There is perhaps no more fitting place to perform a show about drama in a 1960s Catholic School than Newton’s Saint John’s Episcopal Church.

The church just so happens to be the new home of Newton Theatre Company, a professional nonprofit theater troupe. Its production of “Doubt: A Parable” opens Friday and runs through April 5.

“Doubt is almost inherent to faith in religion, in a way you can’t have one without the other,” said Alex Taylor, the theater’s director of audience outreach and sound designer for “Doubt.” “That’s what this play tackles really well. The fact that we’re doing it in a church that is such an immersive setting, it really transports you there, as if you’re watching these people like you’re a fly on the wall.” 

The play follows two nuns, Sister Aloysius and Sister James, as they try to uncover whether a charismatic priest has abused a young student. It won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, and a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep received Academy Awards nominations for best adapted screenplay, best actress (for Streep), and best supporting actor (for Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn). Taylor said it’s the kind of story that leaves you with more questions than answers when it ends, and thrusts you full force into the story.  

“The writer said something like the last act, the last scene of doubt is when you leave and you discuss it with your friends,” said Elena Toppo, who plays Sister James. “It’s almost murder mystery-esque in the way it’s like a whodunit, but you never find the answer.”

According to director Melissa Bernstein, Sister James serves as a “stand in” for the audience. She learns new things about the drama as the audience does, which forces them to consider what they would do if they were in Sister James’ shoes. 

“It truly feels like a parable, in the sense that you’re a little removed from it,” Bernstein said. “It’s less a feeling play and more of a thinking play.” 

To Bernstein and Taylor, what sets Newton Theatre Company’s production apart from others is its intimacy. Audiences are “2 feet” from the actors—they can see actors’ micro expressions and “feel like they are in the room with the characters,” Bernstein said. She opted for a minimal set and few props, putting the focus fully on the actors and the story they’re unraveling. 

“The most exciting thing about directing is the story and the people who are telling it,” Bernstein said. She chose “Doubt” in part because it aligns with Newton Theatre Company’s mission of highlighting women’s voices—the play has three strong roles for women. Beyond that, she was drawn to how it examines truth. 

“There’s so much divisiveness in this country, and we’re following our own news story … I felt like we’re so sure that our ‘truth’ is right,” Bernstein said. “What I love about this play is, as much as you want to walk out knowing what really did happen, you can’t. It’s very uncomfortable, and it really challenges you to see that sometimes a lot more has to be learned before you can decide what you think the truth really is.

Ultimately, Taylor hopes the play sparks conversation in the audience and “makes people doubt their own preconceptions.” 

“At the end of the day, that’s what art is really for—to spark conversation and keep progress moving in the right direction,” Taylor said. “My big goal is that people come and have a good time, but talk about it afterwards as well and let it impact your real life.”

Tickets to “Doubt: A Parable” will run from March 28 to 30 and April 4 and 5 at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, 96 Otis St. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit newtontheatrecompany.com/ 

This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.