March 6 to 23
Performed at the Kansas City United Church of Christ
(205 W. 65th Street, Kansas City, MO 64113)
Written by John Patrick Shanley
Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) wraps up their 20th Anniversary Season with the Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning Doubt: A Parable, by John Patrick Shanley. This nuanced and powerful drama will be produced in a site-specific production inside an active church, at the Kansas City United Church of Christ in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. Audiences will watch from the pews as this religious drama unfolds, elevating the themes and location of this play. This multi-layered drama stars Kathleen Warfel, and KCAT Company Members Matt Schwader, Teisha M. Bankston, and Christina Schafer, and directed by KCAT Company Member Gary Heisserer. This production runs from March 6 to 23 at the Kansas City United Church of Christ located at 205 W. 65 Street, Kansas City, MO 64113. Tickets are on sales now at www.kcactors.org/shows/doubt/.
“It’s a great story, it’s a great parable, it’s as contemporary as anything I can think of. I would love to hear some of the conversations as people leave the theater, when they ask each other “what did you think about that?” I just know it will be a great conversation starter.” (Gary Heisserer, Director)
John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable tells a nuanced tale of suspicion and morality when the exacting principal of a Bronx Catholic school suspects relations between the charismatic priest and a student. She must wrestle with fact versus fiction, power and powerlessness, tradition versus progress, and doubt and certainty. Doubt: A Parable is “an eloquent and provocative investigation of truth and consequence. A gripping mystery, tightly written.” (Time Out New York)
Doubt: A Parable star Kathleen Warfel as Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the principal of St. Nicholas School, a strict disciplinarian committed to the traditional ways of running the school. Kathleen has been seen on KCAT’s stage in Four Children, My Old Lady, Picnic, and more. Matt Schwader stars as Father Brendan Flynn, the well-liked and affable priest of St. Nicholas Church and School who believes the Catholic Church needs to make an effort to be more progressive. Matt is a KCAT Company Member and has been seen on KCAT’s stage in And Then There Were None, and as director of The Pests.
Christina Schafer plays Sister James, a young nun who, unlike Sister Aloysius, is a kind and generous teacher at the Catholic school. Christina is a KCAT Company Member who has appeared in KCAT’s productions of Little Women, The Pests, A Doll’s House, and A Lie of the Mind. Teisha M. Bankston plays Mrs. Muller, the tough-loving mother of the potentially abused student. Teisha is a KCAT Company Member who recently co-directed KCAT’s Trouble in Mind, and has appeared in Little Women and Spider’s Web. Doubt: A Parable is directed by KCAT Company Member Gary Heisserer, who previously directed the regional premiere of About Alice from KC-native Calvin Trillin, as well as “Master Harold”…And the Boys.
“In just ninety fast-moving minutes, Shanley creates four blazingly individual people. Doubt is a lean, potent drama…passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing.” (Newsday NY)
The creative team for Doubt: A Parable includes costume design by Nancy Robinson (KCAT’s The Lehman Trilogy, Gaslight, and Dot), sound design from Mary Louise Robinson (KCAT’s Trouble in Mind, The Lehman Trilogy, Little Women, and Spider’s Web), and properties design by Lacey Pacheco (KCAT’s Skeleton Crew and Smart People). The production stage manager is Pamela A. West, with assistant stage management by Meg McSweeney.
Tickets for Doubt: A Parable start as low as $20 and can be purchased online at www.kcactors.org/shows/doubt/ or by phone at (816) 361-5228 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Doubt: A Parable has a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Monday, March 17th.
Doubt: A Parable is generously sponsored by Kay Noonan.
Please note: All performances of Doubt: A Parable are performed at the Kansas City United Church of Christ located at 205 W. 65 Street, Kansas City, MO 64113.
Coming Up Next:
Kansas City Actors Theatre recently announced their 21st Season of productions from May 2025 through March 2026.
A hilarious dark comedy fresh from Broadway.
A sparkling new take on a Chekhov classic.
A devilishly clever comedy-thriller.
A modern riff on a morality play—that’s different every night!
Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) has announced the line-up for its 21st Season, running from May 2025 through March 2026. The 2025-2026 season will feature a smartly adapted Russian-theatre classic, an unique modern update on a Tudor-era morality play, a new work fresh from Broadway, and one of the definitive thrillers of the stage.
The four plays featured in KCAT’s Season 21 are The Roommate by Jen Silverman; Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky; Deathtrap by Ira Levin; and Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. All four productions in Season 21 will take place at the City Stage in Union Station.
Season Subscriptions are available now at www.kcactors.org/season-21/ or by calling (816) 361-5228!
Season subscriptions are available now at www.kcactors.org/season-21/ or by calling the KCAT box office at (816) 361-5228 (Mon. to Fri. 9AM – 5PM). Early-bird pricing on subscriptions, which is the best deal of the season, is now available to everyone through February 28, 2025. Season subscribers get a slew of benefits including free ticket exchanges, ticket vouchers for friends and family, and parking validation for performances at the City Stage.
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About Kansas City Actors Theatre
Formed and overseen by a collective of local theatre artists, Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) produces thought-provoking plays that explore, celebrate, and share what it is to be human with sensitivity, intelligence, and humor. KCAT nurtures the local artistic community by employing the finest talents of Kansas City’s diverse professional theatre community, which in turn makes Kansas City a more vibrant, vital place to live and work.
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