With electrifying performances by Rachel Sorsa and Caitlin Zambito, Saint Megan is a window into the delusional devotion of a religious and utopian society.

What is one of the most effective ways to radicalize an individual? Enter the world of Westboro Baptist Church, a religious group that proselytizes its extremist views on homosexuality and punishment using picketing and social media. Living in a self-sustained bubble, the leaders do not allow their followers to contact the outside world. Well, kind of. By allowing their members to use social media to disseminate their doctrine, the influence ends up going both ways, as the character Megan (Caitlin Zambito) shows in the play.

Playwright Joy Gregory bases her play in the true story of Megan Phelps-Roper, who was born into the Westboro Baptist Church’s faith. To understand the group’s extremism, Gregory shows the modern roots of its theology. Back in the 1700s, during the Evangelical Revival movement in England, Ann Lee founded the Shakers, one of the spin-offs that aimed to reform Protestantism. After leaving England, Ann Lee and her followers settled down in Albany, NY, creating multiple Shaker villages over time. Ann Lee’s life by the way, is depicted in The Testament of Ann Lee, a film released last year. Ann Lee spread the belief that she was the personification of God. The Shakers are almost extinct, with only three known active members.

Even though the Shakers and the Westboro Baptist Church are two different groups, their lifestyles and views on sexuality are similar. The Shakers live in isolation, the Westboro Baptists live in their compounds, also isolated from the outside world, except during their picketing activities and the contact with outsiders when using social media. The Shakers had multiple female leaders, believing in gender equality. The Westboro Baptists used to allow women to be leaders, but starting in 2011, only male leaders run the Church. Women, however, are allowed to participate in picketing and social media outreach.

Gregory presents the daily lives of a group of Westboro Baptists women who spend their time picketing, making dancing videos, and the most dangerous of all activities: spreading their message on social media, opening up the door for potential exchange of ideas with the world. It’s precisely that exchange that allows Megan to see beyond the oppressive walls of the Westboro church, resetting her beliefs and changing her life forever.

The play shows the instability of extremist organizations. Ruled with an iron fist, these groups instill fear in their followers, but that management style also provokes resentment and the search for a way out. Trapped in the Westboro’s suffocating world, Shirley Phelps (Rachel Sorsa) serves as a member of the church’s legal team, only to be demoted as a consequence of her failure to defend the church in a legal proceeding. Still loyal to the church, however, she stays and continues to uphold the church’s strict regulations imposed on its members. But the psychological and emotional damage created by chronic isolation is too pervasive to ignore. Soon enough, the family dynamics and the relationship with the church start to crack.

Gregory analyzes the relationship between zealotry and tolerance. She does a fine job exploring the manifestations of hate and love. The characters of Megan and Chad (Zack Rocklin-Waltch) personify the power of human connection and the deconstruction of deep-rooted misconceptions. The world of Saint Megan is a call for action; it’s an invitation to speak with civility while navigating difficult conversations. Who knows? The results could be surprising and transformative.

Director Lina Patel demonstrates her ability to work with her actors to find the truth of their actions. She also adds vibrancy to the play with the blocking. With the occasional downstage position of the characters, Patel uses the spatial power with dynamism, bringing pivotal scenes closer to the audience. Zambito continues to build her extraordinary collection of captivating characters. Her convincing performance as Megan is evidence of her commitment to embody feelings that enrich the character and the story. Sorsa offers an engaging character as a heartless woman who ends up succumbing to the vulnerabilities of the human condition. This fine staging is another example of Rogue Machine’s perseverance to bring thought-provoking stories. Under the artistic direction of Guillermo Cienfuegos, this powerhouse theatre goes above and beyond to elevate the local art scene. With the challenging environment most theatres are facing now, specially the shrinking budgets, productions like Saint Megan are much appreciated.

Saint Megan