It was in Chicago that C. Jay Miller first encountered Jane Anderson's The Maid's Mother.
She was living there when the Windy City-based Northlight Theater announced auditions for a Joan of Arc-themed play. When Ms. Miller read it, she knew she had to audition for the role of Joan.
“It was within my age range at the time,” she said.
Still, Joan isn't exactly the protagonist of this story. That role in her lies with her mother Isabel, who supported her daughter at all costs.
“'The Maid's Mother' is not just about Joan of Arc and her mother, but that alone is enough to draw people in,” Miller said. And having the courage of parents and parents to learn how to establish themselves, overcome it, and advocate for themselves. ”
Unfortunately, Miller was unable to appear in the production of Northlight. However, she won the role of director of The Anderson Story by Red Magnolia Theater Company. The performance opens on Thursday, March 7th at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church Sanctuary, 12663 Perkins Road.
Performances will run Friday through Saturday, March 8-10, and then again Thursday through Saturday, March 14-16.All shows start at 7:30 p.m.
The story focuses on the relationship between Isabel, played by Caitlin Stockwell, and her daughter Joan, played by Arden Hale. Her story begins in Jeanne's hometown of Domremy in northeastern France, where Joan learns from her mother, St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret, that King Charles VII of France will save her homeland from the British. Tell them that you have received a vision of God guiding you.
Under the same divine guidance, Joan rose above her gender role to become a military leader recognized as France's savior.
But that title came at a price. Joan was executed at the age of 19 for heresy for claiming divine guidance and blasphemy for leading the French army in men's clothing.
Isabel, on the other hand, never wavered in her support for Joan.
“She petitioned the new pope about 20 to 25 years after Joan's execution and had him reopen the case,” Miller said. “She petitioned him to pardon her, and he actually pardoned her.”
Otherwise, Joan of Arc would not be the patron saint of France.
“Her mother never gave up,” Miller continued. “Both characters appear in the story, but at the end Isabel summarizes what happened after Joan's death.”
Although Miller did not win the role of Joan in Chicago, she loved the play. She picked up the copy and read it quickly.
“This is a really new play,” she said. “This was written in 2018 and normally you have to sit down several times to read the entire play, but this work intrigued me so much that I finished it quickly and read it until I finished it. “I heard some of the cast members from the Chicago production say the same thing. It was pre-pandemic, but it was a great production.”
“Mother of the Maid” was Miller's directorial debut, and as a director, she knew this story had to unfold in a special place.
“The venues we usually perform in were booked, but we wanted to do this play in a place with stained glass,” she said.
It was then that the Reverend Tommy Dillon offered St Margaret's Church as the setting for the play. In fact, this church is more than adequate for the story, as St. Margaret was one of her three divine characters who guided Joan's mission.
As a result, eight members of Miller's cast will be on stage at St. Margaret's, including Ray Gaspard, who plays Joan's father, Jack. Stephen Atkins as Pierre Arc. Domonique Johnson as a court lady. Adam Marks as Father Gilbert. Ben Killman as Chamberlain/Guard. Louisa Debreu plays Monique/Scribe.
“This is more than just a play about Joan of Arc,” Miller said. “This is a story of parents and mothers who defy social norms, gender norms, religious norms, and champion their children who are different. And it's a generational thing. In every generation, parents have their own They don't understand their children and are forced to choose whether to support them or not.''I think this story is very relevant today. ”
Jennifer Ellis, director of the theater company, agrees.
“This play not only advances our organization’s mission of elevating women’s voices through theater and education,” she said. . This production gives local women the opportunity to explore their creativity in set, costume, and prop design, as well as stage management and marketing. ”
Tickets are $25 for students and $35 for adults. For tickets, visit redmagnoliatc.org.