Sister Agnes is "special," explains her Mother Superior. "She's gifted. She's blessed." She has visions, stigmata and a voice that could have come straight from God.
She has also had a baby. And that baby has been found in a trash can with its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck.
Sister Agnes is the only suspect in her child's murder. Yet she doesn't even believe she has given birth. She remembers nothing.
These are the given circumstances of the play, which opens at the Helms Theatre this weekend. As the show progresses, it is up to Dr. Martha Livingstone - a psychiatrist and, more importantly, an atheist - to determine whether Agnes is sane.
Throughout "Agnes of God," Dr. Livingstone is pressured to doubt her faith (or lack thereof), while audience members are simultaneously demanded to question their own spirituality (or lack thereof). The play deeply affects its audience - whether one is a devout Catholic, like Siser Agnes or Mother Miriam, or a strong atheist, like Dr. Livingstone.
It is this demand on the audience that prompted director Kate Porter to bring the play to the University. "Agnes of God," written by John Pielmeier, is playing as one of the season's Series B shows.
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The Series B program allows small plays, such as "Jodie's Body" and "One Flea Spare," to be produced, as opposed to the larger-scaled (Series A) productions shown at Culbreth Theatre. For undergraduates and graduates who want to perform in or direct smaller but still full-length shows, the Series B program provides a new and exciting outlet for dramatic creativity.
The small cast size of "Agnes of God" - only three members - intensifies the play's already severe intimacy with the audience. Porter, an undergraduate director whose recent work includes Spectrum Theatre's "Almost to the Bone," has cast three very able performers in each of the rather taxing roles.
The wonderful Mother Miriam is played by equally wonderful veteran actress Elizabeth Porter. Porter recently has appeared in several Live Arts shows and does a great deal of acting within the Charlottesville community.
Lauren Rooker, who most recently played Gladys in "The Skin of Our Teeth," performs the part of Dr. Martha Livingstone, a role which has required her not only to learn, but also to perfect the art of chain-smoking.
And as Sister Agnes, Sarah Drew supplies a startling performance. Drew, self-described as "born acting," most recently appeared as the stepdaughter in "Six Characters in Search of an Author." While preparing for her role as Agnes, Drew persuaded her mother to coach her through a labor scene to achieve believability.
But Drew doesn't just act in this play; she sings as well. Her voice reaches a near-supernatural quality that will easily unsettle any member of the audience.
Whether singing the "Kyrie Eleison" or screaming through childbirth, Drew becomes her character. Her performance is mesmerizing, to say the least.
There is no lead character in "Agnes of God." All three characters are equally important, and all three of these actors give the audience the opportunity to forge a relationship with their characters.
Rooker, Porter and Drew come together to create three very complicated characters, all of whom undergo intense emotions during this two-and-a-half hour play.
What is most remarkable about the play is its ability to raise question after question while refusing to answer any of them.
"It's not an easy play," Kate Porter said. "A lot of plays about religion offer really easy responses either for or against it."
The questions raised are about faith, spirituality and skepticism - things that "speak to everyone," Porter said.
Rooker agrees, adding that the play "is especially good for a university setting. We have people here who study religion acutely, as well as people who are strong intellectuals and who, because of that, have trouble accepting faith."
Just looking around Grounds, one can observe the constant meeting of contrasting ideas. This play brings some of these deeply embedded ideas to the surface, while also bringing something "old and magical," as Porter says, to a modern age that is based on technology and science.
Suffice it to say that "Agnes of God" is not just a play but an experience, one that will make its mark on the mind of each audience member. It runs Thursday through Sunday at the Helms Theatre. See it, and answer for yourself the questions it raises.
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