“Doubt: A Parable” will be put on by Shippensburg University’s Act V from Friday, April 10, to Sunday, April 12, in Memorial Auditorium.

This one act play follows Father Flynn, a pastor and teacher at St. Nicholas School. He comes up against Sister Aloysius, who believes that Flynn is having inappropriate relations with the new African-American boy. While Flynn adamantly says he would never do such a thing, Sister Aloysius is not so sure. She is so sure, she tries to convince another nun, Sister James, that this man is not to be trusted.

Aron Weibley, the man playing Father Flynn, said that it is hard to say if Flynn is guilty or not. While there is no legal evidence or case, there is constant “doubt” as to whether Flynn is guilty.

Others are more than convinced that Flynn is guilty, such as Sister Aloysius, played by Eleanore Hargrove. Hargrove explained that Aloysius is very deliberate in the way she handles this. Hargrove said that Aloysius is so determined to keep things calm and the way they are supposed to be but creates chaos in doing so.

Hargrove also said that because the character is very controlled, she had a hard time staying in character. Since the character was nothing like her, it was a challenge to play the character right.

Although, this is a challenge director Christopher Ericson feels they have dealt with. Ericson explained that on top of trying to get the play together, the cast lost time since they play had to be moved up due to scheduling conflicts. And even so, Ericson feels like they will be ready.

Assistant director Alexandra Jones feels the same. “Theater is meant to have an element of uncertainty that drives us to the end.” She explained that while this process has felt like a mystery at times, she is sure that the end result will be spectacular.

And while they see the end result coming together, there are more than just the results that people are noticing. “They have started to mature as a club with their show choices, they have depth and are not just funny,” said Kushawn Pinkett who will be playing the role of the boy’s mother.

Brianna Petitti, who will be playing Sister James, agreed that this play is more somber than many others she has been in. Petitti said that while she has had many different comedy roles, it was a challenge to play a more innocent role.

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