 |
| Side view of the theater |
The
Gary-The Olivia Theater is located in Bethlehem Connecticut on the grounds of
the Abbey of Regina Laudis. This lovely open-air theater built in 1982 seats
300 people. The theater is covered but opens at the back to the woods of
the Abbey land, and the trees and birds are often a feature of the theatrical
world that is created on stage. The link between drama and monastic life is an
ancient one, but The Gary-The Olivia Theater in particular owes its existence
to Reverend Mother Dolores Hart, the actress, who in 1963 gave up a successful
Hollywood career to become a nun at the Abbey. Each summer several annual
performances are given in this theater.
 |
| The Pitman |
The
Pitmen Painters written by Lee Hall and loosely based on a book written by William Feaver will be performed June 14 – June 23. The Pitmen Painters is an inspirational story about a
close-knit group of miners in Northeast England in the 1930’s who enroll in an
art appreciation class as a way of bettering themselves. The story follows
members of the group as they interact with a university art instructor,
experiment with actual painting and gradually build a body of work that
establishes them as The Ashington Group, a briefly celebrated group of painters
in the 30’s and 40’s. Receiving critical acclaim in London and on
Broadway, The Pitmen Painters is
a humorous, thought provoking and moving testament to friendship, human
aspiration and the transforming power of art.
A second show, the Pulitzer
Prize and Tony Award winning musical Fiorello will be performed from August 1 – 11. Fiorello follows
the dynamic professional and political career of Fiorello La
Guardia. Elected to Congress in 1916 and 1918, and again from 1922 through
1930 La Guardia served as Mayor of New York for three terms from 1934 to 1945 and
was a major influence in the making of modern day New York. He is considered by
many to be one of the greatest mayors in American history. Only five feet tall,
he was called "the Little Flower" (“Fiorello” is Italian for
"little flower"). The original Broadway production opened at the
Broadhurst Theatre in 1959, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960.
General admission seats ($20 Pitmen. $22 Fiorello) for these shows are
available now online at www.thegarytheolivia.com! For special
group rates (10 or more) please contact
Susan Hackel 860 355-5553 or e-mail pr@thegarytheolivia.com.
The opening night
gala/fundraiser for The Gary-The Olivia Theater is on June 14th (opening
night, The Pitmen Painters-$25 pp) and on August 1st (opening
night, Fiorello-$28 pp) with wines from Walker Road Vineyards in Woodbury,
CT paired with local farmstead cheeses and a meet and greet with the performers.
