King, whose Broadway credits include James Joyce's The Dead and TheatreWorks' A Little Princess, stars as Sister Aloysius opposite Brown, who makes his TheatreWorks debut as Father Flynn. Doubt officially opens July 19 and will continue through Aug. 10.

Shanley's 90-minute play begins in a Bronx, NY, Catholic parish, when Father Flynn is suspected by Sister Aloysius, the school's principal, of having an inappropriate relationship with one of his male students. The young boy's mother only complicates matters in her response to the allegations, thrusting Sister Aloysius into a conflicted dialogue about her own faith and the cost of the pursuit of truth.

Doubt will also feature Kristin Stokes as Sister James and Tamiyka White as Mrs. Muller, under the co-direction of Vickie Rozell and Robert Kelley.

John Patrick Shanley has penned Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Defiance, Savage in Limbo and The Dreamer Examines His Pillow, as well as the Oscar-winning screenplay for "Moonstruck." Shanley directs his screenplay for the forthcoming film adaptation of Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.

Doubt will perform at the TheatreWorks Lucie Stern Theatre, located in Palto Alto. For tickets, priced $26-64, phone (650) 903-6000 or visit theatreworks.org.