Saint Joan : A chronicle play in six scenes and an epilogue

Born in a modest village at the foot of the Vosges, a teenage girl begins to hear a voice that claims to be divine. Convincing herself she is chosen to drive the English from France, she rides to the court of Charles VII, rallies reluctant soldiers, and leads a daring assault on Orléans. Her confidence and unconventional tactics quickly turn her into a living symbol, stirring both hope among peasants and unease among seasoned commanders.

As her victories mount, Joan finds herself thrust into the treacherous world of politics and religion. She challenges clergymen, questions royal authority, and refuses to temper her convictions to please those in power. Shaw’s sharp dialogue captures her fierce intelligence, the jealousy of those she outsmarts, and the tragic tension between youthful idealism and the rigid structures that seek to contain it. Listeners are drawn into a vivid, witty chronicle that asks how far a single voice can echo through a nation.