Monastic Theater on the Eve of Lent

The photograph shows Céline and Thérèse posing together before the performance of a play about Joan of Arc. Thérèse wrote the play for her convent community. The performance was held as a gift in honor of their older sister, Mother Agnes of Jesus, also a nun at Lisieux.
​Such plays were often performed in the days and weeks before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, because Lent is an ascetic season, a time in which plays and entertainment are to be reduced. Even today, Mardi Gras is a time of theatrical performance in monasteries. 
This photo is a valuable document that shows nuns wearing costumes over their habits, and wigs over their veils!