Abbey’s open-air theater returns with “Babette’s Feast”

Jen Gleason stood on the stage of The Gary-The Olivia Theater and gestured toward the upstage wall—which wasn’t there. Like the so-called fourth wall separating audience from actors, all walls in this theater are invisible.

“That’s just God’s creation,” Gleason said, pointing to woods and rocks and grass and sky where you might expect a brick wall. “You cannot copy that. That’s the best backdrop you could possibly have.”

Gleason is directing “Babette’s Feast,” the first play to be performed publicly in the covered, open-air theater on the grounds of the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut since “Godspell” in 2019. While the curtains closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, theater staff took advantage of the closure to make necessary repairs funded by donations.

Paul Murray, who co-produced “Babette’s Feast” with Sarah Robards, said, “We put up wings on either side, which are more or less permanent, and they allow the openness. From the audience, you see the woods side to side.”

The theater was built not long after famed Hollywood actress Dolores Hart joined the cloistered community of Benedictine nuns in 1963. According to the abbey’s website, “veteran actors James and Dawn Douglas formed a company of actors called the Act Association, which began to offer productions at the Abbey’s summer fair, and continued to do so for decades.”

Patricia Neal and James Douglas drew large crowds in 1999 when they performed A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters.” Popular musicals have also been produced there, including “Guys and Dolls,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “West Side Story.”

The idea to mount “Babette’s Feast” came from cast member Maurita Gregor, a lay intern at the abbey who previously performed the title role in her home state of Michigan. The play is based on a story by Isak Dinesen and is set in a Norwegian fishing village in the mid-19th century. Martine (portrayed by Cathy Annulli) and Philippa (Gregor) are sisters who lead a small Christian community. One night, a mysterious woman, fleeing political turmoil in France, knocks on their door and asks for asylum. Her letter of introduction states, “Babette can cook.” Babette will be portrayed by Olivia Wadsworth.

The play was conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen and written by Rose Courtney. It was first produced in Portland, Maine, in 2018. The highlight is a lavish feast Babette serves to the community to celebrate the memory of the sect’s original minister. but this production differs in structure from the 1987 Danish film in that no actual food is seen during the feast, Gleason said. Like the theater’s missing walls, the feast itself is invisible.

“There’s no cups. There’s no plates,” Gleason said. “We really don’t have props.”

The minimalist set aligns with the intentions of the play’s creators, who wanted to show the austerity of the religious sect to which Martine and Philippa belong.

Besides the three principals, “there are six players that are playing up to three different roles. So they’re having to shift their characters too, along with telling the story,” Gleason said.

Murray began working at the abbey in the 1970s and then moved to Idaho and taught theater for several years. Since returning in 2008, he has worked on sets for summer musicals at The Gary-The Olivia Theater. In 2025, he wrote and co-produced an original play, “The Princess and the Goblin,” based on a novel by George MacDonald. It was performed in front of a private audience, with Gleason in the lead. It was the first play to be shown at the abbey in six years.

“The point of having a theater at the abbey is to show a slice of life as it is, with an eye toward showing how it relates to the reality beyond the immediate place and time and characters within God’s creation,” Murray said.

“It’s to have a part of creation that refers to the broader creation,” he said.

Gleason spent several years in New York City with La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, The American Theatre Wing and ASCAP. She also worked in Los Angeles, evaluating and developing scripts for a film production company, according to a press release.

Gregor said she applied for an internship at the abbey after reading Mother Dolores Hart’s 2013 memoir, “The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows.” She said she always loved acting and was attracted as well to the “balanced lifestyle” the cloistered community offers. One of her duties at the abbey is making cheese, a hands-on process that requires patience and a gentle touch.

“I never knew you could learn so much from cheese,” she said.

“Babette’s Feast” will be shown Friday evenings, July 31 and Aug. 7; Saturday evenings, Aug. 1 and 8; and Sunday afternoons, Aug. 2 and 9. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and matinees begin at 2 p.m. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome, and reservations are required. The Gary-The Olivia Theater at the Abbey of Regina Laudis is at 249 Flanders Rd., Bethlehem. To reserve seats, call 959-988-6068 or email garyoliviatheater@gmail.com. It is an open-air theater, so dress for the weather.