John Pielmeir’s Agnes of God was South Eugene Theater’s fourth theater production this year and was student-directed by South senior Max Olietti. Agnes of God is a very dark drama/thriller that follows a young nun named Agnes played by South sophomore Alexis Wood. The play explores themes of faith, trauma, reason and maternal instinct.

“Agnes of God is about a young, troubled nun. She has only two companions that we see in the show: Mother Mariam, who is her mother at the convent, and Dr. Livingstone,” Wood explained. “[Agnes] is under investigation for the murder of her child that she doesn’t remember having; the plot unfolds as Dr. Livingstone tries to uncover the truth.” 

Agnes of God is a very small play with a three-person cast. Senior Eleanor Nosce played Dr. Livingstone, and junior Marley Hines played Mother Mariam. Working with such a small cast was a great experience for the actors and gave them time to really analyze the play.

“Because it’s such a small cast, we’ve had a lot of time to really dissect all of the things that are going on which is especially helpful for a lot darker material,” Nosce said. “There’s been a lot of conversations about it; we’ve done a lot of book work, a lot of delving into what each line really means. It’s interesting to dissect that and it’s been fantastic to have that time to really get into it.”

In addition to studying the details of the play, the cast was able to get to know each other throughout the process of learning the play and rehearsing.

“[It’s] such a small, intimate cast. It’s fun to work with five people,” Wood stated. “We’re really productive so we have a lot of time in rehearsal to just like chat and have a good time and get to know each other. It’s such a good thing for such a dark show; to be able to have such a close-knit cast and to also be able to keep it lighthearted.”

Agnes of God is a thrilling, intense and exciting play that ran for a total of six shows in early March.

Article by Maya Robershaw