Curtain raiser: Lamakaan to stage Agnes of God

Hyderabad: Following the Catholic Secular Forum, Mumbai, warning of legal action, Birla auditorium authorities cancelled the staging of the play Agnes of God.

The play, which was scheduled for October 9 and 10, will now be staged on the same days at Lamakaan. The play was staged in Mumbai on October 5. The play is an adaptation of a 1982 Broadway production by Pielmeier. The plot, reportedly based on a true incident in New York in 1977, is about a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the child was the result of a virgin conception.

The play’s producers, however, say that the play doesn’t attack the Christian faith in any way. “It’s a nuanced piece that talks about spirituality and faith among other things. Once the dust has settled, I’d like to use it also to highlight issues of child abuse and lack of mental health services,” Vinay Varma said.

But according to the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the play “is the wrongful portrayal of the character of lakhs of clergy, who are committed to a life of celibacy”. The promotional material reads: “An immaculate conception or bold faced lie? You will be the judge and jury.”

Describing the play, it states, “Agnes, a young nun, gives birth and insists that the child was the result of an immaculate conception. Dr Martha Livingston, a psychiatrist, and the mother superior clash during the resulting investigation.”