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The Theatre Company Presents...
Agnes of God
August 7-9 at 7:30pm & August 10 at 2pm
Agnes of God is a bold and unsettling drama: the story of a psychiatrist's efforts to ascertain the mental competence of a twenty-one year-old nun charged with the murder of her newborn child. The play raises provocative questions about sanity, innocence, the sanctity of religious life, and the possibility of a miraculous virgin birth. In the play, upon discovery of a strangled newborn baby in her wastebasket, Sister Agnes, a fragile, almost child-like character, professes no knowledge of the baby's birth or death, can offer no reason for the presence of its body in her room and, until hypnotized, claims to have no memory of ever being impregnated. Against the wishes of protective Mother Superior Miriam Ruth, a cynical court-appointed psychiatrist named Martha Livingstone searches for a logical, worldly explanation to the crime.
CAST BIOS
Click the cast-member name to read their bio and thoughts on the production.
Ann Graffy - Director |
Vive Allen - Mother Miriam Ruth
Sarah Graffy-Clark - Sister Agnes |
Shellie McAlpin - Dr. Martha Livingstone
Ann Graffy
Ann has done set design and construction for a number of The Theatre Company productions, including The Foreigner, Charlotte’s Web, Gypsy, Dearly Departed, and Dearly Beloved, and helped with Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland. She directed Ideal Husband, Bible Herstory, and The Crucible, and served as assistant director for The Importance of Being Earnest. Ann is married to Mickey Horn, who is a big help to Ann in the construction phase of set design and building.
When Ann is not working on plays, she is a studio artist specializing in sculpting and painting. She is current president of the Harrison Art League. She holds an art degree from UA – Fayetteville and a teaching certificate from Fontbonne College in St. Louis. She has completed further study at Sagrada Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ann sells her work in galleries from Taos, New Mexico, to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Vive Allen
Vive was involved in theatre in high school. This is her fourth role with The Theatre Company at the Lyric. She had parts in 1776 and Bible Herstory, and played Geneva in last fall’s production of Dearly Beloved. Vive is self employed. She is a member of the Woman’s Book Club, and their representative on the Ozark Arts Council Board of Directors. She enjoys spending time with her son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Tera Allen.
Sarah Graffy-Clark
Sarah has been in plays at the Lyric for nearly ten years. Some of her favorite roles include: Marion in A Question of Figures, Mabel in An Ideal Husband, and the character you are about to see her portray. Besides acting, Sarah has also directed, co-directed, and assisted with scenery. A recent graduate of the University of Arkansas, she has also studied playwriting and is pursuing a career in filmmaking.
Sarah's Thoughts on Agnes of God
I have been dying to get a meaty dramatic role since I first became involved with the Theatre Company. Having recently returned from India where I spent time with and interviewed Tibetan refugees, I feel that this play has taken on a huge meaning in my life. It is about faith, in whichever form your faith may be, but it is not about keeping or losing faith. It is about the faith that we cling to that looks for the happy ending, for the alternate reel. It is about the faith that is constantly let down and is perhaps the strongest faith humans possess.
The Tibetan refugees that I met have lost everything and will probably never return home, and still, they have faith that they will return to a free or autonomous Tibet. They are the strongest people I have ever had the honor of being introduced to. The refugees have survived environments and crises we in the US cannot even imagine. They live halfway around the world in a culture that is completely different from the US. Still, they have the undeniable faith in their own alternate reel.
I do this for the men, women, and children that I met in India. I hope you too find your alternate reel.
Shellie McAlpin
Shellie started performing at the Lyric five years ago. Most recently, she was Nellie in Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical. One of her favorite roles was as Suzanne in Dearly Departed, and one of her favorite musicals that she has performed in is The Music Man. She will also be seen in the upcoming musical Into the Woods, starring as the Witch.
Shellie's Thoughts on Agnes of God
When Ann {director} first asked me to play this part, I was excited that I would be playing a dramatic role again. It had been awhile. I had heard of the movie, but I had not seen it or read the play.
When I read the play for the first time, I thought, ‘Oh, this is good,’ but there were things that were not clear. The more I read it, the more real it became to me.
First, what a lesson: never assume anything about anybody. And although I don’t think that I have ever lost my faith; over the years, I have seen people who have because of life circumstances. And they ask the question, ‘Why God?’ when bad things happen to good and seemingly undeserving people. But I believe “that all things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to his purpose.” So I cling to the hope of that purpose.
This is for my Michelle because it is your voice that I hear.
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