• By ROBIN MILLER
• Arts writer
• Published: Oct 4, 2009

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Dr. Martha Livingstone takes some professional liberties that Blanche Bienvenu wouldn’t.

First, Dr. Livingstone hugs Agnes. Second, she becomes attached, almost obsessively attached.

There’s no question that Dr. Livingstone has Agnes’ best interest at heart. Mother Superior does, too. And the two play an ideological tug-of-war in trying to help her.

Maybe that’s why Dr. Livingstone crosses professional lines between psychiatrist and sister. Yes, sister, but not in the Catholic sense.

“Her sister joined the convent at a young age – 15,” Bienvenu said. “And her sister died young in the convent, because she didn’t get the medical help she needed.”

So, perhaps Dr. Livingstone sees her sister when she looks at Agnes. It’s a scenario Bienvenu was willing to explore when accepting the role in Baton Rouge Little Theater’s 2nd Stage production of Agnes of God.

The play opens Friday, Oct. 9, and features a cast of three.

Bienvenu is Dr. Livingstone. She is joined by Leslie Greene as Mother Miriam Ruth and Lauren Regner as Agnes.

Regner is the only veteran in this production; Greene and Bienvenu are newcomers to the little theater’s stage.

“And it’s been great,” Bienvenu said. “This part seemed natural for me, because I’m a social worker.”

So there’s the connection. And being a real-life social worker, Bienvenu knows to stick to professional rules and protocol. She also knows Dr. Livingstone can’t help herself.

“She gets very involved in this case,” Bienvenu said. “But she has her reasons.”

“And there are so many layers here,” Regner said. “Once you peel one layer away and think you have it figured out, there’s another layer.”

And you already know what lies beneath one of the layers. Dr. Livingstone’s sister died in a convent. Then there’s Mother Superior’s layer. Agnes is the daughter of her real-life sister.

“And Agnes’ mother, Mother Superior’s sister, was an alcoholic,” Regner said. “The only thing she knows of the world is the world of her alcoholic mother. She’s an innocent, and that’s one thing I had to learn when taking this role — the difference between childlike and innocent.”

There’s no question that the part of Agnes is emotionally heavy. This could be the summation for the entire play.

John Pielmeier’s play opened March 30, 1982, in Broadway’s Music Box Theatre, and was adapted for a movie in 1985 starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly.

Its title is a play on the Latin phrase Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God, and tells the story of a naïve novice nun who gives birth. Her baby is discovered wrapped in bloody sheets and stuffed in her bedroom wastebasket, and questions arise.

Did Agnes kill the baby? And who impregnated her?

Agnes, meantime, insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. The court assigns Martha Livingstone to investigate the case to determine if Agnes is competent to stand trial for murder. She discovers that Agnes knows nothing of sex.

And she finds herself investigating not only Agnes’ life but the foundation of her own beliefs, or lack thereof.

“This story is more about faith versus science, and the possibility of the two getting along,” Bill Martin said.

He’s director of this production, but this isn’t his first brush with Agnes.

“I directed it for an off-off-off-Broadway production when I lived in New York,” he said. “And it’s an interesting story, because in polite company, you don’t discuss religion or politics. And this play talks about both. It takes on a lot of taboos.”

He pauses, smiles.

“It’s challenging,” he said. “It’s definitely not date-night at the theater. You have to come prepared to be engaged.”

But also prepare for a powerful theatrical experience, for the dialogue never stops as layers unfold. Surprises are discovered beneath surprises, all coming to what conclusion? Well, that answer is best discovered in the performance.

“This cast has been great to work with,” Martin said. “I’m extraordinarily happy with how they’ve come together. I don’t know if I’ve learned anything new from directing it, but the play has confirmed for me the fact that people are firmly grounded in their societies.”

The boundaries of those societies, many times, are formed by a line of work. In this case, its the religious dogma of the Catholic church and the scientific views of psychiatry.

“And here, the stakes are extraordinarily high, because of the taboos,” Martin said.

Which only adds to the story’s heaviness. It only seems natural at this point to ask about this story’s attraction.

What led these actresses to audition for this story?

“I’ve done only musical theater since I’ve been working with the Little Theater, so I thought I’d like to do something serious,” Regner said. “I read the script, and it was wonderful.”

It didn’t come without challenges. Regner calls herself a Batholic, the combination of her parents’ Catholic and Baptist faiths.

“I know about some things, but this play goes deeper,” Regner said.

Add to that Agnes’ French heritage and Latin songs performed in an ethereal voice, and Regner definitely had her work cut out for her.

Martin asked for a voice coach, who taught Regner to speak in a French accent. He also knew someone who could interpret the Latin song into English.

Now, Regner still sings the song in Latin, but she knows what she is singing.

“And her singing is so crucial in this play,” he said.

For Greene, though, the attraction was the movie. She remembered Anne Bancroft’s portrayal of Mother Superior, and she loved it.

“And you know, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for women to find roles like this,” she said. “A lot of older women. And I love the idea of performing this play on the theater’s 2nd stage. It’s smaller, more intimate.”

As for Bienvenu, the attraction is obvious. She identifies with Dr. Livingstone.

“And if you want a religious angle, well, my parents prayed for me to get this role,” she said.

“You know, my grandmother always wanted be to be a nun,” Regner said, laughing. “And now I’m playing one on stage.”

And Bienvenu plays the psychiatrist who crosses the professional line.

Only to learn about herself.