UT Martin's Vanguard Theatre to Present a Virtual Play

Performers (L to R) Ella Sego and Ethan Tuster of the Vanguard Theatre on the campus of the University of Martin prepare for their upcoming virtual play, which will be livestreamed on the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts Facebook page this week. Photo by Jasmine Williams/The Enterprise

MARTIN (October 22) - The University of Tennessee at Martin Vanguard Theatre will perform “Doubt, A Parable,” by John Patrick Shanley at 7 p.m. November 5-7, and at 3 p.m. November 8. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the performances will be closed to the public, and instead, livestreamed on the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts Facebook account.

“Doubt, A Parable,” a 2005 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, is set at St. Nicholas School and Church in the Bronx in 1964 and follows a skeptical nun, Sister Aloysius, who questions the relations of Father Flynn, the priest, and Donald Muller, the first African American altar boy in the school. As confrontation leads to deceptive actions, Sister Aloysius is left with doubt for the future of the church.

The four-person cast allows for social distancing on stage and follows Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines in order to safely present the play.

The Vanguard Theatre will not charge admission for the fall play since it is being livestreamed, but is encouraging viewers to donate the price of a ticket, $15, to support the production costs of this and future performances of the UT Martin theatre company. Donations can be made to the UT Martin Support the ARTS Campaign at utm.edu/starts.

For more information, contact the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts at 731-881-7400.