JOAN MUST DIE* (*I Never Liked Her Anyway) | Directed by Megan O'Connell

You're invited to Sydney Actors School to see 'Joan Must Die* (*I Never Liked Her Anyway)', written by Daniel Evans and performed by our 2024 First Year Acting Ensemble! Performances will be held from Wednesday 6th November until Saturday 9th November. Come along and support our First Years in their first play production at Sydney Actors School!

Director's Statement - Megan O'Connell

When I was at drama school in the early noughties, our first production was a strange Cuban play that the playwright himself said should never be performed publicly because it was “a terrible waste of the audience’s time”. Half of the cast had three lines each and spent most of the time washing grapes in the background. The other half were shouting lines about the Cuban revolution that neither we (nor the audience) understood at the time.

So when asked to direct the first years in 2024, I wanted to find a play that would excite the students, challenge them and give them a taste of what theatre can do. I wanted something that spoke to them and their lives right now, with its roots in the classics they may end up performing in once their time at SAS is over and they’re out in the wild and wonderful theatre community. I was determined to have no grape-washing background characters and give every student a chance to sink their teeth in. When Joan Must Die* (*I Never Liked Her Anyway) landed in my lap, I devoured it in an hour and knew this was the one.

Joan Must Die* (*I Never Liked Her Anyway) is an Australian work by the magnificent Queensland writer and director Daniel Evans and tells the story of Joan of Arc for a new era. It’s a bonkers, bleakly funny interrogation of gender, fame and freedom. It asks questions about how we treat girls in this society. There’s also a banging soundtrack. And someone’s head explodes (no spoilers).

It’s been an excellent rehearsal process with a lot of trust and courage in the room and a true ensemble of actors who get stronger and bolder each day.

We hope audiences love it.

Performance Times:

• Wednesday 6th November - 8pm
• Thursday 7th November - 8pm
• Friday 8th November - 8pm
• Saturday 9th November - 3pm matinee & 8pm evening show