TWO-TIME TONY® NOMINEE JOHANNA DAY IN
DOUBT: A Parable
BY JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY
DIRECTED BY LIVY
SCANLON
The BrickBox Theater
Photo by UnityMike. Jamie Wax*, Rebecca-Anne Whittaker*, Lynnette R. Freeman*, and Johanna Day*. *Member, Actors’ Equity Association
Board of Directors
Kellie Thibodeau | Chair
Elissa Boisvert, Esq. | Vice Chair
Ken Rapp | Treasurer
Tracy V. Wells | Clerk
Abigail M. Childs, MD
Curtis A. Feldman, CPA
William M. Finn
Ivan R. Green, MD
Steven G. Joseph
John Lauring
Helder Machado
Sathi Mitra
Marc D. Montalvo
Jason D. Muise
Kimberly A. Rozak, Esq.
Alan Seiffert
Sanjay Shah, Ph.D.
Michael D. Sleeper
Dr. Charles Steinberg
Kimberly Stone, Esq.
John “JT” Tanacea
Sandy Tassi
Rachel K. Tosches
Ancy Verdier, DMD
Founders
Paul J. Demoga, Esq.
Edward P. Madaus
Honorary Director
Mary C. DeFeudis
Territory Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Nipmuc Nation on which we are working and performing today. Find more information at native-land.ca/.
Photo by UnityMike. Jamie Wax and Johanna Day, members of Actors’ Equity Association
A Note From
ALAN SEIFFERT
President and CEO of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts
Photo by UnityMike
It’s remarkable to reflect on how far THT Rep has come in just a few short years. What began as a bold idea, to create a resident professional theatre company here in Worcester, has grown into a thriving part of our community’s cultural landscape. With each season, THT Rep has deepened its commitment to producing work that challenges, inspires, and sparks meaningful conversation.
We are thrilled to open this milestone year with Doubt: A Parable, a play that embodies the very spirit of that mission. John Patrick Shanley’s riveting story asks us to wrestle with conviction, responsibility, and moral uncertainty, questions that feel just as urgent today as they did in the turbulent 1960s. And how exciting it is to see this powerful work brought to life by an extraordinary cast.
As a new THT Rep subscriber myself, I’m especially excited to experience this production alongside you. Thank you for being part of this journey, and for making THT Rep an essential part of Worcester’s cultural landscape.
With gratitude,
Alan Seiffert
Welcome home! Find your seats for Broadway, Music and more at TheHanoverTheatre.org/Events.
Photo by UnityMike. Meri Stypinksi* and Michael Underhill* in Much Ado About Nothing.
A Note From
LIVY SCANLON
Director of Doubt: A Parable and Artistic Director of THT Rep
The 1960s brought sweeping social, political, and cultural change— a mix of progress and turmoil that feels uncannily resonant today. In Doubt: A Parable, Sister Aloysius embodies these dissonant sociopolitical forces. At once progressive and traditional, she cares deeply for Donald Muller yet upholds the rigid rules of the Catholic Church and clings to conservative social values.
In experiencing Sister Aloysius’s journey, we explore the universal challenge of reconciling deeply held beliefs with a world in flux. Doubt: A Parable asks us not for answers but for engagement with ambiguity.
This production also launches THT Rep’s fifth season. What an honor to kick things off with this extraordinary cast! Thank you for joining us for another year of questioning, reflecting, and discovering together. May this production, and the shows to follow, make space for community, contemplation, conversation, and joy.
Sincerely yours,
Livy Scanlon
Photo by UnityMike
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Celebrating Love, Lenny Kravitz, and David Bowie
Complexions | November 7 at The Hanover Theatre
Complexions Contemporary Ballet launches The Hanover Theatre’s new Dance Series with an evening that blends rock ‘n’ roll edge with breathtaking artistry.
The program features Love Rocks, set to the iconic music of Lenny Kravitz. High-octane and deeply expressive, the company explores the many layers of love through virtuosic movement, from tender duets to exhilarating ensemble sections. With every beat, Kravitz’s soul, rhythm, and energy surge through choreography that is daring and unforgettable.
Audiences will also experience a special excerpt from Star Dust, Dwight Rhoden’s 2016 celebration of David Bowie. More than a tribute, Star Dust honors Bowie’s continual reinvention and boundary-breaking spirit. The dancers channel fragments of his many personas, creating a kaleidoscope of movement that captures his restless energy.
Since its founding in 1994 by choreographer Dwight Rhoden and legendary dancer Desmond Richardson, Complexions has been celebrated for breaking traditional boundaries, blending the virtuosity of ballet with the immediacy of contemporary culture. Performing in more than 20 countries, the company continues to influence and inspire, investing in the next generation through workshops and intensives worldwide.
On November 7, Worcester audiences can experience Complexions’ groundbreaking artistry firsthand as the company opens the Dance Series with a program that celebrates passion, reinvention and the transformative power of dance.
Visit TheHanoverTheatre.org/Complexions to get your tickets today.
Photo provided by Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Larissa Gerszke and Craige Dionne - Love Rocks
Photo by Steven Pisano.
The Fierce Friends Behind SIX
SIX | October 14-19 at The Hanover Theatre
SIX reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as a powerhouse pop girl group, each competing for the spotlight in a hilarious and high-energy musical showdown. But how did this chart-topping musical come to life?
It all started with two friends at Cambridge University. “We talked about writing a musical together some day,” said co-creator Toby Marlow. “In 2017 the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society asked for applications to take an original musical to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, so I applied. When I got the gig, I told Lucy 'I have an idea for a pop concert musical with the six wives of Henry VIII. Do you want to write it with me?'”
The result is a show that’s clever, empowering, and unforgettable. The Queens are tired of debates over who was the most important wife, so they stage a competition: whoever had the worst time with Henry VIII will be crowned the leading lady of the girl group. Each Queen sings a solo in order to stake a claim for the spotlight, but, without wanting to give too much away, not everything goes according to plan.
Co-creator Lucy Moss emphasizes "even though each Queen had a palette of pop stars who inspired their character, the actual interpretation of them is super malleable. The performers have really made these roles their own—even taking inspiration from artists who weren’t around when we were first writing SIX. We have been so excited to see all these incredible performers’ versions of the Queens.”
Catch the music, laughter, and unstoppable girl power when SIX takes the stage at The Hanover Theatre October 14–19 as part of the Broadway Series.
Find great seats at TheHanoverTheatre.org/SIX.
Lucy Moss & Toby Marlow. Photo by Bruce Glikas
Johanna Day in Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley
September 18 - October 5, 2025
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
January 28 - February 14, 2026
5th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Double Header October 29 - November 1, 2025 Who Is Eartha Mae?
April 8-19, 2026
Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley
CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright John Patrick Shanley
Director .......................................................................................................... Livy Scanlon
Scenic Designer.......................................................................................... Peter M. Rule
Costume Designer .................................................................................. Penney Pinette
Lighting Designer .............................................................................. Laura J. Eckelman
Composer/Sound Designer Scott O'Brien
Casting, Sister Aloysius ............................................................... McCorkle Casting Ltd.
Production Stage Manager ...................................................................... Jane Siebels*
Production Manager ........................................................................... Kevin McGerigle
Wardrobe Supervisor ................................................................................. Perri Sylvester
Company Manager Andrew Plummer
Assistant Director .................................................................................. MarHadoo Effeh
Production Assistant ................................................................................. Gianna Fasulo
CAST
Sister Aloysius ............................................................................................ Johanna Day*
Father Flynn Jamie Wax*
Sister James .......................................................................... Rebecca-Anne Whittaker*
Mrs Muller ...................................................................................... Lynnette R. Freeman*
*Member, Actors’ Equity Association
Originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on November 23, 2004.
Originally produced on Broadway by Carole Shorenstein Hays, MTC Productions, Roger Berlind and Scott Rudin on March 31, 2005.
Special Thanks: Abigail Kratman (Lighting Board Operator), Sam Ollari (Sound Engineer), Alyssa Swible Martinez and Matt Wasser (Electricians), Melanie and Donald Donegan (Actor Housing), Patty and Fred Eppinger (Creative Team Housing), Carolyn Bartley at Luxo Executive Rentals (Actor Housing), Dr. Shannen Dee Williams (Author of "Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle" (Duke University Press, May 2022)). JOHANNA
CAST
Johanna Day* (Sister Aloysius)
Broadway: Call Me Izzy, How I Learned to Drive (Outer Critics Circle Award, “Special Achievement") , The Nap, Sweat (Tony Nomination), You Can’t Take It With You, August: Osage County, Lombardi, Proof (Tony Nomination). Theatre: Scene Partners (Vineyard - Obie Award), Des Moines (TFANA), Middletown (Vineyard), Floyd’s (Guthrie), Peace for Mary Francis (New Group), Peter and Jerry (Second Stage – Drama Desk Nomination) Appropriate (Signature – Obie Award, The Lilly Award), Poor Behavior (Mark Taper), Realistic Joneses (Yale Rep), Choice (Huntington), The Rainmaker (Arena Stage – Helen Hayes Award). Television: "Bull," "The Good Fight," "Madam Secretary," "For Life," "New Amsterdam," "The Blacklist," "Escape at Dannemora," "The Knick," "The Americans," "Masters of Sex." Film: "Worth," "The Post," "Great Gilley Hopkins," "How Far She Went," "The Breatharian."
Jamie Wax* (Father Flynn)
Jamie Wax began his diverse career by touring as a stand-up comic in his teens. He went on to perform his acclaimed solo shows throughout the country. With composer Paul Taranto he created the musical Evangeline , seen nationally on PBS. They received an NEA grant to create Passages, which also became an award-winning special. Acting roles include Puck for director Barry Kyle of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Charles Thomas in Wine Lovers in New York and tour, Toy in Guns for the Mark Taper Forum, and creative consulting and acting in Soul Doctor at NY Theatre Workshop. An Emmy-winning journalist, he has been a contributing correspondent for CBS News for over a decade. He recently made his Broadway debut with his newest play, Call Me Izzy, and can be seen in the new movie "Senior Prank," co-written and directed by his daughter, Bailey Wax. He and his family live in New York and New Orleans.
Lynnette R. Freeman* (Mrs Muller)
Lynnette R. Freeman is a Jamaican/Black-American actor, dancer, narrator/voice-over artist, full spectrum birth doula, teaching artist, Adjunct Professor and dialect coach. Some notable credits include Tedra in Fat Ham (OSF); Jodi in People, Places & Things (Studio Theatre DC); Mimi in Hindsight (Fault Line Theater); Cynthia in Sweat (the Guthrie Theater); Charlotte in The White Card (Penumbra Theatre), Ida Green in Into The Breeches (Trinity Rep); Vera in By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center); Camae in The Mountaintop (The Majestic); Veronica in Lost Lake (Berkshire Theatre Group); God in An Act of God (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater); Lydia in Human Rites (InterAct Theater); Georgia in Travisville (Ensemble Studio Theater); Amy in Kentucky (Ensemble Studio Theatre); and Ruth in A Raisin in the Sun (Arkansas Rep) (Trinity Rep). Lynnette is a member of Actors Equity Association, SAG/AFTRA, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Actors Center, Professional Audiobook Narrators Association, The League of Professional Theatre Women and Is a Fault Line Theatre Associate Artist. Her voice can be heard narrating Charmaine’s Wilkerson’s bestselling book "Black Cake." You can find more of Lynnette’s narration performances at your local Library or wherever audiobooks are sold. @lynnetterfreeman
CAST
Rebecca-Anne Whittaker* (Sister James)
Rebecca-Anne Whittaker (she/her) is a first-generation CaribbeanAmerican actor, singer, and writer. Some of her credits include: Betty, The Good John Proctor, Trinity Rep; Johanna, Sweeney Todd, Trinity Rep; Marianne, Constellations, Brown/Trinity Rep; Hero, Much Ado About Nothing , Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; Ensemble, LORDES, Ice Factory at the New Ohio Theatre. She is a proud graduate of Vassar College and the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA program in Acting. For Mom, Dad, Christina, and her awe-inspiring Aunties. rebecca-annewhittaker.com
CREATIVE TEAM
Livy Scanlon (Director)
Livy serves as Artistic Director of The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep) and Managing Director of the Jean McDonough Arts Center (JMAC). Prior to her arrival in Worcester, Livy founded and helmed Bridge Repertory Theater, where she received an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director and an IRNE Award for Outstanding Actress. Other regional credits include Urbanite Theatre, Trinity Rep, Asolo Rep, Hartford Stage, and Paper Mill Playhouse. Livy teaches acting at WPI and in THT Rep’s Worc at Play program. She has been featured in Worcester Magazine’s Women to Watch and Worcester Business Journal’s Power 50. MFA, Acting, Brown University / Trinity Rep. BA, Theatre and Dance, Amherst College (summa cum laude). Love always to P and R. @_worcplaymaker__ worcplaymaker.com
Peter M. Rule (Scenic Designer)
Peter is a theatrical scenographer & technician, and has recently joined the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute as an Assistant Teaching Professor of theatre design. He holds an MFA in scenic design from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. rulescenography.com
Penney Pinette (Costume Designer)
Penney grew up in the untamed woods of Maine where she spent hours studying the shapes and colors in nature. Creating clothes for leading ladies, starlets, ingénues, and dancers yielded an understanding of how to make flattering forms functional. As a Boston-based designer focusing in dance and theatre, she started her career as a draper for Huntington Theatre Company, and also supervised costume shops at Tufts University, Monmouth theatre and MIT. In addition to designing, she also teaches a costume production class at Boston University where she also graduated with a MFA and is currently the costume shop manager for the School of Fine Arts. Some of her work has been with local puppeteer Bonnie Duncan of They Gotta Be Secret Agents, theater companies like New Repertory theatre, Central Square theatre, Boston Conservatory as Berklee, and others in the local dance community, including Prometheus Dance, Contrapose Dance, Cary McKinley, and Fort Point Theater Productions.
CREATIVE TEAM
Laura J. Eckelman (Lighting Designer)
Laura is delighted to be back at The Hanover Theatre Repertory after previously designing The Crucible, Twelfth Night, Judith, and The Glass Menagerie, as well as several shows for The Hanover Theatre Conservatory. Other credits include: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theater J, Keegan Theater, Triad Stage, The Welders, Perseverance Theatre, the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Bang on a Can, Capital Fringe, the New York Urban Theatre Festival, PTP NYC, the Byrdliffe Arts Festival, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, and many others. Laura is an Associate Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she teaches design & management. She is a proud alumna of Middlebury College and Yale School of Drama. laurajeckelman.com
Scott O’Brien (Composer/Sound Designer)
Scott has composed and designed theatre and dance for a variety of off-Broadway and regional theaters. He was the Resident Composer/Sound Designer for American Globe Theatre (2000-2014), the Chautauqua Theater Company (2006-2009), Adirondack Theatre Festival (2013-2015), and the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN (2019 and 2021 seasons). He has lectured on Sound Design at SUNY-Rockland, Pace University, Fairleigh-Dickinson University, The Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and Montclair State University (heading the sound design program there from 2015-2019). Recent projects include Steel Magnolias, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder for the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, UT and Native Gardens for the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, NH. His production company Duck & Trout Music is based out of Gardiner, ME.
Jane Siebels* (Production Stage Manager)
Jane is excited to return to THT Rep, where recent shows include Much Ado About Nothing, The Crucible, The Edgar Allan Poe Double Header, and The Glass Menagerie. Past theaters include The Hanover Theatre for A Christmas Carol, Huntington Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage, Stoneham Theatre, Boston Playwrights, American Stage Festival, Florida Studio Theatre, The Asolo, and the Vineyard Playhouse. Jane is also Co-Chair of the Shrewsbury Cultural Council and, by day, a Children’s Librarian at Shrewsbury Public Library.
Kevin McGerigle (Production Manager)
Kevin McGerigle (he/him/his) has produced close to 300 productions across the country. Kevin is a Designer, Director, and Production Manager covering ballet, opera, musicals, plays, films, and events. Kevin is currently the Producing Production Manager at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory.
CREATIVE TEAM
Perri Sylvester (Wardrobe Supervisor)
Perri is the wardrobe manager at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory. She is a Worcester based artist who is happy to be involved in the local theatre scene. She loves teaching costume design classes at the Conservatory. In her free time she enjoys making sterling silver jewelry. Perri has designed costumes for the Youth Acting Company and the Youth Summer Program at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory, as well as assisted on the THT Rep shows Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Glass Menagerie, and The Crucible. She is the wardrobe manager for The Nutcracker and the Youth Ballet Company productions.
Andrew Plummer (Company Manager)
Andrew Plummer has worked at the Hanover Theatre for 2 years as Programming & Booking Associate. He is excited to explore his new role as Interim Company Manager for Doubt and the upcoming main stage production of A Christmas Carol.
MarHadoo Effeh (Assistant Director)
MarHadoo is very excited to be back in Worcester for this production of Doubt. Other credits with The Hanover Theatre include: The Crucible, Twelfth Night , Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. MarHadoo is a proud alumna of the University of Massachusetts Theater and the British American Drama Academy. MarHadoo wants to remind you to stay child-like in spirit and use your imagination to recreate structures, and build new, revolutionary spaces for art, community, and equity. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Enjoy the show and thank you all for your support!
Gianna Fasulo (Production Assistant)
Gianna is a senior at Clark University, studying Sociology and Technical Theatre Arts. She has experience as a Head Carpenter, Technical Director, and Theatre Technician at various Clark University productions over the past 2 years. In addition, she was a carpenter for the 2025 season at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. This is her first experience with THT Rep and couldn't be happier to join the team!
REMINDER
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices during the performance.
Director’s Inspiration: Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
Director Livy Scanlon found inspiration in this prayer’s message. Its call to bring light, love, and understanding into the world guided the vision for this production.
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. "
Dramaturgical Notes
The Sisters of Charity of New York (SCNY), the order to which Aloysius and James would have belonged, had Black members after 1956.
Photo by UnityMike. Rebecca-Anne Whittaker, member of Actors’ Equity Association
Upcoming Events
BrickBox Theater (JMAC)
Celtic Magic: An Evening of Irish Grand Illusion
October 17-19, 2025
The Phantom of the OperaThe Centennial
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Main Stage
TUSK: The Classic Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
October 2
STARSHIP featuring Mickey
Thomas and FOGHAT
October 3
Black Violin Full Circle Tour
October 4
Amy Grant
October 6
Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert The 20th Anniversary Tour
October 9
Pink Martini
October 10
Masters of Illusion
October 12
THT Rep presents The 5th Annual Edgar Allan Poe Double Header
October 29- November 1, 2025
THT Rep presents William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
January 28 - February 14, 2026
SIX
October 14-19
Historic & Architectural Tour
Thursday, October 23
HALLELUJAH NIGHT presented by Jubilee Worcester
October 31
Mania: The ABBA Tribute
November 1
Complexions
Contemporary Ballet
November 7
Mid-Century & More on the Mighty Wurlitzer with Dr. Kleefield
November 8
NEEDTOBREATHE The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour
November 9
Find more events at TheHanoverTheatre.org and JMACWorcester.org.
Plan Your Next Visit
We present shows and events at multiple venues throughout Worcester. Visit each one to enjoy the full range of performances and experiences we have to offer.
The Hanover Theatre 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester
Conservatory 551 Main Street, Worcester
BrickBox Theater at the JMAC 20 Franklin Street, Worcester
Francis R. Carroll Plaza Directly in front of The Hanover Theatre
Photo by UnityMike. Lynnette R. Freeman, member of Actors’ Equity Association
Where to Buy Tickets
The quickest way to find a great seat at the best price is at TheHanoverTheatre.org. While browsing events on our site, narrow your search by using our venue and/or genre filters or using the search bar. Sign up for our emails to ensure you’re getting information directly from THT. When it comes to spotting unauthorized ticket resellers, double-check the web address and use your best judgment: if the ticket price seems absurdly high, it probably is. To browse upcoming events and exhibits at the JMAC, visit JMACWorcester.org.
Group Tickets
Planning to attend a show with friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues? Groups of ten or more can enjoy exclusive savings and early access to seating! Save at least 10% on each ticket and make planning simple with our GroupTools platform, where individuals can pay directly online for their own tickets. Plus, groups benefit from reduced handling fees. To learn more and lock in your group reservation, call 877-571-7469 x1689.
Accessibility Services
We are committed to making the arts accessible and welcoming for all patrons. Accessible seating is available at each of our venues, and assistive listening devices are available upon request at The Hanover Theatre and the BrickBox Theater. Additionally, our website offers accessibility tool support through accessiBe. Learn more about performances with audio description, ASL interpretation, and our sensory-friendly performance of A Christmas Carol at TheHanoverTheatre.org/accessibility. Thank you for making
Photo by Steven Pisano