Voices of Joan
The PACT invites an impactful retelling of Joan of Arc and her trial in the radical feminism show, ‘Voices of Joan’. From the second you walk into the theatre space, Janie Gibson is sitting already in performance - an action that brings an inviting and original way to start a piece I haven’t seen yet. It’s an interesting feeling watching Gibson sit and observe whilst the audience trudges in and settles themselves. You are enthralled and already on the edge of your seat for what she does next. As soon as you step into 'Voices of Joan', you are engulfed and it doesn’t stop until you leave.
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Gibson did a fantastic job at inviting the audience through her crowd work, making the audience come alive in the show itself. This show became immersive to another level as the audience is fully a part of the show; the trial of Joan of Arc is us.
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​​Image by Ange Maloney
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Perhaps one of the best uses of space was the end scene where Gibson encourages the audience to pick up the chairs they’ve been sitting on and stack them all upon one another. With the symbolisation of Gibson placing Joan’s sword in the middle of the stack, she further asks the audience to individually pick up an electric candle and place it wherever they wished on the stack of chairs – a signification of the death of Joan of Arc as we sit in tribute of her plight. As we all sit in silence, there was a collective mourning for Joan–such a raw and emotional way to end the play that was so palpable as we congregated together on the floor of the bleachers. You could almost taste the feeling of togetherness we all had in that moment.
The use of crowd work throughout, made for an innovative and authentic sensation for the audience. Because the crowd work was carried through so well from start to finish, the end memorial scene felt like an entirely impactful moment as you witnessed the arc of the play.
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For such a large space as the PATC, Director and Co-Creator, Anu Almagro did a spectacular job of utilising the entire space– all of its nooks and crannies– in imaginative ways. Highlights were the costume changes and creatively activating all parts of the stage – from the huge projection of one of Gibson’s monologues onto the brick wall behind her, or the act of Gibson climbing the industrial structure of the bleachers. While staging was encompassing and effective, it was sometimes awkward as Gibson would be behind the audience’s seats at the back of the room, creating a bit of an uncomfortable head turn for the audience that sometimes became tiring. I can still understand and appreciate trying to use the whole space.
From the surmount of costume changes to Gibson’s dramatic and impactful monologues, Almagro and Gibson really did a great job at encapsulating the feminist acts from Joan of Arc in medieval times, to the misogyny experienced in the present day. One of the most innovative ways this was experienced was through the Hamilton-inspired rap about misogyny from ‘Mr Misogyny’ himself, the uncomfortable, sexist, inappropriate version of a man that Gibson imitates, a man I can assume most women have definitely come across.
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​​Image by Ange Maloney
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For people wanting to watch a radical and punk production through the misogynist triumphs of Joan of Arc herself, this is the show for them.​​​​​
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Voices of Joan plays until September 14 at PACT Centre.
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