BRNO, Czech Republic – HaDivadlo‘s new production of Joan of Arc, premiering November 21, 2025, with subsequent reruns December 12 and 13, distinguishes itself through a youthful cast and a reimagining of the historical figure alongside a queer portrayal of Charles VII. Directed by Justina Grecová, Jan Doležel, and Jana Vaverková, the play features Magdalena Kuntová as Joan of Arc, Marie Ludvíková as Seraphim kateřina, and Cyril Drozda as Seraphim Gabriel, alongside Ema Lovecká, Šimona Horynová, josef Kostka, Sara Venclovská, Radim Chyba, Jáchym Sůra, Jiří Miroslav Valůšek, and Simona Peková.
The production arrives amid a continuing trend of reinterpreting historical narratives through modern lenses, notably concerning gender and sexuality, as previously seen in Prague’s 2023 adaptation of Charlie Josephine’s Já Johana*. While the Brno production aims for a similar provocative engagement with Joan of Arc’s story, a critic notes a shift from the prague play’s “manifesto of healthy self-confidence” to a conclusion utilizing Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” which, in context, reads as “a request for empathy” and descends into “unbearable…flaunted insecurity.” The play’s approach contrasts with the earlier production’s emphasis on strength derived from Joan’s fate.
