LINCOLN – Catholic faith and a love of theatre will come together for Lincoln playwright Brigid Amos in her new full-length play Dove, presented by Angels Theatre Company, Sept. 14-16, and 18, at the Carson Theater in the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln.
Dove tells the story of Effie and Grant, whose 8-year-old daughter Dove is killed in an accident. As their different expressions of grief drive them apart, Dove returns as an adult for 24 hours, determined to keep her family together.
Playwright Amos, a member of St. Mary Parish in Lincoln, said she mined her own personal grief for inspiration.
“At heart it’s a mother-daughter story that springs from my own feelings of guilt when my mother died after five years in my care,” she said. “I loved her deeply but was not always as kind as I should have been. After her death, I had such a great need for forgiveness, confession, and absolution. I pray for my mother and like to think of her praying for me, be it in Purgatory or Heaven, and having that spiritual relationship with her has been a great comfort.
“What God has planned for us when we die is a mystery,” she continued, “and even though we know being in His presence in that way must be wonderful beyond our imagination, I think it’s important to express our grief completely for our loved ones who have died. That separation is still so painful for us, and we make mistakes from that pain, but we must open our hearts to the Lord and allow Him to guide us through the darkest times. This is what I’m trying to communicate in Dove.”
Amos credited her 24 years in three parishes of the Lincoln Diocese with deepening her Catholic faith.
“I first encountered Eucharistic Adoration as a regular adorer at St. Peter’s and continued as a substitute adorer at Blessed Sacrament,” she said. “It was the first time I had regularly combined spending time alone in the Real Presence of Christ with contemplative prayer, and it was life-changing. In my play, Dove calls it ‘hanging out with Jesus.’ It really feels to me like spending time with and listening to Jesus, just loving Him and accepting His great love for me.”
Brigid belongs to a women’s Bible study group led by Sister M. Joan Henderson, FSGM, who cares for retired priests at Bonacum House in Lincoln. After reading the play, Sister Joan offered an endorsement of the story.
“Dove is a beautiful story about grief and the necessity of forgiveness,” she said. “Would that we all could have the opportunity to see our deceased loved ones again for just one day. How much mercy and healing could take place! Let this be a lesson for us all: our family and friends are alive with us now. Now is the time to be with them, to talk, appreciate, love, and forgive. Life is fragile. You might not have tomorrow!”
Dove is directed by Jamie Bullins, associate professor of theatre for the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Timothy W Scholl, artistic director of Angels Theatre Company, is producing the show. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.liedcenter.org/event/dove or at the Lied Center box office.
