About the Show

A docu-theater piece about preachers who question their own faiths.

In most stories of religious conversion, finding God fills someone's life with purpose and meaning. But what happens when the opposite happens, and the faith you have defined your life by begins to fall away?

The Unbelieving takes a hard look into the lives of practicing clergy members— Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Mormons, Muslims—who no longer believe in God.

Based on the book Caught In The Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind by Daniel C. Dennett and Linda LaScola, and presented by celebrated downtown theater company, The Civiians, this play uses these clergy members own words as they face one of the toughest decisions of their lives.

Critic Reviews (5)

"This smart and slender play listens to its characters without judgment. Not trying to hit its audience over the head with lessons, it is conducive to empathy."
Read more

"It's fascinating stuff, but at 65 minutes, we feel like we've watched only the first episode."
Read more

"People of all backgrounds will have interesting takeaways from after they experience 'The Unbelieving.' It is a show that will invite thoughtful conversations."
Read more

"The cast is uniformly strong, but even as a documentary play, 'The Unbelieving' could use more of a dramatic structure than what we see here."
Read more

"The whole cast is superb... Each makes us feel for the closeted equivocators – no easy feat in front of a sophisticated New York audience likely to have leaped the fence some time ago."
Read more

Cast and creative team