Controversy on Campus: "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You"

thepaper6
1 day ago
4 min read

By Quinn Kinsella

Earlier this semester, the theater department at the City College of New York staged Christopher Durang’s comedy Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You. Kicking off the Fall 2025 season, Sister Mary opened on September 25th and closed on the 28th. The play, directed by Marina Visković, was met with controversy, particularly by City College’s Newman Catholic Club, leading to a talkback after one of the performances.

Written by Christopher Durang and first performed in 1979, Sister Mary won Durang an Obie: a prestigious award in the theater world. The comedy opened on December 14th, 1979, at the Ensemble Studio Theater and was met with positive reviews by theater critics of the time, such as Lynn Trenning and Frank Rich. As the play continued its run and spread across the country, religious organizations began to take offense and attempted to stop performances, even leading to protests in Boston.

Durang’s play is a satire that chronicles and critiques the history of Catholicism and its tenets. The play is set during a Christmas lecture in which Sister Mary breaks down the principles of Catholicism. Sister Mary is interrupted by four former students of hers. These four students represent the exact opposite of Sister Mary’s teachings and the ideals of Catholicism. Each of the students explores different aspects of “corruption” as viewed through the teachings of the bible. Of these previous students, one has had two abortions, one is gay, the other is a suicidal alcoholic who beats his wife, and the last is a mother who never wed. This eclectic cast of characters are in opposition to the teachings of the bible Sister Mary attempted to instill in them as children.

Durang’s comedy was controversial during its first run over 40 years ago, and the recently-staged adaptation at CCNY has proven this play’s controversial nature is as lasting as its impact. Members of the Catholic church protested nearly half a century ago because of the same lines delivered by City College students in 2025. The subject matter has not changed, nor has the reaction it has elicited.

Hazel Stevenson, the star of CCNY’s recent production, says that Sister Mary is more relevant than ever. “I think this is the role that is most different to me,” Stevenson told The Paper. It was announced in Spring 2025 that the theater department had slated Sister Mary as the opening play of the fall semester, and Stevenson was cast in May. “We were lucky; we had all summer with the script,” Stevenson says. This allowed Stevenson and the rest of the cast to really sink their teeth into the material and bring depth to the story. It was important for the cast to understand what the script was satirizing, effectively working backwards from the punchlines to the origin of the joke. “To make fun of something, you have to understand it. Feeling like you’re being made fun of is almost worse than what is being said,” Stevenson told The Paper, highlighting the seriousness with which she and the rest of the production took in discussing the tenets of the religion. It should also be noted that CCNY productions are required to be attended by theater majors at the college, but Sister Mary was not one of these required performances due to the controversial nature of the play.

What is art if not provocative? Theater is meant to elicit a response from its audience. A play that has people protesting in the streets, while not necessarily a reflection of great art, is often the sign of an important piece of art. Disagreements regarding religion are difficult to navigate, but what Sister Mary offers is an invitation to a conversation. A conversation that began 45 years ago, and which CCNY’s recent production proves is still relevant. It is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between time and religion. Heavy topics, such as the ones discussed in this play, can benefit from being approached with a certain measure of levity. Durang uses comedy in Sister Mary, which is an effective tool to criticize and analyze the absurdity of the taboo lens these topics are often viewed through.

After one of the performances, a talkback was held with two nuns present. A talkback is a discussion after a performance where the audience can ask questions and pose comments to the production team and actors. The talkback after Sister Mary was held by James Armstrong, an adjunct professor in the department of theater and speech at CCNY. Hazel Stevenson was present during this talkback, and when asked what the atmosphere was like with Armstrong’s moderation and the nuns’ input, she said that there was an air of gratefulness. Hazel claims that the sisters were “grateful to be having the conversation” in a space where their views and opinions mattered and were taken into account. The main problem surrounding most disagreements, whether they be religious or ideological, is the way that people engage in the discourse. If there is a way to have a civil, constructive conversation about something, the battle is already won. Armstrong led the discussion, steering it towards a fruitful and constructive conversation. Members of the Newman Catholic Club, the two nuns, as well as the cast and crew of the production were present, and discussions varied from the intentions of the play to how the members of the audience had received it.

Regardless of race, religion, ideology, sexuality or any other boxes that perpetuate divisiveness, we are all human. And everyone deserves to be treated with the respect and dignity that is their right. CCNY’s recent production of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You was a performance surrounded by controversy, but at its center is an examination of religion and an invitation to a conversation. And conversations are rare in this time of extreme division.

Quinn Kinsella is a film major in his senior year at The City College of New York. He is the Managing Editor at The Paper and covers pop culture and on-campus arts and culture. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, reading books, and writing poetry.