Looking for God; Local theater's play raises tough questions

It has been a long time since anyone parted a sea. Miracles come in more modest guises these days, if they come at all. But if something truly divine did arrive on our doorstep, would we have the eyes to see it?

That's one of the many open-ended questions posed by John Pielmeier's play "Agnes of God," which starts Thursday at First Presbyterian Theatre.

The play is about a dead infant found at a convent, an atheistic psychiatrist assigned by the court to get to the motivational bottom of things, a Mother Superior with a cache of secrets, and a young, seemingly guileless nun named Agnes, who is the probable mother and murderer of the child but is also quite possibly a messenger of God.

Fort Wayne actress Jennifer Poiry portrays Agnes. The demanding role requires her to sing in such an angelic way that she makes instant converts to strong religious faith.

Agnes exhibits other challenging quirks: she lies when she seems to be telling the truth and tells the truth when she seems to be lying. Sometimes she lies on purpose, sometimes she gives false accounts because she has buried the true turn of events. Sometimes she reveals alternate personalities, and sometimes she reveals information that she should not logically know.

The 28-year-old Poiry started acting as a Leo High School student, but gave it up to concentrate on an education degree at Indiana-Purdue, Fort Wayne. Now, she is actively auditioning again, exercising her voice in pursuit of a music degree at IPFW, and she publishes a bimonthly magazine focused on the northeast Indiana theater scene called The Green Room.

Poiry says the toughest thing about playing Agnes is creating a balanced portrayal: The character has a beatific exterior that must somehow remain largely intact as her more earthly inner complexities are revealed.

"Thom (Hofrichter, the director) is always asking me, "What is the subtext?' Every line has a subtext. I must always be asking myself, `What is Agnes really thinking here?' `Does Agnes realize the implications of what she is saying?' "

Poiry, a long-time cantor at St. Vincent Catholic Church, may have a slightly easier time with the musical elements of the play.

She won't go so far as to claim she produces the music of the angels, but she says people have credited her voice with greatly enriching church services.

"I have been told my voice is very pure," she says. "I'm not sure what that means, but I think it's a compliment."

Hofrichter says the enigma that is Agnes parallels the enigma that is "Agnes of God."

The play ends ambiguously, leaving the audience with more questions than were initially posed. Hofrichter says he tried to preserve this neutral quality.

"Is she touched by God? Is she crazy?," Hofrichter rhetorically asks. "The doctor and Mother Superior both make some convincing arguments. I just get out of the way. It is up to each audience member to decide for him or herself."

The play is less about Agnes than it is about the two elder women, who both think they have Agnes' best interests at heart. The two women are really stand-ins for different types of audience members: the psychiatrist is someone who made science her god after the death of a sister but who secretly longs for a renewed sense of awe, the oncemarried Mother Superior is someone whose fragile faith hinges on sheltering Agnes at all costs.

They make formidable intellectual adversaries, and their breakneck arguments crackle with ideas. Pielmeier's notes specify that lines must overlap; Hofrichter says Pielmeier wanted to build tension.

"The trick is to have both actors talk over each other without losing either line," Hofrichter says. "If it's done right, it should have an almost musical rhythm."

Hofrichter believes the fractured state the characters find themselves in at the end of the play, and the reluctance of the playwright to land on one side or the other, makes the play spiritually honest.

"We all experience chaos now and then, but it usually makes us better people," Hofrichter says. "If you aren't lost and confused sometimes, how strong can your spirituality be?

"I am suspicious of people who say they have definitively found God, that they know all the answers. Being devout is about never giving up the search for God."

Show at a glance

What: "Agnes of God"
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Jan. 15, 16, 22, 23; 2 p.m. Jan. 17.
Where: First Presbyterian Theatre, 300 W. Wayne St.
Admission: $5 for Thursday performance. All other performances: $12 adults, $10 students and ages 60 and older. For more information, call 422-6329.

PUBLISHED SUNDAY JANUARY 3, 1999