kind of vigor. Alex [R. Breaux ’08], who is playing Father Flynn, brings something very special to it as well. He’s just a very fun and likeable guy.”

Wright’s determination to let the characters speak for themselves will undoubtedly leave the show open to a healthy amount of interpretation. In a play most famous for the post-show dialogue it sparks, this doesn’t trouble Wright in the least.

“[The playwright, Shanley,] has talked before about how we’re living in an age of certainty and how people have this steadfast position that they hold to, so that they can’t have any dialogue,” Wright says. “I know the war in Iraq was a big impetus for him writing this, and I think that it’s just a very important play to put on now, at this time.”

In fact, preserving this ambigious nature is Wright’s primary concern. She personally refuses to reveal whether or not she believes Father Flynn is guilty.

“I think that doubt can be a passionate exercise and an openness to change and growth and learning,” she says. “There’s a way to be just as strong in uncertainty as there is to be strong in certainty.”