Janie Gibson has written a show about Joan of Arc called Voices of Joan, which she is presenting at Sydney Fringe 2024. We chatted to Janie about how she researched and wrote the show and what audiences can expect. Read on to find out.
Bonsoir Janie, you’re bringing the show Voices of Joan to Sydney Fringe. Please tell us about the show. What can audiences expect?
Voices of Joan is a feminist punk ritual unravelling the history of misogyny through a radical retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. Audience can expect a funny, poignant and thought-provoking evening of theatre.
What inspired you to write a show about Joan of Arc?
I love Joan of Arc. I saw a play about her and was so moved I wanted to tell her story. She was so courageous and it was also so sad how she was treated. I wanted to be able to have some of that kind of courage in my own life.
The show includes words spoken by Joan of Arc at her trial, translated in textbooks, imagined in poetry and illuminated in drama. It sounds like you have done a lot of research about Joan of Arc. How did you go about doing that research?
I did tons of research. After seeing Saint Joan by Bernanrd Shaw, I began to research the source material for her story and came across the transcript of her trial for heresy. It is the most detailed medieval trial ever to be recorded. It’s like a small novel! The words of the catholic church of the day are filled with juicy rhetoric and we ever get a sense of Joan’s tenacity, courage and conviction through the trial records. This, along with my other research, revealed some fascinating things about her story that I felt other, mostly male, playwrights had overlooked. So I wanted to tell it my way.
How relevant is Joan of Arc’s story today?
Joan of Arc is a figure that has inspired many artists across time. From Leonard Cohen, to Madonna, Shakespeare and Mark Twain. Her story is so powerful that it continues to resonate in the lives of people living today, courage to speak truth to power and fighting for sovereignty of their countries, body or identity. In our times, where the very nature of truth is being questioned, where we need to reckon with the wrongs of our past in order to right our future, Voices Of Joan presents an entertaining, moving and thought-provoking evening of theatre which challenges the audience to become not just spectators but agents of change.
The show is directed by Anu Almagro of Songs of the Goat Theatre. How long have you worked together? How did you come to work together? What do you look for in a show director?
Voices Of Joan is a unique Australian and European collaboration between myself and Finnish director Anu Almagro. We met when we were training and working together in Poland at Song Of the Goat. Anu is my dream director and we have created this show together. She is strong, creative and as well as working hard, we laugh alot – because we are friends.
How long have you been writing and performing? Have you had a love of the arts from a young age? What made you decide to pursue it?
I have been working as an artist since I was at university in Sydney. I love theatre. It’s such a special artform to bring people together to experience a story in real time. To laugh together, cry together and contemplate some of life’s big questions. What a special thing! And I’ve devoted my life to it!
What does it mean to you to return to Newcastle and start a theatre company in your hometown?
It has been truly special to return to my hometown and start a theatre company. Last year we had 2669 people come to our shows! They keep selling out. It’s truly touching to connect with audiences again after COVID. And I’m so pumped to be taking my work to Sydney audiences!
How do you blend your various influences into this new work?
The audience is drawn into the story through a diverse range of performance styles incorporating direct audience address, character, historical verbatim, irreverent comedy, dramatic monologue and audience participation.. With minimalist stage design, my storytelling is supported by the intricate sound landscapes of Liesl Pieterse and the lighting design of Fausto Brusamolino. All of these elements have been shaped together by the director Anu!
What message or experience do you hope to convey to audiences through Voices Of Joan?
I hope people are moved, feel alive and feel inspired to be courageous.
What audiences is this show for?
Audiences resonate with the personal and universal themes in Voices Of Joan of women’s rights, courage, truth and power. Women of all ages engage strongly with the work, as do general public audiences interested in feminism, politics, history and human rights.
Why should audiences come to see Voices of Joan at Sydney Fringe?
People love this show. Our last season sold out and people still come up to me in the street to tell me that they saw the work and how much it moved them. So believe them, not me, haha! We’re on for Just 2 weeks from Sept 3-14 at PACT Theatre.
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We thank Janie Gibson for this interview and look forward to seeing the show at Sydney Fringe.
KEY INFO FOR VOICES OF JOAN
WHAT: Voices of Joan
WHEN: 3–7 and 10–14 September 2024
WHERE: PACT, 107 Railway Parade, Erskineville
HOW: Book your tickets via this link
HOW MUCH: Tickets cost between $30 and $39
More Sydney Fringe? Read our article about shows with French and Francophone links at Sydney Fringe.
