Saint Joan (play)

For the film adaptations of the play, see Saint Joan (disambiguation).

Saint Joan
Sybil Thorndike as Joan, 1924
Written byGeorge Bernard Shaw
Date premiered28 December 1923
Place premieredGarrick Theatre, New York
GenreDrama
Setting15th century France

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. It is divided into six scenes and a final epilogue. It was first produced in New York in December 1923 and opened in London three months later.

Written after Joan's canonisation by the Roman Catholic Church, the play depicts her progress from peasant girl to military leader, her subsequent trial for heresy and her execution.

The central role of Joan was written for the actress Sybil Thorndike but it was Shaw's usual practice between 1920 and the mid-1930s to have his plays premiered by the Theatre Guild in New York. Winifred Lenihan was cast as Joan in the guild's production. Thorndike played the role in the London premiere three months later, and in three revivals over the next seven years.

The play reflects Shaw's belief that the people involved in Joan's trial acted according to what they thought was right.

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