John Pielmeier is an American playwright of repute. He is most known for his play Agnes of God, which tells the tale of a novice who gives birth to a baby and is accused of slaughtering it. Agnes premiered professionally at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, the US. This was followed by several regional productions and a 17-month run on Broadway. Ahead of the local production, Pielmeier answers questions about the play, theatre and humanity. 

Why were you interested in writing Agnes of God in the first place?

I wanted to explore the nature of sanctity. What makes a person, not only good, but extremely good? What defines sainthood - in the past as well as today? If any of the saints of the past were alive today, would they be honoured or medicated? I wanted to ask these and other questions without arriving, necessarily, at any answers. Questions are important. Answers less so.

Agnes Of God. Photo: Deacon Xuereb

You have written extensively for the theatre. But why, in your opinion, was Agnes of God most successful?

That’s a difficult question to answer. On one level I have to say ‒ I honestly don’t know. I certainly believe that other plays I have written are better, clearer, more sophisticated. On the other hand, perhaps the questions that Agnes of God asks, questions that prompt audience members to think, and to continue to think after the play is over ‒ perhaps the asking of these unanswerable questions explains the play’s success. There are not many plays nowadays that encourage anaudience to discuss, argue or examine their own beliefs; the highest compliment I ever received came from an audience member who said that she and her husband were up all night talking about the very things that the play tries to probe. Also, of course, it provides three terrific parts for three terrific actresses ‒ something that is hard to find in the vast majority of plays available today.

I think Agnes both embraces and challenges what the Church has taught

Coming from a Christian background, how difficult is it to challenge what you have always been told to be true?

It is always difficult to challenge anything you believe in, but it is equally important to do so ­‒ Christian, Muslim, atheist, whatever. Asking questions and finding honest answers will either strengthen your belief or help you to form new, stronger beliefs. Any true person of faith - whatever that faith may be - is someone who has questioned, challenged, examined the foundations of everything that he or she has been taught, someone who has been through that wormhole of questioning and who has (more or less) come out the other end.

Kyra Lautier as Agnes of God. Photo: Francesca Vella and Deacon Xuereb

In terms of Agnes ‒ the woman and the nun, and her needs as a woman versus her being a woman of God ‒ how does her character in the play challenge what the Church stood for throughout these years?

I think Agnes both embraces and challenges what the Church has taught. Her visions, on one level, support the mystical, mysterious elements of faith; certainly her stigmatisation represents the very essence of traditional sainthood and underscore the power of belief. On the other hand, every behaviour that Agnes exhibits underscores the possibility of her mental and emotional imbalance, and leads one to question the mental/emotional state of many of the saints of the past. St Bernadette had a vision: was she delusional or extraordinary? St Paul had a drive and a mission, and endured unbelievable hardships to fulfill that mission: was he a visionary or an unreasonable fanatic? 

Why is this narrative still appealing and current in today’s world?

From the first moment when humans looked at the sky at night, marvelled at the wind in the trees, became conscious of themselves as living wonders, ever since that time we have probed the universe for answers to metaphysical, spiritual, existential questions. Agnes is my attempt to address that questioning, and to honour that sense of wonder.

Agnes of God is produced by Christian Colombo and Tyrone Grima, also directing the play, and features Isabel Warrington, Simone Ellul and Kyra Lautier. It will be staged at the Valletta Campus Theatre on December 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. For more information, contact Grima on tyronegrima@gmail.com. Agnes of God is supported by the University of Malta, School of Performing Arts and presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.