"Saint Joan" DVD Available!

Didn't get a chance to see the amazing performance of GB Shaw's "Saint Joan"
at the Acrosstown Repertory Theater? No problem!

Step 1: Email your name, phone number & shipping address to: gainesvilleshawsociety@gmail.com

 Step 2: Donate $12 - $20 and we'll send you a DVD! Whatever you give will be put towards DVD production costs, shipping, and future Gainesville Shaw Society productions. 

The full three hour play is included, plus special features such as back-stage fun, cast party speeches and songs! Special thanks to Mike McShane, Rasikananda Fitch, Nicholas May, Vidyananda Halvorson, Xerographic Copy Center & Tracy Haynes at the Alachua County Library for all the help towards this DVD!

Saint Joan

The Gainesville Shaw Society 

Presents 

“Saint Joan” by George Bernard Shaw 

Directed by Krsnaa Fitch

Performances will be April 11^th-20^th at the 

Acrosstown Repertory Theater 

619 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm. 

Tickets are $10.00 cash at the door

Donate to our show, and help make it beautiful! 

Cast Members: Jvalamukhi Kopecka, Mike McShane, Shamrock McShane, Scot Davis, Chuck Lipsig, Michael Garvin, Loic Robertson, Ryan Mills, David Murr, Mahabuddhi Ferry, J.R. Maxwell, Jorge DeJesus, Kaliyaphani Russell, Laura Gross, Scott Gross, Jimi Brown, Al Sandoval & Lenard Cohen

Stage Managers: Norma Berger & Laura Gross

Costume Design: Jay Beaudeur, Laura Gross & Michael Garvin

Lighting and Set Design: Charles Ely & Mike McShane

Saint Joan is a magical masterpiece of comedy and tragedy penned by the great George Bernard Shaw in 1924, shortly after the canonization of Joan of Arc. Like all of Shaw’s plays, the stage is filled with colorful characters who express themselves with candor and wit. Shaw woos his audience with humor then moves them with profound truth. 

Joan “The Maid” appears to us in her youthful vigor, full of faith in God, determination, and a naïve purity that is mesmerizing. She inspires courage in the soldiers, and dumfounds the nobles. Her unwavering conviction even inspires the cowardly Dauphin to aspire to be King. But the power of this young woman made men of power very uncomfortable, and her earthly fate rested in their hands.

Shaw’s story does not end where the physical Joan ended however. The Executioner confesses, “I could not kill The Maid. She is up and alive everywhere.” We are granted the cathartic opportunity of hearing from her and her judges after the fact, and their conversation brings to light the harsh truths of human limitations. If such a dynamic saintly person offered to return to us, would we be ready to receive her?

A word from the Director:

“The story of “Saint Joan” or Joan of Arc strikes a chord with people. This is what I have learned since beginning to direct this play. To some, she is a ray of divine light, full of faith, conviction, bravery and tragedy. To others she represents a historical dynamo, making waves in social strata and political fields. Or to still others, she is a romantic figure, a mysterious young soul who captures imagination and won’t let go.

To me, Saint Joan embodies inspiration. She inspires you, no matter what you believe, or what your goals might be. This play asks the question, “What is a miracle?” Hearing the true story of a teenage girl leading an army to victory through faith and wit, I feel I know what a miracle is; making the impossible possible.

Considering the time we live in, I am proud to present this story to our audience. I know for myself, living in the world of 2014 can be very confusing and disheartening. There is so much wrong with the world. There are so many injustices, and so few solutions. This makes me hopeless at times, and I suspect other people feel the same way as I do.

Saint Joan gives me hope. Even though her physical end was tragic, her story is one of success to me. She overcame the hurdles that most people struggle with for a lifetime; fear, self-doubt, and mediocrity. Imagine that you were given a mission by God. Would you have the bravery to follow it? Would you doubt yourself along the way? Would you risk your life for your belief?

Sometimes, when I watch the news, I say “It’s horrible, but what can I do?” thinking myself unworthy of creating change for good in this world. If a girl in a village in the Eastern part of a French speaking region accepted that rationalization, European history would be quite different.

Although I don’t have angels whispering instructions to me, I feel that my life has a purpose, a given mission. I hope that Saint Joan can bless me with a fraction of her spirit, so that I can conquer my fears and realize that mission. Perhaps by telling her story, some of her inspiring pluck will find a home in me. And perhaps by witnessing her story you will find that the hope of a miracle will arise in you; that the impossible will suddenly feel a little more possible.” –Krsnaa Fitch

GENEVA!

Come See Geneva!

Online ticket sales are now closed. Please come early to The Acrosstown Repertory Theater (619 S Main St  Gainesville, Florida 32601) and buy in cash at the door! We had an amazing opening night! We look forward to seeing you Saturday May 25th at 8:00pm and Sunday May 26th at 2:00pm.

If you would like to join the Gainesville Shaw Society, please email us your contact information: gainesvilleshawsociety@gmail.com.

Your ticket purchase to Geneva will count as your membership fee.  

A Synopsis of “Geneva”

By Krsnaa Fitch

Never before was there a time so transformational as the moments before the world went to war.

In this time, our play begins.

We enter the International Committee for Intellectual Cooperation in Geneva Switzerland. An organization meant to bring together the great political powers of the world, to cooperate. Unfortunately the only employee present is a bubbly typist who is blissfully unaware of the importance of anything. She proceeds to enthusiastically receive a string of very interesting and eccentric characters.

The first visitor, a German, explains his dilemma,

“I must begin by explaining that I am a Jew…… My business here is to ask the Committee to apply to the court for a warrant against the responsible ruler. I charge him with assault and battery, burglary—“

These words, a truth so important, were spoken on stage in 1938, when Hitler was in the height of his power and engrossed in persecution.

Following The Jew, we meet The Bishop, The Commissar, The Deaconess, The Widow and many more characters, who wave pistols, faint, and make speeches of greatness and grandeur. We get to experience the representations of Hitler, Mussolini, and Francisco Franco, and watch them crash against each other. In the end every one of them shows their true nature as the world is plunged into a sudden, and prophetic crises.

George Bernard Shaw was known for his outrageous personality, comical wit, and controversial opinions. However, one of his greatest contributions was his ability to stir up passion for essential topics. His gumption, his bravery, his strong backbone standing up to some of the most brutal dictators of all time in their own time, is what makes this play remarkable.

Therefore, we are celebrating his work, and diving into the thoughts of his characters to better understand our own thoughts, and the people of our own time. Because the universal categories of opinion we witness on stage endure through-out generations in our real world. Unfortunately so do genocide, prejudice, slavery, and political corruption. They are current issues, only the names and dates have changed.

Perhaps by hearing these words of Shaw, we will be inspired to stand up for what we know is right, without hesitation or fear, and become a powerful voice for our own time.