- 01
- Apr.
- 2025
Nearly six centuries after her death, Joan of Arc continues to inspire artists and ignite reflection. Judith Chemla brings her back to life in a haunting performance where memory and music become one. A look back at the play The Trial of Joan of Arc (Le Procès de Jeanne) at Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.
Joan of Arc died at the stake after being convicted of heresy. At just 13, she claimed to hear divine voices that gave her the mission to drive the English out of France. She went on to liberate the city of Orléans and paved the way for Charles VII to be recognized as the legitimate King of France. Nearly six centuries after her death, Joan’s memory still sparks debates on national identity, spirituality and the role of women in history. Her story continues to echo in a world still searching for meaning and heroes.
Joan of Arc keeps casting her spell on minds, stirring passions through her convictions and sparking controversy with her fierce independence. For Judith Chemla, the actress embodying Joan on stage, the young woman’s words during her 1431 trial “are an astounding testament to her freedom of speech, her boldness, her strength and her humor in the face of judges who saw her only as a manipulator and a liar.”
The play Le Procès de Jeanne is the result of a creative reunion between Judith Chemla, Yves Beaunesne and Camille Rocailleux—who first collaborated on The Tidings Brought to Mary by Paul Claudel at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in 2014. Based on a libretto by Marion Bernède, drawn from actual trial transcripts and faithful to the language and style of the time, Yves Beaunesne crafts a theatrical oratorio blending historical narrative, lyrical depth, dramatic tension and musical power. All of this unfolds within the raw, evocative setting of the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.
The stage comes alive with musicians and choristers who accompany Judith Chemla in this fiery invocation of Joan’s martyrdom. Alongside them, Pierre Nouvel’s video projections conjure the ghostly presence of the trial’s silent witnesses—haunting figures that add layers of memory and meaning to the performance.
Burned alive on May 30, 1431, at the age of 19, Joan was sentenced following a 10-minute trial. But can 10 minutes truly capture someone’s essence? What is erased when the clock dictates justice? Joan is afraid. But she stands her ground. She faces judges speaking a different language. She doesn’t lower her eyes. Her knees buckle, but she holds. With an angel’s voice, she sings of solitude in the face of death and calls upon her God. A woman among men, she refuses to wear a dress, insisting on the male attire that empowers her to speak without shame, to claim her defiance openly and remain true to her soul.
— “What language do your voices speak?”
— “Better than yours.”
— “Do you believe in God?”
— “More than you do.”
Judith Chemla sings Joan’s sorrow. With her mezzo-soprano voice, she elevates Joan’s emotional world, offering praise and prayer in the heart of the theater. We hover between song and monologue, interwoven with the constant onscreen presence of clergy and judges from Rouen, dominating the stage with their towering images. This performance, far from traditional, embraces minimalism and modern theatrical techniques to give Joan of Arc a new dimension. In the depths of the theater, a lone woman stands. Her words pulse with life. Her songs rise like light in the face of death. How many voices still cry out, unheard, against the injustice of men—and which ones are believed? A lesson in history that lays bare our human fragility.
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