10/22/2025
dates. November 6-15, 2025
venue. The Gladstone Theatre
credits. Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Abigail Killeen, Rose Courtney
This 2018 adaptation conceived and developed by Abigail Killeen and written by Rose Courtney reimagines the classic short story by celebrated Danish authour Isak Dinesen / Karen Blixen (Out of Africa) as a rich theatrical event: deep, funny, sensual, dangerous and beautiful. It brings us into the cloistered 19th-century world of two loving, devout Lutheran sisters and tells us how they and their fractured community reluctantly, then completely, embrace Babette, a mysterious French refugee. But when Babette, much to the community’s shock, sacrifices all she has to throw a lavish dinner party, the dinner guests magically and inexplicably experience radical, infinite grace. Babette’s sumptuous feast is more than a meal: it is an act of supreme artistry that invites an abundant experience of forgiveness and transforms the entire community. Through Babette’s Feast, we learn how embracing the stranger can change a community for the better. The creators dedicate the play to strangers in foreign lands, for their courage and their gifts.
TIPPING THE SHOW
Keeping with the company's tradition of what's called "tipping the show", and in the spirit of the story of Babette's Feast, 9th Hour will raise money after performances for local charities that work to reduce poverty and homelessness in the nation's capital.
Week one of performances (November 6-9th) will focus on In From the Cold, an initiative of Parkdale United Church that provides opportunity for those experiencing poverty or other challenges, to come "in from the cold" and get together in relationship with others while exploring the mystery and privilege of giving and receiving in the context of safety, loving hospitality, respect and dignity.
Week two of performances (November 12-15th) will focus on the Westboro Region Food Bank, a ministry of All Saints Westboro Anglican Church, where the community is committed to feeding their neighbours who are most vulnerable to food insecurity. Operating over 40 years, they offer support to their neighbours by providing staples like cereals and grains, canned vegetables and meats, as well as milk, eggs, and breads.