PASSION is inspired by The Passion of Joan of Arc, the landmark 1928 silent film by Carl Theodor Dreyer that portrays the final hours of Joan’s trial and execution. The film is famous for its iconic use of close-ups, in particular 500+ close-ups of Renee Falconetti, who plays Joan. Together, we have meticulously dissected and reconstructed each one of these close-ups into text and movement scores for ten performers that pull Falconetti/Joan out of Dreyer’s gaze and into a new map for a highly intimate performance, rooted in the rehearsal of perseverance. Weaving through PASSION are questions about youth, aging, gender, charisma, grief, rage, privilege, capitalism, spirituality, desire, drive, pleasure, patience, and crying in public. We are curious about the prospect of inviting both performers and audience into an embodied experience, with a central movement score leading them through a re-enactment of Falconetti’s choreography, a physical experience and practice of what commitment feels like in the body. 

An early version of PASSION was developed and shared at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in 2019 with performers Dorothy Dubrule, Jessica Emmanuel, Briġid Gallagher, Mireya Lucio, and Gabriella Rhodeen; production design by Shannon Scrofano; recorded excerpts of a live score by Julia Holter, performed by Julia, Corey Fogel, Devin Hoff, Dina Maccabee, and Tashi Wada; sound design by Duncan Woodbury; lighting design by Josephine Wang; and wardrobe provided by LACAUSA.

PASSION was commissioned by Los Angeles Performance Practice with support from the National Endowment for the Arts; Network of Ensemble Theaters’ Travel & Exchange Network (NET/TEN), supported by lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Playwrights’ Center; Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through a grant from The McKnight Foundation; and 120 generous Kickstarter backers.

Images by Jonathan Potter