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Abbey’s open-air theater returns with “Babette’s Feast”
Jack Sheedy
Jul 29, 2026
Jen Gleason, director of “Babette’s Feast,” poses before a natural setting on the stage of The Gary-The Olivia Theater in Bethlehem.
Jack Sheedy
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.
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Laurie Anderson brings four days of music, art and conversation to Tanglewood
Richard Feiner And Annette Stover
Jul 29, 2026
Multimedia pioneer Laurie Anderson makes Tanglewood debut with a weekend of performances.
Ebru Yildiz
Musician, composer, performing artist and multimedia pioneer Laurie Anderson is one of the most influential and controversial figures in American contemporary and avant-garde arts. Her ambitious multimedia projects, encompassing music, film, visual projections, dance, and the spoken and written word, have enjoyed great public visibility, and Anderson has been recognized with many honors, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Gold Medal for Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and this year’s Kyoto Prize for Arts and Philosophy in the field of music.
Anderson will make her Tanglewood debut in a series of special events and performances Aug. 13-16, along with longtime collaborators and special guests, giving audiences an opportunity to experience her groundbreaking and challenging work, which has been received with both acclaim and confusion for its wit, innovation and interdisciplinary scope.
A concert on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m., part of Tanglewood’s recital series that spotlights chamber music and solo performances curated specifically for the acoustics and atmosphere of Ozawa Hall, features Anderson, guests and members of the BSO in a selection of Anderson’s compositions for string orchestra led by conductor Dennis Russell Davies, principal conductor of the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra and artistic director and chief conductor of the Filharmonie Brno.
A program highlight is “Amelia,”a piece inspired by the pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. The piece draws upon text from Earhart’s pilot’s log from her final international trip. In its blending of historical fact with atmospheric electronic music, minimal instrumentation and evocative soundscapes, the piece can be seen as emblematic of Anderson’s focus on transforming a historical event into a meditation on universal human experiences.
On Saturday, Aug. 15, at 2 p.m. in Studio E in Tanglewood’s Linde Center, the renowned opera and theater director and educator Peter Sellars will speak with Anderson as part of the Tanglewood Learning Institute’s Spotlight Series. Sellars is active at Tanglewood as a director and curator of contemporary works, and will guide Anderson in an exploration of her groundbreaking career and creative process. Their discussion will shine a light on their long history of artistic collaboration and their common interest in expanding the boundaries of music, language, technology and storytelling.
On Sunday, Aug. 16, from noon to 6 p.m., Studio E will present the Lou Reed Drone, a drone-based sonic installation curated by Anderson using guitars from her late husband Lou Reed’s collection. The event features performances by Reed’s former guitar tech Stewart Hurwood and a roster of guest artists rotating throughout the afternoon.
Finally, on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Ozawa Hall, Anderson will present “The Republic of Love,” an evening of music and storytelling reflecting on America’s past and present, featuring the genre-defying jazz ensemble Sexmob in its Tanglewood debut, along with special guests Mazz Swift and vocalist Christina Courtin.
As the title suggests, the piece plays on the classical idea of a republic — a political community governed by shared principles — to imagine what such a community would look like if its organizing principle were love rather than power. According to Anderson, the work isn’t sentimental. Instead, it examines love as a political and ethical force that shapes how people relate to one another and to institutions.
Collectively, these events will celebrate Anderson’s continued explorations of the power of words and language, visual imagery, and cutting-edge technology to challenge perceptions and to help audiences make sense of some of the most compelling questions of our day.
For information and tickets, go to tanglewood.org or call (888) 266-1200.
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Campus mental health expert to speak at Sharon Book Signing
Ruth Epstein
Jul 29, 2026
Author and psychiatrist Mathilde Ross offers help for students navigating campus mental health.
Marissa Fiorucci
As August looms, college students begin to think about the upcoming academic year. Concerns over roommate compatibility or maintaining good grades are common. But for some, mental health challenges can arise in the campus setting.
Author and psychiatrist Mathilde Ross deals with the subject in her book “How to Thrive at College: A Guide to the Ups and Downs of Mental Health on Campus.” Ross, the daughter of Cicily and Joseph Hajek of Sharon, will be among the writers featured at the Hotchkiss Library’s 28th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing on July 31 from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.
In an informative yet humorous style, Ross, a senior staff psychiatrist in the counseling center at Boston University, dispenses advice to both parents and students. The book provides strategies for communicating about difficult topics and determining when there is a serious problem and when symptoms may be normal behavior.
Ross takes readers through a college calendar year and shares a series of cases she has encountered during her tenure. She’s counseled students with debilitating fears of dogs or flying, eating disorders and sleep deprivation — challenges that prevent them from functioning. Others are gripped by the certainty that they will fail out of school.
She also discusses those who suffer from depression, live with obsessive-compulsive disorder and contemplate suicide. Many problems can be traced back to childhood, she notes.
Ross says there are some things “we know are very, very bad,” labeling them “the Big Three: child abuse, domestic violence or a parent with an addiction. Each creates an unsafe and unstable early childhood environment, which is very bad for human development.”
She also speaks about the enormous pressure some parents put on their children — whether to succeed academically, excel in sports or pursue a particular talent — and the effects such expectations can have.
She writes about “young people who are burned out, and don’t know who they are. They know who their parents want them to be — they’ve gotten that message. But they’ve been driven to achieve, at the expense of knowing who they are, how to take care of themselves, or even if it’s worth it. A parenting style that emphasizes achievement at all costs … has a cost.”
Ross introduces readers to terms such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, generalized anxiety disorder, stimulus restrictions and parenting pandemic.
While the subject can be heavy, Ross’s style adds a lightness to her message. Often self-effacing, especially when speaking about parenting her three children, she nevertheless provides tips that are easy to understand.
Ross said the impetus for writing the book came in 2017, when headlines blared about a mental health crisis among young people and she began seeing increased demand at her clinic. Friends, knowing her profession, peppered her with questions and concerns. Her short answer is, “The kids are all right. Not every single one, but the vast majority are very extremely totally all right.”
Her book, she said, is her answer to the public confusion.
For tickets to the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon’s Summer Book Signing, visit hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org
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The art of bringing travel home
Kerri-Lee Mayland
Jul 29, 2026
Bringing the taste of France home with a container of salt.
Kerri-Lee Mayland
Perhaps that’s why summer travel is so irresistible. It isn’t just the promise of sunshine or a change of scenery. It’s the chance to step outside our routines, notice how other people live, taste something we’ve never tasted before, discover a beautiful object made by local hands and come home just a little different than when we left.
The best trips don’t end at the airport or in the driveway. They continue in the way we cook, decorate, entertain and even dress. That’s why I always try to bring a little piece of wherever I’ve been home with me.
You don’t have to travel far to do it. A weekend in Vermont might introduce you to maple syrup from a family sugarhouse. A drive through the Berkshires could lead you to a local potter whose serving bowl becomes the centerpiece of family dinners. A stop at a Connecticut farm stand might send you home with lavender, local honey or a recipe you’ll make every summer.
The best souvenirs aren’t necessarily what you think they might be.
As I unpacked after a recent family trip to Italy and France, I found myself searching first for the two little mementos I’d brought back. They weren’t expensive or particularly remarkable, but I knew they’d be the things that would keep our vacation alive long after the suitcases were put away.
One was a small container of chunky flaked salt from a market in the South of France. My friend who hosted us insisted on buying it for me after I admired hers while cooking together. The other was a colorful silk scarf I found fluttering outside a tiny shop in Sanremo, Italy’s historic district, while my family waited for dinner at the restaurant next door. I know when I wear it, I will think of that evening again and again. The salt cost $8; the scarf, $12.
Since returning home, I’ve sprinkled the salt over tomatoes from my garden and used it to season pasta sauce. Every pinch brings me back to that bustling market and reminds me of the friend who gave it to me.
Some of my favorite souvenirs this summer, however, didn’t arrive home with me in my suitcase.
One afternoon, a friend served slices of fresh cantaloupe from a farm just down the road where we were staying. As I reached for a piece, she asked, “Don’t you want a little salt and lemon?” I never would have thought to pair those flavors, but together they transformed an ordinary melon into something unforgettable. Another day, I watched homemade hummus come together in minutes. I honestly didn’t expect it to taste much different from the store-bought kind. I was wrong. It was creamy, fresh and so flavorful that I doubt I’ll ever buy prepared hummus again.
Those recipes are now souvenirs, too.
That’s what is so satisfying about travel — it can change your everyday life long after you return through the keepsakes that come home with you. They’re recipes, ingredients, traditions and simple objects that carry a memory every time you use them.
The destination isn’t what matters most. It’s the feeling a place leaves with you and finding simple ways to carry that feeling into everyday life.
The next time you travel, whether it’s to Europe, Cape Cod, the Berkshires or just down the road, maybe you’ll be inspired to get creative when considering what to bring back.
Because the best souvenirs don’t just remind us of where we’ve been; they invite us to go back, if only for a moment — until we can meander again.
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Kim Schmidt’s Summer Salon brings 45 artists together in Lakeville
Lucia Iandolo
Jul 29, 2026
Art dealer Kim Schmidt at the 2026 Summer Salon in Lakeville.
Lucia Iandolo
For the summer, the Churchill Building Company at 332 Main Street in Lakeville has been transformed into a group exhibition space featuring artwork by emerging and established artists. Curated by private art dealer Kim Schmidt, who is based in Manhattan and Millerton, the 2026 Summer Salon Session opened on July 18, bringing together work by 45 artists in an exhibition designed to make art more approachable for collectors and casual viewers alike.
Committed to making art more accessible by bringing it into everyday spaces rather than museums and galleries, Schmidt hopes the “pop-up” will create a more inclusive environment where art lovers can discover a wide range of work while emerging artists have the opportunity to exhibit alongside more established figures.
“I really wanted it to be that mix of discovery, where you can walk in and buy something for $1,400, but it might be standing right next to something that’s $100,000,” Schmidt said.
Many of the featured artists are local, reflecting Schmidt’s strong ties to the region’s arts community. Those connections began when she and her husband organized fundraising auctions for Ukraine at The Re Institute in Millerton and Troutbeck in Amenia, introducing her to many of the artists who now participate in her exhibitions. The Summer Salon is open Saturdays and by appointment, with all works on view available for purchase.
Having purchased her first piece of art at 16 and spent four decades in the art world, Schmidt places as much value on the stories behind the artwork as the work itself. She said understanding an artist’s practice and motivations is central to the way she presents each piece.
“I am fascinated, and I really want to be able to discuss anything on the wall in a way that the artist is speaking through me.”
The Summer Salon is located at 332 Main St. in Lakeville and is open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day. To book an appointment, call (917)742-6456 or email kimschmidtart@gmail.com. To view the works on exhibit, visit kimschmidtfineart.com.
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The instructive charm of a newly planted native garden
Dee Salomon
Jul 29, 2026
The native plantings at The Little Guild.
Dee Salomon
All gardens are works in progress; never static despite the best efforts of gardeners to freeze a perfect aesthetic moment year after year. Seeing a garden when it’s first planted is particularly intriguing and instructional. The recently opened Little Guild animal shelter is a visual master class in landscape design and native planting. You really should take a look.
That it was designed by two of the most venerated gardeners in our area is no surprise, given the notable people involved with bringing the new facility to fruition. Page Dickey, author of many books on gardening, and Jeff Lynch, who recently left his role as head gardener at Weathersfield to consult for clients, selected plants that will be able to thrive, once established, without watering. The planting and maintenance is being done by Jameson Secco of Roots and Branches Organic Landcare.
The “architecture” of the planting layout relies on an alley of multi-stemmed serviceberries anchoring the path that borders the building’s façade, as well as several swamp oak trees that will grow to provide dappled shade for the parked cars and underplanting.Beneath them is a seemingly simple mix:three species of sedges; two that mound, Carex laxiculmis and Carex rosea; and one, Pennsylvania sedge, which will eventually spread its tufts throughout.Blue phlox will do the same, as well as provide spring color.As you approach the entrance, different flowering plants and shrubs appear: foamflower, bowman’s root, skullcap ‘Appalachian blues’ and Clethra alnifolia, sweet pepperbush.
Along the side that faces Route 128, a mix of shrubs covers much of a steep slope, which ends in a swale that collects water runoff and, if we get some meaningful rain, might become a small pond.Here you will see winterberry, witch hazel, buttonbush, yellowroot and a plant I have not come across before, groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia), which Lynch says can get as tall as 16 feet and has fluffy white flowers in August.Brilliant red bee balm ‘Jacob Cline’ punctuates the planting with color between the shrubs, much as the phlox does on the entry side.
The back of the building has not yet been planted.Still, seeing such an early-stage planting informs us how to place different trees, shrubs, grasses and forbs (flowering herbaceous plants) to work in challenging areas.For The Little Guild, an organization that cares so deeply about animals, planting native species, which nurture wildlife and preserve habitat, is very much in line with its values.
Normally we are invited to view gardens only when they are considered “done,”but equally interesting are gardens that are in the process of becoming.In these, the negative space and the plants that fail or prove more aggressive than previously thought are all on view.Private garden tours may not reveal this early stage, but around public buildings it is in plain sight for us to enjoy and learn from.
In Falls Village, horticulturalist and landscape designer Deb Munson, again with Page Dickey, installed native plant beds around the Hunt Library last year.The project was funded by proceeds and contributions to the winter speaker series “Bad Grass,” founded by Jeb Breece.
As with the Little Guild, there is still evidence of a recently planted garden; the Allegheny spurge — the native Pachysandra procumbens — has not yet covered the ground around the rhododendron. (A note about this native pachysandra:in addition to providing erosion control and nutrition for native insects, this elegant plant thankfully lacks the invasive quality of its commercially popular Asian counterpart, whose moist environment is favored by ticks.Lindera nursery carries it.)
The entrance side of the library has filled in well: a serviceberry tree; the flowering shrubs clethra, aronia and fothergilla; and flowers including bowman’s root, coneflower and the amsonia cultivar “Blue ice.”
The addition of native planting around some of our important community institutions encourages us to plant native infrastructure at home — a beautiful way to protect habitat, keep water healthy, hold erosion at bay and sustain the natural world around us.
Dee Salomon ungardens in Litchfield County.
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