Saint Joan Study Guide by The Broad Stage

SAINT JOAN

The Broad Stage presents

Saint Joan

17\18 SEASON

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

STUDENT MATINEE

FRI APR 13, 2018 11 AM GRADES 9â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

SAINT JOAN

Jane Deknatel Director, Performing Arts Center EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS STAFF Ilaan E. Mazzini, Director of Education & Community Programs Alisa De Los Santos, Education & Community Programs Manager Mandy Matthews, Education & Community Programs Associate Jen Bloom, Curriculum Specialist/Teaching Artist

THE BROAD STAGE 1310 11th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 Box Office 310.434.3200 Fax 310.434.3439 info@thebroadstage.com thebroadstage.com

Education and Community Programs at The Broad Stage is supported in part by The Herb Alpert Foundation Barbara Herman, in honor of Virginia Blywise The California Arts Council Johnny Carson Foundation City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Commission The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Sony Entertainment Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Ziering Family Foundation, a Support Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS Phone 310.434.3560 education@thebroadstage.com thebroadstage.com/education

SAINT JOAN

Greetings from The Broad Stage! Dear Educators,

Shaw is not easy material for students. I have offered lesson plans that require them (and you!) to speak and physicalize the text. Shaw’s plays are meant to be read, seen, heard, and argued. Every scene is based on deep conflict. Sometimes the winner is clear, and sometimes there are no easy answers. This does not mean the speakers give up: they either adjust their beliefs, or dig deeper to find the core of their beliefs so they can go return to verbal battle the next day. We are preparing our students for debating politics and social issues in a world where we can avoid debate no longer. Talk with your students about finding words for their passions, and how to listen to others work out their own. Bedlam will only be using 4 actors to perform their interpretation of Saint Joan. This is an amazing feat, but may be challenging for students who are also wrestling with attending their first play, or first production of a wordy, idea-based play from a playwright like Shaw. Setting and character will change in an instant, and the audience’s imagination will have to fill in the blanks of where the scene is taking place, and which characters the actors are portraying. On top of that, while there are a ton of spectacular events, there are many moments in Saint Joan that require following an actor’s intellectual progress. The audience will need to listen and be in tune with the actors’ voices, the quality of the ensemble’s listening, and the words in a more intense way to appreciate the story. In an era of soundbites and tweets, the nuances of biting into a giant, complex drama can be intimidating. Please use the curriculum to prepare your students for the unique challenges and opportunities of engaging with a play. The directing and acting exercises included in this curriculum are intended to be experiential, as is going to the theatre. I have been directing and teaching acting for almost twenty years to students of various ages and abilities; every day I am stunned by how quickly theatre can open hearts and minds. Giving students permission to speak in strong, passionate and political statements, make art, and discuss a character’s point of view in a more sophisticated way is extremely valuable. I truly hope these exercises empower educators to make space for risk. Please contact me if you have any questions, or any feedback on how these lesson plans might be more clearly aligned with your curricular goals. Don’t hesitate to contact the Education & Community Programs team at The Broad Stage with questions or ideas.

Very best, Jen Bloom

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

I am thrilled that you are bringing your students to see Bedlam’s production of Saint Joan at The Broad Stage. You are opening the door for the students to have a life-long relationship with live theatre, and with one of our most treasured playwrights. Shaw laid the foundation for so many of the stories and complex female characters we love today. Exposing students to Joan and her story can help frame discussions around power, gender, the conflict and collaboration between Church and War and the burning balance that comes in fighting for belief. We hope wrestling with Joan’s mission, and the words Shaw put in her mouth, serves your classroom as well.

SAINT JOAN

Contents Lessons Background Information - 5 Lesson 1: Using Historical Source Material to Write a Play - 6 Handout 1: Saint Joan Paintings - 10 Handout 2: Scene I excerpt - 11 Handout 3: Saint Joan Pictures for Scene VI - 13

17\18 SEASON

Handout 5: Excerpt from The Trial of Joan of Arc - 15 Lesson 2: Turning Words into Picture - 16 Lesson 3: Character Collage - 20 Handout 6: Quotes from Saint Joan - 23 Handout 7: Character Collage Worksheet - 25 Lesson 4: Playing Multiple Characters - 26

Additional Resources An Interview with Director, Eric Tucker - 29 Saint Joan Synopsis - 30 Character Summary - 31 Glossary - 33

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Handout 4: Fire Speech - 14

SAINT JOAN

Background Information Background Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw, dramatizes the life of 15th century French military figure Joan of Arc. It premiered in 1923, three years after St. Joan of Arc’s canonization by the Roman Catholic Church and is based on the substantial records of her trial. Notably, Shaw studied the transcripts and judged that the players of the time acted in good faith according to their beliefs. In his preface, he states: “There are no villains in the piece. Crime, like disease, is not interesting: it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all [there is] about it. It is what men do at their best, with good intentions, and what normal men and women find that they must and will do in spite of their intentions; that really concern us.”

17\18 SEASON

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Documentary Record The life of Joan of Arc is one of the best documented of her era. This is especially remarkable when one considers that she was not an aristocrat but rather a peasant girl. This fact is due partly to the trial record, and partly due also to the records of the later appeal of her case after the war when the trial was investigated and its verdict overturned.

SAINT JOAN

Lesson 1: Using Source Material to Write a Play Lesson at a Glance

Lesson Objective: Students analyze how a playwright uses a variety of visual, written and creative source materials to recreate historical events as characters’ dialogue and monologues. Students analyze a scene for given circumstances, and then write and share an original monologue based on paintings of a documented historical event. Duration: 60 minutes

Standards: CCSS Reading Standards for Literature Grades 9-10: 9.0 Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific word (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). VAPA Theatre, Grade Eight: 5.2 Identify career options in the dramatic arts, such as cinematographer, stage manager, radio announcer, or dramaturg; and research the education, training, and work experience necessary in that field. VAPA Theatre, Grades Nine-Twelve Proficient: 2.2 Write dialogues and scenes, applying basic dramatic structure: exposition, complication, conflict, crises, climax, and resolution. Concepts/Vocabulary: Character - a person in a novel, play, or movie. Source material – original, authoritative or basic materials utilized in research, such as diaries or manuscripts. Playwright - a person who writes a script and constructs a main idea of a play for the stage. Fictionalizing a Historical Character - the process of turning an actual person from history into a character in a work of fiction. Given Circumstances - the total set of environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions that a character in a drama undertakes. Monologue - a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical program. Dialogue - conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or movie. Primary Source – immediate, first-hand accounts of an event, object, person, work of art, etc. from people who had a direct connection to the subject. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, diaries, speeches, etc. Secondary Source – documents that describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary sources include articles in newspapers, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else’s original research. Guiding Questions: How does a playwright use source materials (primary and secondary sources) and creativity to re-create a moments in time? How do we draw inspiration from the past to inform the present? THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Materials: Handout 1: Saint Joan Paintings, Handout 2: Excerpt of Scene I, Handout 3: Saint Joan Pictures for Scene VI, Handout 4: Fire Speech, Handout 5: Excerpt from The Trial of Joan of Arc, paper, pens, laptops are optional

SAINT JOAN

Lesson Plan

Distribute Handout 2: Scene 1 excerpt and read as a class. Then, on their own, have students identify the given circumstances of this scene, using the same process that a playwright or actor might write or prepare a scene. Who is speaking? To whom are they speaking? What are they saying? What are they feeling or discovering? When is this happening? Where is it happening? Why are they speaking? How are the words being said? With loud or soft volume, emotions, or physical actions? Now, analyze the scene for given circumstances together. How might the given circumstances affect the way the actors play the characters? Using Primary and Secondary Sources Look at the pictures of Joan from Handout 1: Saint Joan Paintings. While observing, ask students to discuss what they notice with a partner. What can we infer about Joan’s personality by looking at these pictures? Which elements tell us something about Joan? How do you think Joan is feeling in each picture? Is this the Joan you imagined while reading Scene 1? Which of these pictures are primary or secondary sources? Discuss the events that occurred in Scene I as a class. What elements in the scene might Shaw have had to imagine and write fictionally? Joan heard voices that she believed were Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret and Archangel Michael and is driven by her faith in God, and her love of France. She was instructed to dress and live as a soldier, lead troops in battle to fight England, and go against the Church, which found her power a threat. Joan is presented as a complex and conflicted character full of both passion and stubborn will. She experienced deep insight and giant steps of personal growth, moments of joy and moments of great frustration. These dualities are what Shaw used to create an intriguing character.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Mini Lesson: Given Circumstances Start a discussion with your students about devices that a playwright uses to create a scene. Let students brainstorm and write a list of possibilities on the board. One device that both playwrights and actors use to create and prepare for a scene is called given circumstances. Given circumstances is the total set of environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions that a character in a drama undertakes. This means that playwrights and actors have to identify the “who, what, when, where, why and how” of a scene in order to better understand the motivation behind the character’s actions.

SAINT JOAN

TASK: Students will analyze Joan’s Fire Speech for given circumstances, read her trial, and write an original monologue following the Fire Speech, in the same style. Look at pictures and paintings of Saint Joan in the moments before she was burned in Handout 3: Saint Joan Pictures for Scene VI. Have students analyze the images and describe what they notice about Joan in these images. Read the excerpt from the Trial of Joan of Arc on Handout 5. Ask your students, is this a primary or secondary source?

Given students’ previous exploration of primary and secondary sources, ask students to consider these questions. How does a playwright render a historical character in a work of fiction? What does a playwright consider when she or he puts their own words in a character’s mouth? How do word choices, emotion and rhythm help communicate the inner struggle of a character? How does a playwright build a speech towards a point or realization/epiphany? Discuss the given circumstances of the Fire Speech. Why did Joan decide to tear up the recant she just signed? Creating a Complex Monologue for a Dramatic Historical Event Have students diagram the Fire Speech as if Shaw was building Joan a persuasive argument. For example: Statement 1: “Light your fire…My voices were right.” Supporting points that include a positive and negative emotional tact: “Yes, they told me that you were fools…” through “…wickedness and foolishness tempt me to hate Him:” Statement 2 (related): “All this is worse…seven times” Supporting points that include a positive and negative emotional tact: I could do without…but without these things I cannot live;” Realization: “and by your wanting…you are not fit that I should live among you.” Button: “That is my last word to you.” Have students write a monologue for Joan, following the Fire Speech, that she might say to the people in the town square, or to the saints and angels who advised her. The monologue should be crafted to show several layers of emotion, and include a moment of insight. Students may read their own monologues out loud, or switch with another student for feedback.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Finally, in small groups, or as a class, read what is known as the Fire Speech, delivered by Joan in the final moments of her trial, on Handout 4. Analyze for: *moments of longing *moments of wrath *moments of realization

SAINT JOAN

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Students will correctly identify primary and secondary sources and understand how they are used to create works of fiction. • Student will write a monologue that demonstrates understanding of the given circumstances of the scene and primary and secondary sources related to the life of Joan of Arc. • Students will deliver original monologues using a persuasive structure similar to Shaw’s Fire Speech. PURPOSE: Students will better understand the process of writing a monologue and analyzing a scene for given circumstances. Student Reflection How does a playwright shape a character? What qualities about the character does a playwright make fictional or non-fictional? How does time effect the way people view events, concepts or people from the past?

17\18 SEASON

Ask students to discuss this question: how does society react to, create, and rebel against female leaders? Who are some female role models in your life?

Food for Thought In the Fire Speech, Joan defines what she believes is worth living for. How do you define a life worth living? Do you think Joan was right in choosing to die? Throughout the trial, Joan is asked to be someone that she is not, simply because others want her to be. In what situations might you asked to be someone that you are not?

Research What It Means to be a Playwright Have students research and incite curiosity on the career path of a playwright. Students should research education, training and work experience necessary. Ask students to report back on their findings.

Take it Futher! George Bernard Shaw’s complicated relationship with organized religion was well-documented. However, he chose to write Saint Joan three years after the Catholic Church recognized her as a saint. In Joan’s “Fire Speech”, Shaw references another literary source, the Old Testament of the Bible, with Joan’s insistence that, “His [God’s] ways are not your ways.” Thinking as a playwright, why might Shaw have chosen to use this verse as one of the only direct references to the Bible in the play?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Take it Further!

SAINT JOAN

Listening to the Voices by D.N. Maillart, c. 1893

Unknown

Joan of Arc by Bastien Lepage, c. 1879

Miniature (15th century) THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Handout 1: Saint Joan Paintings

SAINT JOAN

Handout 2: Scene I excerpt

ROBERT. Praying! Ha! You believe she prays, you idiot. I know the sort of girl that is always talking to soldiers. She shall talk to me a bit. [He goes to the window and shouts fiercely through it] Hallo, you there! A GIRL’S VOICE [bright, strong, and rough] Is it me, sir? ROBERT. Yes, you. THE VOICE. Be you captain?

STEWARD [whispering] She wants to go and be a soldier herself. She wants you to give her soldier’s clothes. Armor, sir! And a sword! Actually! [He steals behind Robert]. Joan appears in the turret doorway. She is an able-bodied country girl of 17 or 18, respectably dressed in red, with an uncommon face; eyes very wide apart and bulging as they often do in very imaginative people, a long wellshaped nose with wide nostrils, a short upper lip, resolute but full-lipped mouth, and handsome fighting chin. She comes eagerly to the table, delighted at having penetrated to Baudricourt’s presence at last, and full of hope as to the results. His scowl does not check or frighten her in the least. Her voice is normally a hearty coaxing voice, very confident, very appealing, very hard to resist. JOAN [bobbing a curtsey] Good morning, captain squire. Captain: you are to give me a horse and armor and some soldiers, and send me to the Dauphin. Those are your orders from my Lord. ROBERT [outraged] Orders from your lord! And who the devil may your lord be? Go back to him, and tell him that I am neither duke nor peer at his orders: I am squire of Baudricourt; and I take no orders except from the king. JOAN [reassuringly] Yes, squire: that is all right. My Lord is the King of Heaven. ROBERT. Why, the girl’s mad. [To the steward] Why didn’t you tell me so, you blockhead? STEWARD. Sir: do not anger her: give her what she wants. JOAN [impatient, but friendly] They all say I am mad until I talk to them, squire. But you see that it is the will of God that you are to do what He has put into my mind.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

ROBERT. Yes, damn your impudence, I be captain. Come up here. [To the soldiers in the yard] Shew her the way, you. And shove her along quick. [He leaves the window, and returns to his place at the table, where he sits magisterially].

SAINT JOAN

ROBERT. It is the will of God that I shall send you back to your father with orders to put you under lock and key and thrash the madness out of you. What have you to say to that? JOAN. You think you will, squire; but you will find it all coming quite different. You said you would not see me; but here I am. STEWARD [appealing] Yes, sir. You see, sir. ROBERT. Hold your tongue, you. STEWARD [abjectly] Yes, sir. ROBERT [to Joan, with a sour loss of confidence] So you are presuming on my seeing you, are you? JOAN [sweetly] Yes, squire.

17\18 SEASON

JOAN [busily] Please do, squire. The horse will cost sixteen francs. It is a good deal of money: but I can save it on the armor. I can find a soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s armor that will fit me well enough: I am very hardy; and I do not need beautiful armor made to my measure like you wear. I shall not want many soldiers: the Dauphin will give me all I need to raise the siege of Orleans. ROBERT [flabbergasted] To raise the siege of Orleans! JOAN [simply] Yes, squire: that is what God is sending me to do. Three men will be enough for you to send with me if they are good men and gentle to me. They have promised to come with me.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

ROBERT [feeling that he has lost ground, brings down his two fists squarely on the table, and inflates his chest imposingly to cure the unwelcome and only too familiar sensation] Now listen to me. I am going to assert myself.

SAINT JOAN

Handout 3: Saint Joan Pictures for Scene VI

17\18 SEASON

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

SAINT JOAN

Handout 4: Fire Speech

JOAN: (rising in consternation and terrible anger) Perpetual imprisonment! Am I not then to be set free (She rushes to the table; snatches up the paper; and tears it into fragments)

Yes: they told me you were fools (the word gives great offence), and that I was not to listen to your fine words nor trust your charity. You promised me my life; but you lied (indignant exclamations). You think that life is nothing but not being stone dead. It is not the bread and water I fear: I can live on bread: when have I asked for more? It is no hardship to drink water if the water be clean. Bread has no sorrow for me, and water no affliction. But to shut me from the light of the sky and the sight of the fields and flowers; to chain my feet so that I can never again ride with the soldiers nor climb the hills; to make me breathe foul damp darkness and keep from me everything that brings me back to the love of god when your wickedness and foolishness tempt me to hate Him: all this is worse than the furnace in the Bible that was heated seven times. I could do without my warhorse; I could drag about in a skirt; I could let the banners and the trumpets and the knights and soldiers pass me and leave me behind as they leave the other women, if only I could still hear the wind in the trees, the larks in the sunshine, the young lambs crying through the healthy frost, and the blessed church bells that send my angel voices floating to me on the wind. But without these things I cannot live; and by your wanting to take them away from me, or from any human creature, I know that your counsel is of the devil, and that mine is of God. His ways are not your ways. He wills that I go through the fire to His bosom; for I am His child, and you are not fit that I should live among you. That is my last word to you.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Light your fire: do you think I dread it as much as the life of a rat in a hole? My voices were right.

SAINT JOAN

Handout 5: Excerpt from The Trial of Joan of Arc

[349] Asked for what reason she had assumed male costume, she answered that it was more lawful and convenient for her to wear it, since she was among men, than to wear woman’s dress. She said she had resumed it because the promises made to her had not been kept, which were to permit her to go to Mass and receive her Saviour, and to take off her chains. Asked whether she had not abjured and sworn in particular not to resume this male costume, she answered that she would rather die than be in chains, but if she were allowed to go to Mass, if her chains were taken off and she were put in a gracious prison [and were given a woman as companion], she would be good and obey the Church.

Asked what they told her, she answered that they told her God had sent her word through St. Catherine and St. Margaret of the great pity of this treason by which she consented to abjure and recant in order to save her life; that she had damned herself to save her life. She said that before Thursday they told her what to do and say then, which she did. Further her voices told her, when she was on the scaffold or platform before the people, to answer the preacher boldly. The said Jeanne declared that he was a false preacher, and had accused her of many things she had not done. She said that if she declared God had not sent her she would damn herself, for in truth she was sent from God. She said-that her voices had since told her that she had done a great evil in declaring that what she had done was wrong. She said that what she had declared and recanted on Thursday was done only for fear of the fire. [350] Asked if she believed her voices to be St. Catherine and St. Margaret, she answered “Yes, and they came from God.” Asked to speak truthfully of the crown which is mentioned above, she replied: “In everything, I told you the truth about it in my trial, as well as I could.” When she was told that when she made her abjuration on the scaffold or platform before the judges and the people, she had admitted that she had falsely boasted that her voices were St. Catherine and St. Margaret, she answered that she did not mean to do or say so. She said she did not deny or intend to deny her apparitions, that is that they were St. Catherine and St. Margaret; all that she said was from fear of the fire. She recanted nothing which was not against the truth. She said she would rather do penance once and for all, that is die, than endure any longer the suffering of her prison. She said that whatever they had made her deny she had never done anything against God or the faith: she did not understand what was in the formula of abjuration. She said she did not mean to revoke anything except at God’s good pleasure. If the judges wished, she would once more wear woman’s dress, but for the rest she would do no more. After hearing these declarations we left her to proceed further according to law and reason. Read the full trial here: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/joanofarc-trial.asp

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

As we her judges had heard from certain people that she had not yet cut herself off from her illusions and pretended revelations, Which she had previously renounced, we asked her whether she had not since Thursday heard the voices of St. Catherine and St. Margaret. She answered yes.

SAINT JOAN

Lesson 2: Turning Words into Picture Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Using three-frame tableaus and imagined environments, students create stage pictures which show major themes, plot events, character relationships, and locations in Shaw’s Saint Joan. Duration: 60 minutes

Standards: CCSS Speaking and Listening, Grades 11-12: 1b Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. CCSS Language, Grades 11-12: 4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. VAPA Theatre, Grades Nine-Twelve Advanced: 2.3 Work collaboratively as designer, producer, or actor to meet directorial goals in scenes and plays from a variety of contemporary and classical playwrights. Concepts/Vocabulary: Blocking - onstage movement of an actor, created in collaboration with a director, showing character and story. Composition/Stage Picture - the overall visual effect on stage created by the actors, scenery and lighting, demonstrating key moments on the plot, theme, and character. Environment - the location, including the visual and atmospheric world of the play, sometimes called the setting. Depth – objects or characters staged in the foreground, middle ground and background of a stage picture. Diagonal Lines – lines that travel from one corner of a stage picture to opposite corner. Event - a dramatic moment in the plot. Lateral Lines – either horizontal or vertical lines. Levels - objects or characters staged in high, middle and low positions relative to one another. Theme - the central topics or main ideas of a piece of theatre or literature. Collaboration - creating as an ensemble, following direction. Tableau - a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene. Ensemble – a group of artists performing together. Guiding Questions: How does a director and ensemble tell the story of a play using stage pictures without a big set? How does composition/stage picture contribute to plot, theme and character development? Introduction

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Materials: A small open space or moveable chairs, desks, benches etc., full text of Saint Joan, dictionary

SAINT JOAN

Lesson Plan In order to be successful with the activities in the following lessons, student must be familiar with the plot and characters in Saint Joan. Have students either read the following excerpts from each scene, read the entire play or watch a film version. Ask students to take notes focusing on themes and the progression of the plot. Scene 1: Pages 153 - 154 Scene 2: Pages 169 - 172 (top) Scene 3: Pages 175 - 176 Scene 4: Pages 181 - 183 Scene 5: Pages 192 - 195 Scene 6: Pages 209 - 212 Come back together as a class and create a timeline of the plot, highlighting important themes and characters on the board.

17\18 SEASON

Discuss a directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tools of depth, levels, diagonal lines and lateral lines for creating composition that tells a story on film. Have students analyze the use of depth, levels, diagonal lines and lateral lines within their stills. Ask students to discuss their stills with a partner. What do you think is happening? What are the characters feeling? What about the composition tells gives you a hint? Mini Lesson: Stage Pictures Step 1: Place students in teams of 5. Each team will have one minute to create the setting you call out (i.e. beach, kindergarten, jungle, etc.) in a space in the room. Encourage other students to participate by analyzing the scene or making adjustments to the composition. Prompt students to use furniture, their bodies and sound effects to make the setting appear. Step 2: Now add a simple events with beginnings, middles and ends (i.e. birth, death, surprise party, stealing money, marriage proposal, car crash, etc.) to each setting. Show each event in three tableaus: beginning, middle and end.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Mini Lesson: Visual Storytelling through Composition As a homework or in class assignment, have students find a screen shot of a favorite moment from a television show or film that represents the story without explanation.

SAINT JOAN

Mini Lesson: Motifs in Saint Joan Brainstorm concepts, images or objects that reoccur in Saint Joan. These are called motifs, and can be used as a device to help develop or inform the central theme of a piece of literature. Examples could include occurrences of miracles, leadership, descriptions of nature, etc. In groups of 4-6, students will make tableaus of each instance of their chosen motif. Ex: Make tableaus of all the miracles, including those that occur offstage in the play.

• Joan, a simple peasant girl, claims to experience visions of Saint Margaret, Saint Catherine, and the archangel Michael, whom she says were sent by God to guide her. • Hens start laying eggs. • The wind changes, and Joan and her army can cross the river to Orleans. • Joan correctly identifies Charles, when presented with Bluebeard in Charles’ place. • The Dauphin is crowned. • Joan hears voices in the Church Bells. • Joan survives a fall from a 60 foot prison. • Joan’s heart does not burn. • Joan is canonized as a Saint. • Joan’s Ghost visits Charles.

17\18 SEASON

Staging Events to Show Plot and Themes in Saint Joan Warm Up: Circle Gesture Game Ask students to stand in a circle and refer to the list of plot points on the board. Have students create a gesture and phrase to describe the plot point of their choice. Moving around the circle, each students says the phrase and performs the gesture with feeling appropriate to the event, and other students mirror the phrase and gesture back. Stage Pictures in Saint Joan Note to Educator: To complete the next activity, students will need access to the full text of Saint Joan. TASK: Students investigate the text and create tableaus in small groups to better understand the major plot points in Saint Joan. 1. Put students in small groups of about 6 and have them elect one director per group. 2. Assign a scene for each group to investigate and stage in three tableaus (beginning, middle, end). Remind students of the etiquette of collaboration: listening to others’ ideas, letting go when your ideas evolve, etc. The whole group will collaborate but ultimately the director will decide what to keep. 3. Have each group read their scene together, highlight a short section that captures the heart of the event, look up any unfamiliar words and discuss the character’s emotions and purpose in the scene. 4. Students will ask questions of the text to better understand the underlying theme within the plot. Students may also want to refer to the plot synopsis or character summary to review character’s backstories to this point.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Based on the students’ tableau work, discuss the ways in which the playwright’s treatment of a motif throughout the play informs the theme of the work.

SAINT JOAN

Example questions for Scene 1: Robert goes from wanting to reprimand Joan to giving her everything she asks for. Why? How does that inform the events of the rest of the play? 5. Give students 10 minutes to discuss and create the scene in three tableaus. Encourage students to discuss the given circumstances in their scene. One of their tableaus (beginning or end) can be something that happened to inform the scene, or happens as a result of the scene. 6. Give students an additional 10 minutes to stage their tableaus.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Students use their bodies, space and a simple set to convey plot. • Groups collaborate effectively. • Tableau progression demonstrates student understanding of basic plot structure. • Students’ textual analysis is reflected in the composition of their tableaus. • As audience members, students identify elements of composition and connect those elements to characters’ relationships and feelings. PURPOSE: To learn how to effectively use tableaus to better understand plot, themes and how a director creates a stage picture. Student Reflection What was difficult about using tableau to represent an event? Was there one element of composition that you found particularly effective for communicating characters’ relationship or feelings? How was it useful? How did it feel to collaborate with a director as an ensemble?

Take it Further! If tableau is a particularly effective tool for your students, you may take the time to challenge students to tell the entire story of Saint Joan in a 5 minute “slideshow” of tableaus. The challenge here is to work together to make clear each character’s inner change over time throughout the course of the “slideshow”.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

7. Have the groups share their tableaus, starting at Scene I. After viewing each set of tableaus, ask the audience to answer these questions: What does the composition tell us about the characters’ feelings and relationships? What are the relationships you see developing and changing? How do the actors show what character they are playing? What is the environment? What themes do you see?

SAINT JOAN

Lesson 3: Character Collage: Who is Joan? Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Introduce students to the themes of the play, and major facets of the character, Joan. Students will use their bodies, voices, gestures, quotes from the play, and observations to present â&#x20AC;&#x153;character collagesâ&#x20AC;? of Joan. Duration: 60 minutes

Standards: CCSS Reading for Literature Grades 9-10: 3.0 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS Reading for Literature, Grades 11-12, 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.) CCSS Writing, Grades 11-12, 3d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. VAPA Theatre, Grades Nine-Twelve Advanced: 2.1 Make acting choices, using script analysis, character research, reflection, create characters from classical, contemporary, realistic, and nonrealistic dramatic texts. Concepts/Vocabulary: Character - a person in a novel, play, or movie. Source material - research, historical records, diaries, visual art, and other material used to inspire artists in the creation of original work. Playwright - a person who writes a script and constructs a main idea of a play for the stage. Fictionalizing a Historical Character - the process of turning an actual person from history into a character in a work of fiction. Gesture - a physical movement that communicates feeling or images. Guiding Questions: Why is this play important for us to study right now? Why are audiences drawn to rebellious characters?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Materials: Handout 6: Quotes from Saint Joan, Handout 7: Character Collage

SAINT JOAN

Lesson Plan Warm Up: Circle Gesture Game Ask students to stand in a circle. One student says “When I think of Saint Joan, I think of ____” and says the word or phrase with feeling and adds a related gesture. Moving around the circle, each student says a different phrase and performs the gesture with feeling appropriate to the event, and other students mirror the phrase and gesture back. Examine Shaw’s Words Break students off into pairs and distribute Handout 6. Allow each student to choose a quote to investigate with their partner.

17\18 SEASON

Next, have students use their brief character analysis to deliver the quote the way they believe an actor would. Students may also deliver few lines before/after it using their partner as a scene partner. Based on their reading of the text, ask each student to choose one word they heard that defines Joan the most to them and explain their choice to their partner. Bring the class back together and lead a short discussion about Joan’s nature. Did each quote reveal a different aspect of Joan’s character? Does Joan begin the play as a complex character or does she develop into one by the end? Is it realistic for one person to be this complex? Do you think Shaw embellished her to make his play better? Discuss similarities and differences between Joan and other female leads in plays, television and film.

Research and Analysis Research and discuss the different sources that Shaw used to create the character of Joan for his play. Reference the changing character of Wonder Woman, another popular female soldier, throughout generations in comparison to Joan. Ask students to write a reflection answering this question: why is modern society interested in the character of a strong, powerful, rebellious woman?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Students find the quote in the text, read the text immediately surrounding that quote and work together to understand the quote contributes to the reader’s understanding of Joan’s character. How does Joan feel about herself in this moment? How does the other character feel about Joan? How do we as readers respond to complex characters?

SAINT JOAN

Character Collage: Creating Text for a Complex Character TASK: Students will work in groups to better understand Joan and develop their own interpretation of her. Distribute Handout 7: Character Collage. Complete the character collage handout as a class before students work independently. Remind students to use the quotes in Handout 6 and their earlier analysis of Joan to complete the prompt sentences in Handout 7: Character Collage. Note: Each student should pick a different facet of Joan to highlight. In an open space in the classroom, have one student stand and speak their sentence or quote from the text, and then freeze in a representative gesture. Then, one by one, have each student join the original student in the space with a statement and frozen gesture until each student has contributed. Note: if possible, each student should physically connected the group to result in a 3D character portrait.

17\18 SEASON

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Quotes and statements reflect students’ interpretation of Joan. • Gestures have an elegant fit with the statement or quote. • Students perform their collage with clear words, gestures and focus. PURPOSE: To better understand how a playwright creates a character, the complexities and characteristics of Joan and to discover personal interpretations of Joan. Student Reflection Why was a powerful woman so difficult for the authorities at the time to accept? If Joan was living now, would the same thing happen? Joan is driven by faith and her pride. How does that create a complex character? Why is modern society interested in the character of a strong, powerful, rebellious woman?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Next, all students will complete the same process in small groups of 5-7 in five minutes. At the end of five minutes, each group presents their collage to the group.

SAINT JOAN

Handout 6: Quotes from Saint Joan Scene 1. POULENGEY: We want a few mad people now. See where the sane ones have landed us! Scene 1. STEWARD. She is always talking to the soldiers except when she is praying. Scene 1. JOAN: They all say I am mad until I talk to them, squire. But you see that it is the will of God that you are to do what He has put into my mind. Scene 2. CHARLES: He is sending a saint: an angel. And she is coming to me: to me, the king, and not to you, Archbishop, holy as you are. She knows the blood royal if you don’t. Scene 2. THE ARCHBISHOP. This creature is not a saint. She is not even a respectable woman. She does not wear women’s clothes. She is dressed like a soldier, and rides round the country with soldiers. Do you suppose such a person can be admitted to your Highness’s court?

17\18 SEASON

Scene 3. JOAN: Then your older and wiser heads are fatheads: they have made a fool of you; and now they want to make a fool of me too... Scene 3. JOAN: Is this a time for patience? Our enemy is at our gates; and here we stand doing nothing. Oh, why are you not fighting? Listen to me: I will deliver you from fear. Scene 3. JOAN: I will never take a husband… I am a soldier: I do not want to be thought of as a woman. I will not dress as a woman. I do not care for the things women care for. They dream of lovers, and of money. I dream of leading a charge, and of placing the big guns. Scene 3. DUNOIS: You must know that I welcome you as a saint, not as a soldier. Scene 3. JOAN: My heart is full of courage, not of anger. I will lead; and your men will follow: that is all I can do. But I must do it: you shall not stop me. Scene 4. WARWICK: God grant that her soul may be saved! But the practical problem would seem to be how to save her soul without saving her body. For we must face it, my lord: if this cult of The Maid goes on, our cause is lost. Scene 4. THE CHAPLAIN: I know as a matter of plain common sense that the woman is a rebel...That is not to be endured. Let her perish. Let her burn. Let her not infect the whole flock. It is expedient that one woman die for the people. Scene 5. DUNOIS: She thinks she has God in her pocket. Up to now she has had the numbers on her side; and she has won. But I know Joan; and I see that someday she will go ahead when she has only ten men to do the work of a hundred. And then she will find that God is on the side of the big battalions. She will be taken by the enemy. THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Scene 2. CHARLES I have given the command of the army to The Maid. The Maid is to do as she likes with it.

SAINT JOAN

Scene 5. JOAN: Isn’t it strange, Jack? I am such a coward: I am frightened beyond words before a battle; but it is so dull afterwards when there is no danger: oh, so dull! dull! dull! Scene 5. JOAN: Sixteen thousand pounds! Eh, laddie, have they offered that for me? There cannot be so much money in the world. Scene 5. JOAN: In His strength I will dare, and dare, and dare, until I die. I will go out now to the common people, and let the love in their eyes comfort me for the hate in yours. You will all be glad to see me burnt; but if I go through the fire I shall go through it to their hearts for ever and ever. And so, God be with me! Scene 6. THE INQUISITOR: “It is a terrible thing to see a young and innocent creature crushed between these two forces, the Church and the Law.” Scene 6. THE EXECUTIONER: “Her heart would not burn, my Lord; but everything that was left is at the bottom of the river. You have heard the last of her.”

17\18 SEASON

Scene 6. JOAN: I cannot bear to be hurt; and if you hurt me I will say anything you like to stop the pain. But I will take it all back afterwards; so what is the use of it? Scene 6. JOAN: Thou are a rare noodle, Master. Do what was done last time is thy rule, eh? Scene 6. THE INQUISITOR: This is not a time for vanity, Joan. You stand in great peril. Scene 6. JOAN: His ways are not your ways. He wills that I go through the fire to His bosom; for I am His child, and you are not fit that I should live among you. That is my last word to you. Scene 6. THE CHAPLAIN: She asked for a cross. A soldier gave her two sticks tied together. Thank God he was an Englishman! Epilogue. CHARLES: If you could bring her back to life, they would burn her again within six months, for all their present adoration of her. And you would hold up the cross, too, just the same.” Epilogue. JOAN: I was burned, all the same. Can they unburn me? Epilogue. CAUCHON: Must then a Christ perish in torment in every age to save those that have no imagination? Epilogue. JOAN: O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints? How long, O Lord, how long?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Scene 6. JOAN: If you leave the door of the cage open the bird will fly out.

SAINT JOAN

Handout 7: Character Collage Students complete the following sentences. They start in neutral. One by one, they speak their sentence, or their chosen quote from the text, with an accompanying gesture that moves the whole group into a human “collage”. I am Saint Joan. (Said together.)

I feel .

I like .

I love .

17\18 SEASON

I despise .

My voices make me feel .

My friendship with Dunois makes me feel .

The trial makes me feel .

I feel about women’s clothing.

I believe

I hope that I can

When this is over I’d like to .

I am Saint Joan. (Said together.)

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

I dislike .

SAINT JOAN

Lesson 4: Playing Multiple Characters Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objective: Students discuss, brainstorm and demonstrate the different ways the same actor can play multiple parts using improvisation. Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Access to the internet. Student hats, coats, scarves, layers, simple objects from their desks or bag packs to create characters.

Concepts/Vocabulary: Characterization – a tool to show point-of view, plot and personality. Doubling – occurs when one actor plays multiple roles in the same production. Physicality – the physical being or a character; the manner in which an actor moves to portray a character. Vocal Placement – visual technique used to teach about vocal register and resonance. Guiding Questions: How does an actor use her/his voice, body and energy to play different characters in the same play, sometimes without leaving the stage? What is a “personality” and how does it manifest in a character? Note: Bedlam will only be using 4 actors to perform their interpretation of Saint Joan. This is an amazing feat, but may be challenging for students who are also wrestling with attending their first play.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Standards: VAPA Theatre, Grades Nine-Twelve Advanced: 2.1 Make acting choices, using script analysis, character research, reflection, create characters from classical, contemporary, realistic, and nonrealistic dramatic texts.

SAINT JOAN

Lesson Plan Introduction Watch these clips of actors, Kate McKinnon and Robin Williams perform a variety of different characters. Kate McKinnon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ-cmwlIHL4 My Top 10: Kate McKinnon SNL Characters/Impressions Robin Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1lNVJfNyIE Based on what students observed in the videos, list all the ways an actor might change herself/himself in order to communicate different characters. Make a list on the board. (Voice, Body, Intensity, Personality and all the ways personality manifests: manner, energy, speed, eye contact, etc.)

17\18 SEASON

Let your elbow initiate your movement around the space. Travel around the room using a locomotor movement (hop, slide, skip, crawl, etc.) Travel around the room in a straight pathway. Now travel in a curved pathway. Walk around the room with a steady beat. Now walk with an uneven or syncopated beat. Move lightly around the room as if you are walking on the clouds. Move around the room as if you were running late for school. As students explore, prompt them to examine what feelings come up for them in each movement and what type of character might move in each manner (i.e. walking in a straight line might make them feel confident, while walking a curved pattern might make them feel lost or indecisive). Perform Multiple Characters TASK: Students will use physicality and vocal placement to portray different well-known characters. In small groups of 3 or 4, have students select a common story with multiple characters, such as a fairy tale, to tell in a movie trailer format. Challenge students to utilize the gesture, beginning/middle/end, and vocal and operative word techniques they learned in previous lessons. Give students 10 minutes to create their movie trailer fairy tale, making sure that each student portrays at least two different characters. Students can use anything they have with them (hats, coats, scarves, layers, simple objects from their desks) to help them differentiate between characters. At the end of their working time, groups will share the trailers, and audience members will give feedback on the ways in which actors changed character successfully.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Movement Warm Up Create a space inside or outside for students to walk around the room. Ask students to first walk around naturally, but then to explore movement based on a concept or idea that you call out. The main concepts are to move with heaviness, lightness, fast, slow, bound, unbound, direct or indirect. Below are some examples.

SAINT JOAN

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: • Students work effectively in a group to tell a story in movie trailer form. • Students use vocal placement, energy and physicality to play multiple characters. • There is a clear difference between characters played by the same student. PURPOSE: To prepare students for Bedlam’s doubling of actors in Saint Joan by understanding how an actor creates multiple characters.

Post Play Discussion How did the four actors of Bedlam do this for Saint Joan? Did you see differences in vocal placement and physicality as actors changed between characters? Was the doubling clear or was it confusing? What, if anything, would you have done differently in the production?

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

17\18 SEASON

Student Reflection How did it feel to play two or more characters in one scene? What was the most challenging part about differentiating between the characters? Why? Why do you think a director would opt for having one actor double two characters? Could this potentially add anything to the production?

SAINT JOAN

An Interview with Director, Eric Tucker 1. What does George Bernard Shaw’s writing have to offer high school students? Shaw’s writing is incredibly sharp, it’s so smart. Everything is a beautifully layered argument, like brilliant lawyers sparing in an arena. I think his writing can teach students so much about great rhetoric and high minded conversation. I think Shaw is really funny and for students, this helps when they can find laughs along the way. 2. If you had to pick one, would you recommend reading, speaking, or hearing Shaw’s words to gain a better understanding? I think it’s the same as Shakespeare, you have to speak it. I think for students, it gets them out of their heads and so often they find reading boring. When they have to speak it, they have to stop and figure out what it means to make sense of it as it’s coming out of their mouths. And, it’s exciting when words suddenly make sense and you’re using them to do something to the other people in the scene. And, by speaking they can’t help but feel things and then they learn empathy. 3. When did you fall in love with Shaw? Why? I fell in love with Shaw the first time I worked on Saint Joan. I think it’s one of the greatest plays ever written and the language is as good as it gets. It’s hysterically funny and smart as I’ve said, but Shaw truly reaches Shakespearean heights in Joan’s speeches because as a writer he’s clever and full of wit but he’s writing with all of his heart as well. I think the play makes a fully formed human being out of Joan and she’s one of the greatest characters written for the stage.

17\18 SEASON

Joan is someone who stands by her convictions. She sees the potential for her world to be a better place and she makes that her life’s work. I think her absolute faith in God and in herself is inspiring and that kind of truly moving inspiration is desperately needed today. 5. You have worked on this play multiple times. How has your relationship to Joan’s story changed over your career? I think with really great writing you constantly find new things, deeper things every time you go back to it. There are endless layers and new meanings and of course we change as we get older and we hear things in different ways. I think a person can measure their own growth as a person by analyzing the way they hear and understand a piece of writing over the years. I think Joan is reckless and arrogant in many ways, and Shaw knew this about her, and unfortunately she doesn’t live long enough to learn from her mistakes but she remains true to herself and her cause even when faced with death. I think she does what few people would do in the situation. As I get older I realize more and more how rare that kind of person is and I find her story more moving each time I come back to it. 6. Do you have a favorite quote, passage or character? What, who, and why? “His ways are not your ways. He wills that I go through the fire to His bosom; for I am His child, and you are not fit that I should live among you. That is my last word to you.” I love when Joan says this because it’s so calm and final. With all of the excitement and confusion and anger going on all around her, she manages to say this so simply and plainly. Bio: Wall Street Journal DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 2014. Off Broadway: Vanity Fair (The Pearl); Bedlam’s Sense and Sensibility (Off Broadway Alliance Award, Lortel nom., Best Director, Drama League nom., Best Revival); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Drama League nom. Best Revival, WSJ Best Classical Production 2015; NY Times Critics’ Pick), Bedlam’s Saint Joan (NY Times/Time Magazine Top 10; Off Broadway Alliance Best Revival 2014), Bedlam’s Hamlet (NY Times Top 10; Time Out NY/ Backstage Critics’ Pick), Tina Packer’s Women of Will. For Bedlam: Hamlet/Saint Joan: McCarter Theatre; Central Sq. Theater (Elliott Norton: Outstanding Visiting Production/Outstanding Ensemble, Boston Globe Top Ten); Dead Dog Park, New York Animals (World Premiere by Steven Sater/Burt Bacharach), Twelfth Night and What You Will (NY Times Critics’ Picks), The Seagull (WSJ Best Classical Production 2014), Sense & Sensibility (NY Times Top 10, NY Times/WSJ/Time Out Critics’ Picks). Other: The Merry Wives of Windsor (Two River), Disney’s Beauty & The Beast (OSF); Pericles (APT); Sense and Sensibility (The Folger Theater, 8 Helen Hayes nominations including Best Director and Best Production), Copenhagen (Central Square Theater), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (HVSF), Mate (The Actors’ Gang). Eric received his M.F.A. from the Trinity Rep Conservatory. He resides in New York City where he is Artistic Director of Bedlam. THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

4. What drew you to tell the story of Saint Joan right now, in 2018? How will your production be unique to you and your company?

SAINT JOAN

Saint Joan Synopsis In 1429 A.D., a young country girl known simply as Joan of Arc, or sometimes simply as The Maid, is given an interview by Robert de Baudricourt since she will not leave until she speaks with him. She tells him that she needs horses and armor to go to the Dauphin of France and to raise the siege of Orleans, a city held captive by the English forces. She knows that a siege would be possible because the voices of Saints Margaret and Catherine have told her what to do. Upon being convinced by The Maid’s simplicity, Captain de Baudricourt grants her request. Upon arriving at the Dauphin’s castle, The Maid encounters all sorts of difficulties, especially with the Dauphin, who wants nothing to do with wars and fighting. When France’s military fortunes and predicament are reviewed, Joan’s demands that something be done to improve France’s condition fall on deaf ears, but when she is alone with the Dauphin, she is able to instill enough courage in him so that he finally consents to let her lead the army, knowing full well that she can’t make France’s condition worse. Joan then goes to the Loire River near Orleans, where she encounters Dunois, the commander of the French forces; he explains the necessity of waiting until the wind changes, but Joan is determined to lead her forces against the English stronghold without waiting; suddenly, the wind does change favorably, and Dunois pledges his allegiance to The Maid.

17\18 SEASON

The Bishop of Beauvais, Peter Cauchon, enters and discusses the fate of Joan of Arc. Cauchon’s principal intellectual concern is that Joan is setting up her own private conscience in place of the authority of the Church. Warwick, who is not influenced by the concerns of the Church, is, instead, concerned that Joan is telling the common people and the serfs to pledge their allegiance directly to the king, whereas the entire feudal system is based upon the lower classes pledging their allegiance to their immediate lords and masters. Joan’s simple pleas can possibly destroy the entire feudal system. Cauchon also adds that Joan is trying to get the common people to pledge further allegiance to their native countries (France and England) instead of to the Universal Catholic Church, an act which would further lessen the power of the Church. Thus, for different reasons, both agree that The Maid must be put to death. After more victories, Joan has finally been able to fulfill her promise to drive the English back and have the Dauphin crowned king in the Cathedral at Rheims. After the ceremony, Joan is anxious to move on and capture Paris and drive the English from the city. The Dauphin, however, is content now with what he has recaptured, Commander Dunois is hesitant to start another campaign after all of the recent successes, and the Archbishop is beginning to find Joan to be too proud and defiant. Joan then realizes that she must stand alone in the same way that “saints have always stood alone,” and in spite of the warning that if she falls into the enemy’s hands, neither the military, nor the state, nor the Church will lift a hand to rescue her. Some nine months later, Joan is standing trial for heresy. She has been imprisoned and in chains for these nine months and has been questioned many times about the validity of her “voices.” After many complicated theological questions, her accusers force Joan to admit that her voices were not heavenly sent voices but, instead, came from Satan. After her recantation of the voices, her judges then sentence her to perpetual imprisonment and isolation, living off only bread and water. Joan rejects this horrid punishment and tears up her recantation. She is immediately carried to the stake and burnt as a witch; afterward, the Executioner enters and announces that Joan’s heart would not burn. Some twenty-five years later, in an Epilogue, Joan reappears before the king (the former Dauphin) and her chief accusers, who have now been condemned by a subsequent court, which has pronounced Joan innocent of all charges and her judges guilty of all sorts of crimes. The time then moves to 1920, when Joan is declared to be a saint by the Church. As such, she now has the power to return as a living woman, and she asks everyone present if she should return. This is a horrifying prospect for them all, and they all confess that they wish her to remain dead. Joan then asks of God, “O Lord, how long before the world will be ready to accept its saints?” Synopsis from CliffsNotes.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Sometime later, in the English camp, Warwick, the leader of the English forces, and his chaplain, de Stogumber, are maintaining that The Maid must be a witch because there is no other way of accounting for the heavy English losses and defeats except by sorcery.

SAINT JOAN

Saint Joan Character Summary Joan of Arc, often referred to as The Maid Joan is, of course, the central character of the play. Based upon the historical character, Shaw presents her as a simple country girl who is uneducated but not unintelligent. For the public, Joan, according to Shaw’s Preface, offers her brilliant ideas in terms of voices from heaven which speak to her. Early in the play, she establishes her superiority in terms of military tactics and strategy, always knowing where to place the cannons and other artillery. Until her capture, she proves that her military strategy is flawless. Throughout the play, in all sorts of situations, Joan’s basic honesty and her innocence shine through all of the hypocrisy of the others, and when her judges use complicated ecclesiastical terms to trap her, her basic common sense makes them look stupid. She is, however, inexperienced in the ways of the medieval society and ignorant of the jealousies of the feudal system. Her belief in the rightness of her own conscience and her refusal to yield to the authority of the Church have caused Shaw and others to refer to her as the first Protestant to be martyred by the Catholic Church. Robert de Baudricourt A gentlemanly squire from Joan’s district, Lorraine; he is the first person of position or rank to back The Maid’s plans. Through him, Joan is able to obtain her first armor and her first chance to show her military skills. Bertrand de Poulengey (Polly) One of Joan’s first converts, he aids Joan in getting an audience with Robert de Baudricourt, and he later rides with her in the Battle of Orleans.

17\18 SEASON

Monseigneur de la Trémouille The Lord Chamberlain in the court of the Dauphin and also the “commander-in-chief” of the French forces. He has been accustomed to bullying the Dauphin, and, therefore, he deeply resents Joan when she is given command of the French forces. Gilles de Rais (Bluebeard) A captain in the army and a devoted follower of The Maid even though he is not a religious person. The Dauphin Later to be crowned Charles VII in the Rheims cathedral, the Dauphin is portrayed as weak, sniveling, and unconcerned about matters of the court or of the country. He is forced by The Maid to become more manly and to assume an authority that he does not want. Dunois (The Bastard) The young, popular, and efficient leader of the French forces who recognizes Joan’s military genius but in the final battle is not convinced that she should be saved. The Earl of Warwick The English earl in charge of the English forces and Joan’s most bitter and avid secular opponent. He sees Joan’s simple opinions that the people should give their allegiance directly to the king as being a threat to the loyalty that the feudal lords demand from their serfs. He demands Joan’s death as a way of retaining the status quo of the feudal system. John de Stogumber The Earl of Warwick’s chaplain. At first, he is seen as a vicious and ferocious accuser of Joan’s. He sees her in the most simplistic terms as a witch who should be burned without delay. He does not understand either the most complicated or the most subtle arguments concerning Joan’s threat to the Church and to the aristocracy. However, the most dramatic change of the entire drama occurs in the person of de Stogumber; after he has witnessed the burning of The Maid, he becomes a weak, broken man who spends the rest of his life trying to do good deeds for others in order to alleviate his guilt for his vicious attacks against The Maid. Peter Cauchon The academic theologian who represents the “considered wisdom of the Church.” For him, Joan represents a direct threat to the historical power invested in the Church, and he is proud that he has never asserted his own individuality and has always yielded to the opinion of the Church. For Joan to assert her own private conscience, to rely upon her own judgments, and to commune directly with God without the intervention of the Church is, to Cauchon, heresy in its highest form.

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

The Archbishop of Rheims The churchman who, at first, sees Joan as a pious and innocent girl, one who is in close service with God. As Joan proves to be constantly right, however, and, later, when Joan is responsible for crowning the Dauphin king, the Archbishop becomes disheartened with The Maid and, ultimately, sides against her.

SAINT JOAN

The Inquisitor Physically, the Inquisitor should look like a kindly and sweet elderly gentleman. However, he represents the institutions of the Church in their most iron-clad disciplines. He believes strongly in the rightness of these institutions and in the collected wisdom of the Church. The individual conscience must be subjected to the authority of the Church, not just in this particular instance but throughout all time. His long rambling speech on heresy shows him to be a defender of these institutions and one who rejects any type of individualism. D’Estivet The prosecutor against Joan; he is often impatient with the subtle questions of the court, and his case is based on pure legalism. Courcelles A young priest who has been of help in compiling some sixty-four charges against The Maid; he is incensed that many of the charges (“She stole the Bishop’s horse”) have been dismissed by the court. Brother Martin Ladvenu A sympathetic young priest who wants to save Joan’s life and who is seemingly deeply concerned about Joan’s inability to intellectually distinguish or understand the charges made against her. He feels her only sin is her ignorance, but once she is sentenced, he declares her imprisonment to be just. However, he holds up the cross for Joan to see while she is on her funeral stake, and he is instrumental in Joan’s rehabilitation. The Executioner He represents the horrors of the stake. His other importance is that he reports that The Maid’s heart would not burn.

17\18 SEASON

Character Summary from CliffsNotes

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

An English Soldier He is the common soldier who makes a cross out of two sticks and gives it to Joan. For this deed, he receives one day a year out of Hell.

SAINT JOAN

Glossary Blocking - onstage movement of an actor, created in collaboration with a director, showing character and story. Character – person or other being a narrative work. Characterization - a tool to show point-of-view, plot, and personality. Collaboration - creating as an ensemble, following direction. Composition/Stage Picture - the overall visual effect on stage created by the actors, scenery and lighting, demonstrating key moments on the plot, theme, and character. Depth – objects or characters staged in the foreground, middle ground and background of a stage picture. Diagonal Lines – lines that travel from one corner of a stage picture to opposite corner. Doubling – occurs when one actor plays multiple roles in the same production.

17\18 SEASON

Environment - the location, including the visual and atmospheric world of the play, sometimes called the setting. Event - a dramatic moment in the plot. Gesture - a physical movement that communicates feeling or images. Lateral Lines – either horizontal or vertical lines. Levels - objects or characters staged in high, middle and low positions relative to one another. Monologue - a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program. Myth/Legend - a non-historical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical. Operative words - key words that help denote plot, character and thought progression. Physicality – the physical being of a character; the manner in which an actor moves to portray a character. Playwright – a person who writes a script and constructs a main idea of a play for the stage. Primary Source – immediate, first-hand accounts of an event, object, person, work of art, etc. from people who had a direct connection to the subject. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, diaries, speeches, etc. Rehearsal - the time when an actor practices ways of saying, moving and feeling words before performing them in front of an audience. Secondary Source – documents that describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary sources include articles in newspapers, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else’s original research. THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

Ensemble – a group of artists performing together.

SAINT JOAN

Source material - original, authoritative or basic materials utilized in research, such as diaries or manuscripts. Tableau - a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene. Theme - central topics or main ideas of a piece of theatre or literature. Vocal placement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; visual technique used to teach about vocal register and resonance. Vocal variety - using word inflection, breath and pitch to find music and feeling in language.

17\18 SEASON

THEBROADSTAGE.ORG/EDUCATION

THE BROAD STAGE AT THE SANTA MONICA COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1310 11TH ST., SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 / 310.434.3560