Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group are revitalising Joan of Arc

The Lark
Performances 4th – 8th June, 7:30pm Bellfield, Portobello
Tickets £12 advance, £15 on the door www.theegtg.com

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) intend to capture the passion, ferocity and fires of Joan of Arc by staging their contemporary translation of Jean Anouilh’s The Lark in Bellfield, Portobello from June 4th – 8th at 19:30pm.

It is one of the world’s lengthiest wars. A peasant girl of seventeen leads an army of men into battle, claiming victory against the English, shaping France’s future. Her rise to prominence was instructed by the Lord, or was it simply her own ambition? She did not meet her end in battle, however, instead consumed by the flames of her suppressors. Unable to find her guilty of actual crimes, her patriarchal enemies found her guilty of, what else? What she was wearing.

Living through an entirely different, though no less severe war the translation from Jean Anouilh sought to inspire French identity following WWII. A contemporary translation from Gill Taylor is now receiving a Scottish Premiere looking to recapture the will and passion of Joan for a modern audience.

Director Clare Wood states that; “Although Joan lived and died nearly 600 years ago, her story feels incredibly current”. Citing young women’s fight against the blindness of contemporary world leaders. In a society where women’s ‘behaviour’ is still called into question, Joan of Arc is perhaps the most poignant choice they could have made.

Noted for their determination to produce challenging texts, one of the city’s most respected amateur companies is reviving Joan, bringing solidity to legend. Promising a choir, playlist and house band set to inject fire into the blood, Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group are primed to bring fifteenth-century revolution to Scotland.

Staging could not be more appropriate within Bellfield, a previous house of worship. EGTG are humbled at producing the first piece of theatre for the venue, paving the way for future productions staged in the Celebration Hall.