“Fear not: what I do, I do by commandment.”
- Jeanne d’Arc
A memory play, written by Craig Victor and directed by Steve Helgoth “D’Arc Voices” examines the darker aspects of the life of Saint Joan D’Arc. Her story is well known, but her humanness has been lost in the myth and history of it all. What inner turmoil drove her to her eventual end? Through her letters, and her words, we can begin to separate the Woman from the myth. Pouring over the original trial transcripts, submitted to the University of Paris in 1431, heresy was their justification, though, one could easily argue that Joan of Arc, was burned at the stake simply for cross dressing, which begs the question, was she perhaps the first famous transgender, living in a time when that particular human condition wasn’t even considered? Being “Commanded by God” to live her authentic self how else could someone experiencing life in the wrong body justify that human facet in those times. Many of us know the historical circumstances surrounding the life of Joan D’Arc, and because of the divine nature of her life, we tend to forget that she was a real person with hopes and dreams and struggles, As, a mere child in a time of real uncertainty, she had greatness thrust upon her, while in the midst of the ultimate human identity crisis. This is what intrigues me. This is her story…
