Joan of Arc is getting a new take on stage, with Mandipa Kabanda set to play Joan in Saint Joan, a fresh reimagining of George Bernard Shaw’s classic play.
Mandipa Kabanda cast as Joan of Arc
Mandipa Kabanda headlines the production as Joan in Saint Joan, a Raw Material, Perth Theatre and Aberdeen Performing Arts co-production in association with Citizens Theatre. The play puts Joan front and center as a young figure who shakes power structures and forces institutions to react.
What this Saint Joan is about
Saint Joan is based on the true story of a sixteen-year-old girl who led France to victory in the Hundred Years War. This new version frames the story through modern lenses, focusing on power, gender, and youth-led change, and how someone from a marginalised background can impact international politics.
The production positions Joan of Arc as the kind of unlikely revolutionary history keeps producing, which makes the story feel pointed in a time of political unrest and war.
How the production is being updated for the 2020s
This Saint Joan is described as a stripped-back, close-up staging directed by Stewart Laing (formerly Untitled Projects). It also includes a film sequence written and directed by Adura Onashile, blending live performance with a screen component to push the story’s impact in a modern format.
Creative team and film sequence credits
The play is by George Bernard Shaw and re-imagined by Stewart Laing.
Creative team:
- Sound Designer: Yas Clarke
- Lighting Designer: Michaella Fee
- Costume Supervisor: Jennie Lööf
- Production Manager: Nick Millar
- Stage Manager: Anissa Praquin
- Technical Stage Manager: Iain Pearson
- Sound Engineer Development: Dexter Stokes Mellor
Film credits:
- Film Director: Adura Onashile
- DoP and Editor: Daniel Hughes
- Stunt Director: EmmaClaire Brightlyn
- Make Up Artists: MV Brown and Anika Ahuja
- Sound Recordist: Mark Readhead
- Gaffer: Arran Totten
- Technician: Iain Pearson
Cast
Alongside Mandipa Kabanda as Joan of Arc, the cast includes:
- Lewis MacDougall
- Manasa Tagica
- Martin O’Connor
- Ross Mann
- Thierry Mabonga
