Know Theatre of Binghamton is bringing John Pielmeier’s powerful drama Agnes of God to the stage this February, a play that probes faith, reason, and the human need for meaning through the lives of three very different women.
Directed by Judith Feingold, Agnes of God centers on a young nun who has mysteriously given birth and a court-appointed psychiatrist tasked with determining whether she is competent to stand trial. What unfolds, Feingold says, is less a courtroom drama than a philosophical and emotional search.
“What does it mean? That’s the question we mean to leave with the audience,” Feingold explained. “The play is a search to definitively determine meaning with proof, or to argue that the nature of faith is to proceed without it.”The story begins with what Feingold calls “a contradiction and a shock,” setting the tone for a play rooted in memory and unresolved trauma.
“You have a very disturbing case that still haunts the person relating it to us,” she said. “You’re confronted with a young woman who appears innocent and simple, yet is anything but.”At the center of the drama is Agnes herself, caught between her psychiatrist, Dr. Livingstone, and the convent’s Mother Superior, Mother Miriam Ruth. Actor Heidi Weeks, who plays the Mother Superior, describes her character as driven by both love and fear.
“A lot of it is her need to find her own faith and belief,” Weeks said. “But it’s also her utter need to protect this beautiful, innocent being who’s come into her life and restored her faith in something deeply spiritual.”Weeks says Mother Miriam’s protectiveness goes beyond religious duty.
“She feels responsible for what’s happened to Agnes,” she said. “There’s concern about scandal, yes—but more than that, it’s love. She’s never met anyone like Agnes before, and she will do anything to protect her.”Despite its minimal physical action, Agnes of God is widely regarded as an emotionally demanding work. Weeks describes it as an “emotional roller coaster” for the cast.
“There are a lot of ugly, difficult things that come up,” she said. “You really have to take care of each other in a play like this.”Feingold emphasized the importance of a lengthy rehearsal process for such a layered script.
“This play warrants table work,” she said. “There are so many layers to this onion. You have to let it percolate and trust the actors. The best choices emerge organically.”Agnes of God will be performed February 13, 14, and 15; February 20, 21, and 22; and February 27, 28, and 29 at the Know Theatre, 74 Carroll Street in Binghamton. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. The theatre will also offer a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Thursday, February 19, at 8 p.m. More information is available online at www.knowtheatre.org.