The Director of Doubt

Well, I found out on Thursday last that the director of the production of Doubt (which I saw at the Abbey Theatre Wednesday last) would be coming to speak to my Contemporary Irish Theatre in Context class today, Monday. I didn't have any cash on me the night of the play so I didn't purchase a program (they are not complimentary here). I didn't know the person's name or CV. My teacher mentioned that, if any of us who had issues with the production were brave/willing, we could ask the director about his choices.

Turns out, the fellow who directed the play is Gerry Stembridge. And it turns out he is the writer/director of the film About Adam (see previous entry). Also interesting was to learn that he co-wrote the screenplay for Nora and wrote Ordinary Decent Criminal (see previous entry).

After he spoke about seeing the original New York production (pre-Broadway), I decided I felt comfortable asking him about his production of Doubt. I mentioned that I had seen the second cast in New York, that the actress in that production put the fear of God into me on sight, and that I was curious about the choice to reveal Sister Aloysius's compassion from early on in the play, was it his or the actress or a combination. He spoke easily and candidly about the humor in the character and the actress's strengths in comedy and feminist readings (which was apparent in the characterisation and an interesting emphasis from within the script), but that he did challenge the actress to keep an edge. He asked me what I thought about it; I said that the pay off in the New York production I saw was a rapid series of revelations at the end of the play because that characterisation was so severe. We ended up chatting for at least five minutes, back and forth, discussing the different combinations of actors and how it suited the script. He said my observations were interesting. He spoke very highly of Cherry Jones's work as Sister Aloysius and that he couldn't even remember the priest's performance because she was so strong.

And I left feeling I understood his process a bit and what he was trying to achieve in the production. I would love to work with him or to assist him in a production.