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Premiere of Bernard Shaw's play "Saint Joan" opens in London

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. It is divided into six scenes and a final epilogue.

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. It is divided into six scenes and a final epilogue. It was first produced in New York in December 1923 and opened in London three months later.

Written after Joan's canonisation by the Roman Catholic Church, the play depicts her progress from peasant girl to military leader, her subsequent trial for heresy and her execution.

The central role of Joan was written for the actress Sybil Thorndike but it was Shaw's usual practice between 1920 and the mid-1930s to have his plays premiered by the Theatre Guild in New York. Winifred Lenihan was cast as Joan in the guild's production.

Historical Significance

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc.

Events Before

  1. Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS

    The "Big Four" was a name used to describe the four largest railway companies in the United Kingdom in the period 1923–1947.

  2. President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (41) weds Latife Hanim; divorce in 1925

    President of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (41) weds Latife Hanim; divorce in 1925

  3. Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb and finds the sarcophagus

    Howard Carter (9 May 1874 – 2 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who became known for discovering the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the...

  4. Italian actor Rudolph Valentino (24) divorces actress Jean Acker (26)

    Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino or mononymously as Valentino was an Italian-born...

  5. Writer Anaïs Nin (Delta of Venus) marries banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in Havana, Cuba

    Writer Anaïs Nin (Delta of Venus) marries banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in Havana, Cuba

Events After

  1. Norway's capital, Kristiania, changes its name to Oslo

    Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality.

  2. Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian Parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title Il Duce (the

    Benito Mussolini dissolves the Italian Parliament and proclaims himself dictator of Italy, taking the title Il Duce (the Leader)

  3. Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France

    Actress Gloria Swanson (25) weds aristocrat Henri de la Falaise (26) in Paris, France

  4. Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (29) weds actress Estelle Taylor (30)

    Heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey (29) weds actress Estelle Taylor (30)

  5. German lawyer and future Nazi war criminal Hans Frank (24) weds German secretary Brigitte Herbst (29) in Munich, Germany

    German lawyer and future Nazi war criminal Hans Frank (24) weds German secretary Brigitte Herbst (29) in Munich, Germany, until his execution in 1946

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 26, 1924?
Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. It is divided into six scenes and a final epilogue. It was first produced in New York in December 1923 and opened in London three months later.
Why is Premiere of Bernard Shaw's play "Saint Joan" opens in London significant?
Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about the 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc.

Explore More

March 26 in HistoryYear 1924