By Jim Dorman
Patriot Ledger [Providence RI]
April 9, 2007
http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2007/04/09/life/life01.txt
Time does not heal all wounds, but it does add perspective. "Sin: A Cardinal Deposed," Michael Murphy's play based upon the depositions of Cardinal Bernard F. Law's testimony during civil litigation in 2002 and 2003, was first produced in Chicago in 2004. Arlington's Regent Theater presented it later that same year, while the subject was still painfully fresh in the minds of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Now, nearly five years since the story became well known, the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theater in Pawtucket, R.I., decided the time was right to put the show on stage again.
And he added something: In this run, the audience stays afterward and talks with actors, crew, advocates for the abused, and, most poignantly, the abused themselves.
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| Sam Babbitt portrays Cardinal Bernard F. Law in “Sin: A Cardinal Deposed,” a play about the Catholic church sex abuse scandal. Photo courtesy of Peter Goldberg |
"This is something in our back yard, something that a lot of people are still dealing with, if not directly, then one or two degrees removed," Tony Estrella, the theater's artistic director, said.
"I'm hoping that there will be value in the (time) distance for some people. I'm hoping, especially for Catholics, who two years ago might have thought, 'I don't want to think about this; this is against my church' may come back and say, 'maybe there is something I can do to help make sure that this never comes about again,"' Estrella said.
The play is persuasive and enlightening, and the depositions come to life in this outstanding presentation. The most riveting moments come during the heartbreaking personal accounts told by actors (Wendy Overly, Chris Byrnes and Steve Kidd) portraying the victims and family members.
As the testimony is delivered, it becomes clear that Law (convincingly portrayed by Sam Babbitt) and the church knew about the abuse and allowed it to continue, then stonewalled and tried to establish plausible deniability. The tactic becomes futile under the weight of the evidence presented by the prosecuting attorney (Scott Winters).
It also becomes clear that nothing was done to help the children who were abused. The offending priests were given psychiatric treatment and then shuffled off to other parishes, where the abuse continued.
At one point, Law and his attorney (William Varley) appear more concerned with refreshments than with what is being said. But with the audience's sympathies turned so firmly against them, there's no need to make them look callous. They accomplish that on their own, and in spades.
The after-show discussions include cast and crew (Byrnes and Director Judith Swift, the night I attended).
But victims of clergy abuse are there, too, along with members of Voice of the Faithful, the advocacy group that has worked to establish change and clerical accountability, and others like Mary Healey, producer and director of the film "Holy Watergate - Abuse Cover-Up in the Catholic Church," who have studied the subject extensively.
The panels, however, do not include leaders from the Catholic Church.
"It's hard to get people (church leaders) to speak officially; I would imagine it would put them in some sort of legal jeopardy," Estrella said. "We have had contact from active priests and people active in the church, but they seek us out."
About half the audience returns to listen and participate in the discussion, an experience that is often powerful. The discussions have attracted a diverse group that includes Catholics, both active and lapsed, and non-Catholics. It also often includes survivors.
"Sometimes they tell us they are coming and sometime they don't. It's very intense and profound when someone decides they want to share," Estrella said.
Two victims who take part in the post-show discussions represent the vastly different ways in which those abused have coped. One is struggling trying to find a way to reconcile with her faith. The other has given up on it.
Jeannie Cratty grew up in South Weymouth and lives in Hanson. She was abused for five years in the 1970s, starting at age 6.
Her accused abuser was her parish priest and a family friend. She says at least one other victim has come forward, but the priest, who has been inactive since 1981, still retains his status. She wants him defrocked.
She is frustrated, and feels the Archdiocese of Boston has not done enough to help her. But she remains hopeful and sees healing power in the show.
"They (Gamm) have given the audience a great opportunity, and I commend them for it. It's smart and it's very responsible. I'm proud and thankful that they've asked me to participate."
As of last weekend, she had attended three performances, and each night was different. Two audiences wanted to hear about the church and its policies, and the characteristics of pedophilia.
But on her second visit, they wanted to hear about her.
"People were very interested in discussing what it is like to be a survivor. It was healthy for me because I feel like I was able to educate them and tell them what it's like to live with this day to day. That was a rewarding experience for me. I felt good and I felt proud," Cratty said.
She makes it a point to say clergy abused both girls and boys.
Skip Shea of Uxbridge is Cratty's male counterpart on the panel. While Cratty retains hope that she can work things out with the church, Shea does not.
He said he was abused by several priests at his parish between the ages of 11 and 17 during the 1970s. He drank, did drugs and tried to kill himself. He is in therapy and has been sober for nine years but suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
He says his first abuser was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison in Fort Worth, Tex., for abusing a child in that state. The priest transferred there after allegations of abuse surfaced in Massachusetts.
Shea says a lot of the questions he gets from the audience focus on what the church is doing now. But what is important to him is that those who took part in the cover-up are prosecuted.
"They are facilitating criminals and (committing) obstruction of justice. I think if that starts happening or they eliminate statutes of limitation, which we are trying to do right now in Massachusetts, then that's where the answers will lay. Because the church has proven it can't police itself. So if they tell me they're going to change now, I frankly don't believe them," Shea said.
Continuing the discussion, as the Gamm theater has done, is important, he said.
"I'm thrilled that they're doing it. It's roughly five years down the road from when the story broke. Some people may have put it on the back burner, and this helps keep it in the public eye."
If you go
-What: Sin: A Cardinal Deposed
-Where: Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, Pawtucket, R.I.
-When: Through April 22
-Tickets: $16-$31; at the box office, 401-723-4266, or arttixri.com.
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