LENA SIMIC
Joan Trial
‘Aged 5, I was chosen to head the town procession for Tito, our beloved president. I was wearing the second T in his name T I T O. The red T was attached to my white top with some safety pins.’
Using autobiographical material from her Catholic upbringing, her personal experience of war in her hometown of Dubrovnik, Croatia, and her daily life as a mother and performance artist in Liverpool, Lena Simic offers a bold reinterpreatation of Joan of Arc and challenges assumptions about heroism. Transcripts from Joan of Arc’s 15th century trial for heresy form the basis of Simic’s intervention into the themes of heroism, religion, war, home, and dislocation. Presented in an intimate setting, this moving solo performance combines video footage, sound installation, and live action.
Lena Simic trained in theatre directing/acting at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the London Academy of Performing Arts. She is currently completing her practice-based PhD research in Live Art at Lancaster University. Simic has collaborated with Bluecoat Arts Centre in Liverpool, Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster, Art Workshop Lazareti in Dubrovnik, and toured her performances nationally and internationally.
Supported by the Arts Council England, Nuffield Theatre and Arts & Humanities Research Council.