Teen pregnancy, infanticide, crisis of faith, and mental illness seem like weighty topics for a high school theater program to tackle.
But those themes are the center of the play “Agnes Of God,” which was performed by students at Stafford High School earlier this month at the Virginia Theater Association conference. The Stafford students won Best Play, Best Actor, two All-Star Cast honors, Outstanding Technical Merit, and Best Set Design which advanced them to the Southeastern Theater Conference next March in Baltimore.
“Agnes Of God” is set in a convent where an apostate nun has given birth to a baby that is found dead in a waste paper basket. The play only has three characters: Agnes, the apostate nun played by Josephine Martinez; the convent’s Mother Superior, Mother Miriam played by Emily Herod; and the psychiatrist assigned to evaluate Agnes, Dr. Livingstone, played by Sophia Statler. Around 17 other students helped with set design and technical work.
Stafford High School drama teacher Michael D’Addario purposely chose a challenging play to meet the high level of his three actors.
“I was looking for something that was going to be challenging material for a very experienced advanced group of actors for high school,” D’Addario said. “I felt like this was a good piece even though the material was a little bit heavier. I’ve been working with the three of them for three and a half years now, and I felt like this is where they were in their process of maturing as actors.”
For playing the role of an older nun, Herod worked on getting her physical and vocal characteristics to match her character.
“I do lots of vocal warmups to make sure my throat was in a lower register,” Herod said. “And I had to be conscious of my posture and how I was walking, thinking of how an older person would sit or stand; how she would fall because she falls in the play.”
Statler’s character is also much older in age, but she approached getting into her role from a different angle.
“I approached it in less of a physical aspect and more of a mental aspect,” she said. “Dr Livingstone is very opinionated, so I had to find a way to bring the experience of her job and her experience of the world in general out in my performance and incorporate it in the case she was working on with her views on faith.”
This will be the second time the three actors have advanced to the Southeastern Theater Conference in Baltimore. Stafford High School last advanced in 2022 with the play “Metamorphoses”. They’ll be competing against 21 other schools from the region, D’Addario said.
Press the Issue
To support Stafford High School students’ upcoming trip to the Southeastern Theater Conference, donate on Venmo (@shsdramaboosters) or by mailing a check to:
Stafford High School Drama Boosters
Attn. Michael D’Addario
Stafford High School
63 Stafford Indians Lane
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Even though it is a competition, all the schools approach it as an opportunity to lift up their fellow actors and theater programs.
“If we’re able to go see the different plays, it’s amazing,” Martinez said. “I love seeing everyone’s acting and the creative direction for the different schools that come here.”
Stafford High School’s theater students are currently raising funds to help pay for their travel, lodging, and registration fees in March. The students have created a unique fundraiser where they get donors to choose a date in November and pay the amount matching that numerical date. D’Addario estimates that if all the students fill their calendars with donations, they will raise about half the amount needed.
