Agnes of God

Agnes of God by John Pielmeier is about a new born baby who has been found dead, umbilical cord wrapped about its neck, in a wastebasket in the room of Agnes, a young nun in a contemplative order. Agnes, a simple, naive individual, who was found lying unconscious suffering from severe blood loss at the time of this grim discovery, lacks memory of the conception of the baby and of the events surrounding its birth and death. Preliminary to her trial for the murder of the child, the Court has ordered that Agnes have a psychiatric evaluation. The play’s ultimate revelations will unlock some of the answers concerning the baby’s birth and death that the psychiatrist is seeking. However, the play mostly centers on the conflict between Dr. Livingstone, the court appointed psychiatrist, and Mother Miriam Ruth (the convent’s Mother Superior). The former seeks to uncover the ‘scientific’ truth, whereas the latter believes there is a metaphysical explanation for the baby’s conception.

For this powerful drama that raises questions about the administration of religion, Director anthony bezzina has assembled a very strong cast spanning three generations. Karmen Azzopardi, the doyenne of Maltese theatre, makes a come-back to the Manoel stage to star with another of Malta’s top actresses Monica Attard. They are joined on stage by the young actress Nadia Vella. The set is being designed by Peter Howitt.