Written by Lyla Lopez

Harper Joy’s next performance, Doubt: A Parable, opens in just one week! To learn a little bit more about this exciting show, I got into contact with its director, Christopher Petit. 

Christopher Petit is a Professor of Theater at Whitman College. He holds a BFA in Acting from Rutgers University and an MFA in Directing from Columbia University. In addition to being a professional actor, he has taught classes, given workshops, and directed shows in locations all around the world, including Seattle, New York City, Bulgaria, and Shanghai. When asked about his own accomplishments, though, Petit chose to focus on his family. “I’m a dad,” he says. “I have two children, both of whom are currently in college. It’s been interesting for me to see the college experience through their eyes, and it has given me a lot of insight into my students here at Whitman.”

This semester, Petit is bringing Doubt to the stage along with his student cast and crew. The amount of time, dedication, and thought being put into this performance became evident even during our very short conversation.

Lyla Lopez: What made you want to direct Doubt?

Christopher Petit: We chose the play for a lot of reasons. We were looking to do an American classic, and although this play is only about twenty years old, it has become firmly enshrined in the canon. I’m a big fan of the playwright but have never had the opportunity to do a full production of his work. The play also provides good acting roles for the students, and I think gives them an excellent opportunity to work on some challenging material.

LL: In your own words, give me a brief summary of the plot of this show.

CP: It’s about a nun who takes matters into her own hands when she suspects a priest of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The play follows her efforts to confront the truth and is less about the scandal than about questions of moral certainty, and, of course, doubt.

LL: Why do you think it’s important to be telling this story right now?

CP: The themes of doubt, certainty, morality, perceptions of truth, and abuse of power, all seem pretty relevant to me. I think anything that makes us question our own certainty is a relevant and worthy exercise.

LL: How much time goes into a project like this?

CP: There’s a lot of planning and imagining before we ever get to rehearsals. There are other artists [and designers] involved, and the collaboration begins weeks before the actors get involved. The designs had to be completed in mid-January, and we started rehearsing at the beginning of February.

All of this hard work will, no doubt, pay off next weekend! “The students are doing some amazing work,” says Petit. “I hope people come out and see the play.”

Well, you heard it here! Doubt definitely isn’t a show to miss. Make sure to get your tickets now at whitman.universitytickets.com.