In  Morag Shepherd’s  superb two-hander The Big Quiet, two Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sister missionaries could not be more different. But, by the end of the play, they are closer to each other than either could ever have imagined. In their respective ways, they realize that women in the Mormon community literally will never be enough in a place where being dependent and servile is expected of them.

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With absorbing opening night performances that crackled with perfect chamber theater chemistry,  The Big Quiet extends an outstanding string of premieres for the PYGmalion Theatre Company, which has really found its groove over the last two seasons. Directed by Tamara Howell, the play is set 20 years ago (2005) in San Diego and takes place entirely in the apartment of Sister García (Juls Marino) and Sister Roberts (Lily Hilden). 

It was about as near-perfect as an opener could be. Marino and Hilden knock homeruns out of the park, in bringing crystal believability to their characters, notable considering neither was ever a Mormon missionary. Nevertheless, their instincts are magnificent in responding to the material and direction of Shepherd and Howell, both of whom served as church missionaries. 

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Of the trilogy of Mormon-themed plays that Shepherd has written, The Biq Quiet stands out in an already distinguished set of works. In 2017, Shepherd won the Association of Mormon Letters’ award for best drama of 2016, for Burn. A classic example of how Shepherd handles the objective of minimalism in theater, Burn’s theatrical contours were chiseled in part by the playwright’s struggles with her Mormon faith and the realization that she did not have to try to fit into a religion she didn’t fit into, as she discovered. 

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Certainly worthy of being considered for similar honors, The Big Quiet is more intimate but also more daring in its critique. The play’s humor is crafted, with a lovely nostalgic sense. As Shepherd explained in an interview, she was more like Roberts than García during her mission. But, years after leaving the LDS faith, Shepherd astutely telegraphs memories of mixed feelings, which include positive memories of her missionary companions. In The Big Quiet, the assertive and freewheeling García represents the biggest thing that Shepherd wanted to change about the experience of her younger self during her mission.

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Audiences should be alert to the minor bits that elevate The Big Quiet. One comes from a 2004 story in Salt Lake City that gained national attention, involving a typical young Mormon couple. Mark Hacking had reported that his wife, Lori, a teacher, was missing but the search ended in shock when he confessed to murdering his wife. As they prepared to move across the country, she had learned that he had elaborately concocted a lie about studying to become a doctor. 

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PYGmalion Theatre Company’s world premiere of Morag Shepherd’s The Big Quiet is superb two-hander (The Utah Review)