THE UNBELIEVING

Written By MARIN GAZZANIGA
Directed By STEVE COSSON

Premiere: 2022, 59E59 Theaters

About The Show

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 interviews conducted for the book, Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind (2013) by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola

“There’s a lot of anguish in The Unbelieving. As it turns out, there’s a lot of courage, too.”

Laura Collins-Hughes

Cast

DAVID AARON BARKER

JEFF BIEHL

SONNIE BROWN

DAN DOMINGUES

JOSHUA DAVID ROBINSON

NINA HELLMAN

RICHARD TOPOL

Creative Credits

Playwright: Marin Gazzaniga
Director: Steve Cosson
Movement Director: Sean Donovan

Set Design: Andrew Boyce & Se Oh
Costume Designer: Emily Rebholz and Miriam Kelleher
Lighting Designer: Lucrecia Briceno
Original Music & Sound Design: Christian Frederickson
Dramaturg: Jeremy Stoller & Jocelyn Clark
Creative Consultant: Megan Kingery
Stage Manager: Molly Shea
Assistant Stage Manager: Dack Justiz