Go ahead. Talk back.

Have you ever wondered how Cape May Stage actors perform the same dramatic show five nights a week for five weeks in a row? How they create their complex characters? How they memorize 60 pages of lines?
On Sunday, Sept. 14, Cape May Stage, professional Equity theatre, will host a talk-back session with the cast of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt.
Audience members are invited to stay for an informal gathering immediately following the performance, where the cast will answer all your questions and listen to your comments.
Doubt is directed by Chris Dolman and stars New York-based actor Paul Bernardo and California-based actress Mary Baird in the leading roles of Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius in this tension-packed drama.
“It’s a chance for patrons to see the cast as people and not the characters, said Baird. “It allows them to ask questions about the play, the process, or share whatever emotions or stories come up for them while watching the play.”
“As an actor, I love talk-backs, said Bernardo. “Knowing that the show I am working in affects an audience in some way, leads them to think about issues or questions a little more deeply than they might otherwise, and being able to join in a discussion with them about those questions, is one of the main reasons I love doing live theater.”
The cast also includes actresses Abby Royle as Sister James and Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris as Mrs. Muller, both making their debuts at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse.
“For me the dynamics of a talk-back vary from show to show,” said Royle. “This script raises many questions. People are often so divided on what may or may not have happened in the story that I find it to be a great opportunity to get a very lively conversation going on the subject matter. I rarely get to hear what people walk away with after seeing a play I’m performing in, but I’m always curious.”
Doubt is a story about a nun in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964 who suspects a popular priest of inappropriate behavior with a student. Armed with nothing more than a resolute belief in her suspicion and a few circumstantial details, she instigates a relentless campaign to remove the priest.
Should she speak up about her concerns if she isn’t completely certain of the truth?
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, Doubt is, arguably, the decade’s most talked about drama.
During the current run Cape May Stage is participating with 17 Cape May gourmet restaurants in a money-saving “Dinner & A Show” package. Go to capemaystage.com for details.
Doubt performances are Wednesdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. through Sept. 27 at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse of Cape May Stage. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $12.50 for students. Call 609-884-1341 for reservations.
This production is generously co-sponsored by The Blue Pig Tavern at Congress Hall and The Ebbitt Room at the Virginia.

Photo credit: Tina Giaimo