In a brand-new performance at Shakespeare’s Globe, Joan of Arc will be depicted as a non-binary character
Isobel Thom, a non-binary performer, will portray the famous French heroine famed for valiantly leading the French in fights against English soldiers during the Hundred Years War.
The pronouns of the French patron saint have been changed in the play’s script, which premieres this month at the famous theater.
The show will “challenge the gender binary” and “present the potential of another point of view,” according to creative director Michelle Terry, who also called it as “powerful and joyful.”
“For centuries, Joan has been a cultural icon portrayed in countless plays, books, films, etc,” she said.
“History has provided countless and wonderful examples of Joan portrayed as a woman. This production is simply offering the possibility of another point of view. That is the role of theatre: to simply ask the question, ‘Imagine if?’”
“Theatres create plays, and in plays, everything is conceivable,” Terry concluded. Shakespeare did not compose plays that were historically accurate. He used historical characters to pose queries about his surroundings.
Shakespeare, like the Globe, “was not frightened of discomfort.”
The Globe was “dedicated to creating an open and diverse organization” and was ready to make “required change,” according to a statement on its website.
It stated, “We seek to foster a climate and atmosphere where each individual’s experience at Shakespeare’s Globe is equal, inclusive, and egalitarian.
I, Joan will be staged at the Globe from August 25 to October 22.
