ART BEAT: Joan's passion cannot be denied

Bethlehem College is taking on one of the greatest historical figures for its annual school production - Joan of Arc.
Drama head Linda Anderson said after putting on the musical Bugsy Malone last year, the school wanted to do something "a bit different".
And this version of Joan of Arc will have its own unusual twist - it has been written especially for this production by Kim Williamson.
Williamson, who co-founded Detour Theatre, is also the director of the Bethlehem College play.
Taking centre stage as Joan is 16-year-old Daniella Schroder. Winning the lead role was a coup for Daniella, as she is only in Year 11. But Mrs Anderson said she "blew them away" with her impressive audition.
"When I found out I had got the role, I was quite shocked," Daniella said.
"When I heard we were doing Joan of Arc, I thought that was pretty cool, as it fits in well with our school's values and beliefs.
"Before I got the role, I just knew she was famous, and had done some pretty incredible things as a young person.
"I decided I should learn about her, and researching the play was pretty amazing.
"I did a bit of Googling, and watched a few movies about her, and found out what exactly she had done."
Daniella, who played a dancing girl in Bugsy Malone, was inspired by the fact Joan was only a few years older than herself.
"It was pretty amazing, she was only 17 or 18, when she was doing all this crazy stuff.
"Often you read about historic figures and they are so much older. You can relate [to Joan] because she's my age."
The role is not without its challenges. Daniella's chain mail head piece is extremely heavy and a wig she wears after Joan's hair is shorn adds extra weight. She carries a sword, with which she is "trying to make it look like I know what I'm doing".
And there are plenty of lines to learn, although her background in speech and drama is helping. "I've learned techniques to learn lines and I've got a fairly decent memory."
Daniella's leading man is Ryan Shillito, who plays the role of the Dauphin, the King of France.
Mrs Anderson described the King as the "comic relief" in what was a serious play. Ryan, a Year 12 student, described the Dauphin as a "puppet king".
"He has the authority, but he doesn't really make the most of it. He starts off a bit unsure in his role and, through the play, he grows and realises he has the power to do things."
The 17-year-old said the production had been a history lesson for the 30 students in the cast.
"We all had the general idea that she burned at the stake, but this is sort of an interesting twist on it."
Life is imitating art for Ryan, who also starred in Bugsy Malone.
Joan of Arc is set in France, where Ryan will travel early next month as an AFS exchange student.
The keen actor, who competed in the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival, plans to join a community theatre while he is in France, in the region of Burgundy.
Mrs Anderson, who is producing the play, said Joan of Arc was selected because of its message.
"We chose it because we wanted something that was really dramatic.
"Joan of Arc stood out as a woman of courage, as totally committed to her faith.
"In today's day and age, you rarely get that in a person. She represented so many characteristics that kids battle to see in today's society - strength, courage and perseverance.
"And it's a production that hadn't really been done in the community."
Having  Williamson as director was an asset to the production, Mrs Anderson said.
"The students love working with Kim, as she is able to relate at their level and makes practices exciting and enjoyable.
"She has instilled in the students a work ethic that is needed for success in drama and I am sure they appreciate this."
The school has sourced costumes which are  authentic to the period and the stage set is an elaborate medieval castle. "Everything has been well researched and is authentic."
Daniella said the most challenging scene was when Joan was burned at the stake. "There's a lot of smoke, a lot of red lights and a lot of tragedy."