By Marin Gazzaniga
Directed by Steve Cosson
In the classic tale of religious conversion, finding God holds the promise of a life filled with purpose and meaning. But what happens when this transformation occurs in reverse, and a faith you have built your life around begins to fall away? The Unbelieving takes a penetrating look into the lives of practicing clergy members— Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Mormons, Muslims—who have stopped believing in God.
Staged by NYC’s acclaimed downtown theater company The Civilians in the brilliant investigative-theater style they pioneered, THE UNBELIEVING tells the intimate stories of these faith leaders. Using their actual words, obtained during a groundbreaking study by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett and qualitative researcher Linda LaScola, the play explores the struggles, courage, and great humor of these “unbelievers” as they face the hardest decision of their lives—whether to continue living in secret or to risk everything by telling the truth.
Based on the book Caught In The Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola
The Civilians began in 2001 with a company of artists who were interested in making new work at the intersection of the theatrical and the real. The company supports a number of emerging and established artists each year through its R & D Program, cabaret series, and its online journal, Extended Play.
Read more at: http://www.thecivilians.org