A new Globe Theatre production about the life of Joan of Arc, “I, Joan,” has attracted quite a bit of criticism online due to how the historical character is expected to be portrayed.
The theatre’s bosses have announced that the play is going to "offer the possibility of another point of view," as the legendary Hundred Years’ War heroine is going to be portrayed as a non-binary character and played by Isobel Thom, who uses pronouns “they/them,” according to Sky News.
"History has provided countless and wonderful examples of Joan portrayed as a woman. This production is simply offering the possibility of another point of view,” Michelle Terry, artistic director of The Globe, said as quoted by the media outlet. "That is the role of theatre: to simply ask the question 'imagine if?'"
This decision, however, apparently did not sit well with a considerable number of people, who voiced their dissatisfaction on social media.
“Joan of Arc was strong, courageous and independent, and so was clearly non-binary or trans. A female Joan of Arc would have been too busy knitting, gossiping and shopping for shoes to fight the English,” one netizen tweeted.
“Deciding that Joan can’t have been a woman as she went to battle is not the progressive take you think it is,” noted another.
“Professional and managerial class erasing women's history. Well done. Do give yourselves an award for your progressive performance politics,” mused the third.
The media outlet points out, however, that The Globe’s idea also has its proponents, with one person, for example, claiming that “writers and scholars have talked about Joan as a gender-conforming person, who might have identified as trans or non-binary had lived today, for decades.”
“I mean, the formal reason for Joan's execution was their insistence on cross-dressing," they added.