FTC's "Doubt": Something to talk about
By Gary Wright
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12:01 a.m. PT May 8, 2008
I listen carefully to the audience, always. If we're making them laugh, obviously, they're with us. If they're sniffling and blowing their noses, we've moved them to tears (unless they've been doing it all evening, in which case there's probably just a bug going around). If they're fidgeting and moving around in their seats, they're bored. If they're not moving at all, and I can hear a pin drop, that's the best Ð we have them spellbound!
And then there's a whole range of clues to watch and listen for at curtain call, from wild cheering and standing ovations, to enthusiastic applause, to polite applause, perfunctory applause, sullen grudging applause, all the way down to what we call a "strolling ovation" where the audience is already moving toward the exit, before curtain call is over, because they can't wait to get the hell out of there.
In my 29 years of doing theatre, "Doubt" is unique because the sound I'm most tuned into is the sound the audience makes after curtain call. Listening from behind the scenes, as I make my way down to the dressing room to change out of costume, I always hear the exciting buzz-buzz of animated conversation. It's so cool. This show gets people talking!
It gets them writing, too. Here are a few excerpts from patrons' letters:
"You and your cast will be pleased to know that my wife Leslie, who grew up Catholic and is herself half-Irish and half-Italian, found the performances completely authentic. We attend as much theatre as we can and productions like yours remind us of how rare and valuable quality theatre is at a time when entertainment is all too often aimed at the lowest common denominator. Thank you for choosing to be uncommon." --Floyd Harden (Sacramento)
"...an evening in the theater equal to any that we have experienced in our many years as theater goers in the Bay Area (ACT and Berkeley Rep). Thank you for presenting a thought-provoking and stimulating piece. The 81 minutes flew by as we were drawn into the tensions of the parable and the case made for both sides. Once again, kudos." - Dr. Jerry and Marlene Becker
"Two days after seeing it, I'm still turning it over in my mind. Did he do it? Was the sister overzealous, looking for sin under every rock? I thought I knew, until that scene near the end, when there was just a bit of hesitancy and a few wait-a-minute words. I left feeling like a juror who wanted testimony read back during deliberations. The doubt is nagging at me, and I guess I'll have to see it again to resolve it. (But will I know, even then?) Thanks for making me think."--Christine Barnes (Grass Valley)
If you have a friend or loved one who you don't talk to enough Ð we can fix that, at least temporarily. Come see "Doubt: A Parable." We challenge you to not talk about it afterwards.
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Gary Wright, an Associate Artist at the Foothill Theatre Company, is currently appearing in the role of Father Flynn in this play he writes about.
