BRITISH CIVILLIZATION

JOAN OF ARC

CAST AND TRAITS:

French:-

Joan of Arc (Sue) - Spirited, courageous

Jean De Dunois (Oat) - Spirited, strict, authoritative

Jean De Aulon (Shiko) - Brave, kind-hearted, caring

La Hire (Tristan) - Boisterous, jolly

Gilles De Rais (Gary) - Gallant, jolly

King Charles VII (MJ) - Regal, authoritative

Archbishop (Kayla) - Noble, stern

Bishop (Winnie) - Noble

Church monks (English army - Scene 3)

English:-

Redbeard (Tim) - Insulting, crude, unfeeling

WIlliam Glasdale (Lynette) - Cold-blooded, unfeeling

Buck (Roy) - Barbaric, cold-blooded

John Talbot (Pei Kei) - Unfeeling

Scenes Scene 1 (War) Scene 2 (War) Scene 3 (Coronation)

Cast involved French Army English Army

French Army English Army

Archbishop Bishop King French Army Monks (by English Army)

Legend:

* means actions taken <> means mood, attitude

SCENE 1 (WAR)

-Narration-

*Lights dawn*

*French army prepare to attack. Joan marches forward <urgently, proudly>*

Redbeard: Looks like the whore has to come to pay us a visit! <arrogantly, loud>

Joan: Glasdale! Do you hear me? You may call me a whore. I feel pity for you, for your soul and for the souls of your men. Kneel! Kneel down to the King of Heaven, or go back to your island. <spirited>

Redbeard: And you, go back to your pigsty!

Glasdale: Men at walls, now. <deadly>

*Joan hurries back to the French fort*

*French army gathers in a row, waiting for Joan*

<Mood of pre-war excitement>

Joan: This morning. God gave us a great victory, but it is nothing compared to what he will give us now. And I know you all are tired and hungry but I swear to you that even if the English are hanging from the clouds by their fingertips, we will pull them down before nightfall! <spirited, proud, vigorous>

*French army cheers with high morale and charges forward, with Joan leading*

*War begins and rages on. Joan climbs a ladder propped against English fort*

Joan: Come on! Come on! Let's go! <wave arms vigorously>

Aulon: Joan! No! Don't go! <fearfully>

Joan: COME ON!

*In a flash, Joan gets shot by an arrow and falls of the ladder, slow motion. French army catches her*

Redbeard: Archer! You just killed my woman! *smirks and laughs* <sarcastic>

Glasdale: Go to Hell. <darkly>

*Glasdale returns to his room while Joan is carried by the French knights back to the fort*

<Mood of anxious panic>

Aulon: Clear the table! I need to pull out the arrow now!

La Hire: Its in too deep, she might bleed to death.

*Joan gasps, moans, whimpers, loses consciousness gradually*

Joan: Why... aren't you fighting...? <wheezing>

La Hire: You're badly wounded, Joan. Its in too deep. <sorrowfully>

Aulon: You must stay still!

*Joan winces pulls out the arrow in pain, but firmly*

*Everyone gasps and move to stop her*

Joan: At least ...now it wont bother us anymore. Now ...let's go to battle! <fiercely>

*Joan tries to get up swiftly*

Aulon: No Joan! Are you mad? <angrily>

*Joan is pinned down to the table. Her wound is bandaged*

Joan: *To Aulon* Go back to battle... promise?

*Joan faints and Aulon checks her breath*

Aulon: She is sleeping! <happily>

*Everyone sighs in astonishment and relief, cheering*

*Aulon walks out and meets Dunois*

*Dunois observes war site with contempt*

Aulon: *to Dunois* Joan is alive!

Dunois: Good! Sound the retreat! <angrily>

Aulon: But I promised Joan we'd fight on...

Dunois: I made no such promise! Sound the retreat for the night!

Aulon: No, but that was her order. <firmly>

Dunois: I'm fed up with taking her orders! She swore we would defeat the English by nightfall! Look, Look! Look at the mess we're in, its her mess not mine! We're worse off than she didn't come at all! Now, do as I say and sound the retreat! <explosive>

*Dunois walks off in a storm*

Redbeard: Hey! Where are you going? Come back and fight! <taunting happily>

*Sounds of retreat signal*

*Lights fade*

-END-

Scene 2

*Joan wakes up on the table and stumbles outside*

Redbeard: Retreat! What happened to your precious angel? I'll tell you what happened. We sent your little bitch back to hell! So she can go fuck with the devil! What are you gonna do now? Retreat (sarcastic)! Why don't you come out? And fight? Come on, come on, or are you too busy praying to bring your fucking witch back from the dead? Do you hear me? <barbarically, sarcastically>

*Joan runs forward with her banner* <angry, proudly>

Joan: I hear you! I'm alive! May God forgive your blasphemy! *pause* For I never will. I NEVER WILL! <in contempt>

*Joan walks urgently back to the French fort. Aulon wakes up.*

Aulon: Joan, what are you doing? You need to rest. <worriedly>

Joan: I need to wake up the soldiers, now. <urgently>

Aulon: But Joan...

*Joan scrambles around waking soldiers*

Joan: My fine soldiers, wake up! Wake up! My fine soldiers, wake up! To arms, to arms! Wake up...! We must fight the battle! The battle has begun! … We need this tower up, we need this tower up. <spirited>

*Soldiers hurry to pull up the archer tower*

<Mood of pre-war excitement>

Short Scene 1 (Fre)

Gilles: What's going on? *walking up to Joan*

Joan: We're taking back the trail. *directing her army*<triumphantly>

S.S. 2 (Fre)

Dunois: Joan, what are you doing? <in panic>

Joan: I'm sending a message to Glasdale. <obliviously happy>

Dunois: With that??

Joan: Yes!

Dunois: But... you got its back to front. <puzzled>

Joan: Sir, I know what I'm doing. So, just get back to bed. <firmly>

S.S. 3 (Eng)

*A messenger wakes up Glasdale*

Messenger: My lord...

Glasdale: What?

Messenger: The French bitch...she's back from the dead. <fearfully, deadly>

S.S 4 (Fre)

*Joan and the men push the tower forward*

Aulon: Joan, don't you think we should take some time to think about this? <apprehensive>

Joan: Sooner is better than later. <darkly>

S.S 5 (Eng)

*peers over wall*

Redbeard: What the fuck is she playing at? <half-anxious>

S.S 6 (Fre)

Dunois: I don’t know! How can we plan anything if she doesn’t consult with us?! <frustrated, raging>

La Hire: Did you consult with her yesterday? <jovially>

Dunois: Don’t even start, you agreed to attack yesterday. <darkly>

La Hire: That doesn't count.

Dunois: Why is that?

La Hire: Because, I always agree to attack! <high morale>

S.S 7 (Eng)

*Glasdale from the top of the tower*

Glasdale: Crazy bitch.. She doesn’t even know how to use it. <anxious, angry>

*Archer tower starts to tilt and crashes on the English fort*

Redbeard: Oh my God!!! <in panic>

*The English stumble back in shock. French charge forward and attack*

-Narration-

*Shadow play of a short attack / victory of French army over British*

-END-

SCENE 3

-Narration, continued-

*Shadow play of Joan and the French army passing through town while waving, cheered on with confetti*

*In church, dressing up the king *

S.S 1

Charles: May I see the seamstress? It is too tight, I can't breathe. Is this meant to be a crown? Isn't there something more regal? … I asked for a grandiose coronation and this is what I get? This whole thing is going to be an utter FIASCO! <annoyingly>

Archbishop: We took 3 days to prepare, your father's coronation took 3 months. <sternly>

S.S 2

Charles: He is probably right, we should call for a delay...

Bishop: There is no time Sir, we can't put off the ceremony. There's no knowing when the English might get back.

Charles: Let them come, let them see who is the true King of France! … Those damned English, we should be doing this in Paris, Notre dame. It is much more prestigious and twice as big. <proudly>

Bishop: It is the sacred place that matters, not the size, am I correct, Bishop? <pompous>

S.S 3

Archbishop: Oh yes that's right! All the Kings must be coroneted at the Great Cathedral of Reims with the Holy Oil of Clovis. <enthusiastically>

*Charles walks off restlessly. Light fades off.*

S.S 4

*Light dawns on bishops taking positions on center stage and getting ready for the coronation*

*French army appear and form an aisle*

*Ceremony begins*

<Mood of grandeur, seriousness>

*Charles walks down the aisle regally and kneels down slowly in front of the Archbishop*

*Archbishop slowly draws out the Holy Oil of Clovis held by the Bishop*

*Repeated hand motions of the Christian cross over Charles*

Archbishop: The sacred oil, blessed by the hands of the Father in Heaven, to anoint you Charles, to be the sovereign Lord, King of this kingdom of France. Charting that you shall defend the faith of our Mother, Holy Church as long as you shall live. Amen. <slowly, seriously>

*Archbishop takes the crown slowly from the Bishop and crowns Charles*

<Mood of glorious victory finally achieved>

*Charles stands up to everyone cheering to confetti, laughing, some crying in joy, high-fiving*

-END-

-Narration-

*Shadow play of Joan being captured and beat up by the English / tried at court / burnt at the stake*

*Shadow cloth is lowered, cast takes a bow*

*Play ends on a bitter note*

-ENDS-