A ‘non-binary’ Joan of Arc? Theater's spin on Catholic heroine stirs backlash

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 12, 2022 / 16:30 pm

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is re-inventing the story of St. Joan of Arc in an upcoming production called “I, Joan,” in which the French Catholic heroine will be portrayed as a non-binary “queer” character who refers to herself with “they/them” pronouns. 

The news has prompted a backlash in Catholic circles, with several taking to Twitter to voice their dismay, saying the interpretation detracts from Joan of Arc’s heroic life and erases the dignity of womanhood.

The Globe announced its decision Thursday in a tweet: 

In a statement Friday, the play’s artistic director Michelle Terry 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.”

Terry argued that play adaptations make “anything possible” because “theatres do not deal with ‘historical reality.’”

The play, which is described by the theater as “queer and full of hope,” opens on Aug. 25 and will feature actress Isobel Thom in the leading role. Thom identifies as non-binary.

The play will follow Joan’s role in the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, although it is unclear what historical events will be included. 

To Catholics, St. Joan of Arc is a symbol of chastity and courageous femininity as the woman who sacrificed her life for the pursuit of truth — leading some to speak out against how far the production takes artistic liberties.

“Please stop saying amazing women aren’t really women,” Abigail Favale, a Catholic professor and expert on gender studies and feminist literary criticism, wrote. Favale is the author of “The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory” (Ignatius Press, 2022), which approaches gender from a perspective informed by Church teaching.

The theater claims that Shakespeare himself “did not write historically accurate plays” and “play[ed] with identity, power, with the idea of pleasure, and with all sides of an argument.”

The Globe Theatre’s move to re-write Joan of Arc’s history is part of a push to promote LGBTQ themes in the performing arts. In New York City, Roundabout Theatre on Broadway has announced that the beloved Broadway musical “1776” will take the stage on an international tour solely depicting the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution by “actors who identify as female, transgender, and non-binary.”

“History be damned,” wrote one critic.