ABOUT AGNES OF GOD
Science, religion, logic and faith collide head-on in AGNES OF GOD; a play by John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation. The title is a pun on the Latin phrase Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). Agnes is a beautiful but tormented soul whose abusive upbringing has affected her ability to think rationally.
One night an a convent, the body of a newborn infant is discovered murdered in a wastebasket and Sister Agnes, a young postulate, lying on the bed in her room covered with blood. Now under arrest, but released on bail and staying at the convent until the trial, the case has been assigned to Dr. Martha Livingstone, a psychiatrist who must determine if Sister Agnes is fit to stand trial. The third character in the play is Mother Miriam Ruth who resists simple explanations as she believes Agnes has been touched by (and given a gift) from God.
As Dr. Livingstone's sessions with Sister Agnes progress, more questions than answers are revealed as the doctor tries to unearth why this tragedy happened. Questions soon begin to arise about what exactly did happened. How did Agnes become pregnant? Who killed the child? Is Agnes truly touched by God? Things which once seemed certain no longer appear so, and possibilities previously dismissed as flights of fancy (and religious hokum) suddenly become . . . plausible.
AGNES OF GOD is widely believed to be based on an actual incident, which occurred in a convent in Brighton, New York, just outside the city line of Rochester.
"The Academy has exposed me to more forms of theatre and classic plays that I imagined before. It helped me to be able to put into words what I always knew theatre was – an art form that can transform the world. The Stanislavski work and sensory work has affected my approach to acting altogether and has challenged me to take that next step in every role I play in the theatre. "
Julia Schonberg (Alumnus - Now attending Boston University - Theatre Major)
Winner of the Academy 2009 Young Artist Award
