Murder on the Orient Express star Bronwyn Ensor on why Joan of Arc’s story still matters today

Bronwyn Ensor plays Joan of Arc in a Flyleaf Theatre Company production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan.

She played a mousy missionary in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Now, as Bronwyn Ensor prepares for her first lead role as the warrior heroine Joan of Arc, she argues that the life and death of a 15th-century teenage peasant girl is still relevant for young women today.

To be honest, I was first drawn to take part in Saint Joan because, at the end of last year, I was struck by the desire to have my face on a poster. I felt ready to take on the challenge of a lead role.

So when I was asked to audition for Joan, that sounded like just the ticket.

Of course, stepping into the story of Joan of Arc means you can’t paddle in the shallow waters of ego for long. Her life is so deeply heroic, and resulted in such injustice, you have to kneel before the privilege of attempting to play her and bow your head.

Joan was a 17-year-old peasant girl in medieval France when, at the bidding of voices sent from God, she led the French army in a series of military victories against the English and saw the Dauphin crowned as King. In doing so, she began reversing the trajectory of the Hundred Years’ War and secured her country’s freedom from English occupation.

What was I doing at 17? Taking Panadol daily to deal with NCEA stress headaches and wondering why no boys were into me. Joan stood up to the might of the Catholic Church and was eventually burned at the stake for refusing to renounce her beliefs. I was worried about whether or not I’d be cast in the senior production of Fame.

So no, I can’t say I relate to the lived experience of Joan.

Bronwyn Ensor as the mousy missionary Greta Ohlsson in Auckland Theatre Company's production of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

Is there a way for a modern girl in Aotearoa to relate to her? Does her story matter in our world today? Sadly, the themes in Joan’s life are still very much alive. Misogyny. The – in her case, fatal – ramifications of speaking truth to power. The immense harm that can be inflicted by the structures and members of organised religion.

We see these themes reflected in the harassment of our female MPs, the arrest of citizens in the UK and the United States protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza, the abuse of children throughout the Church.

I think the common denominator is power: the harm that is done within those systems of power and what those systems do to stay alive.

I’m not an academically minded, political whiz kid who can comment with any kind of nuance or astuteness on these ideas. But a softer, more animal theme I’ve been thinking about – which actually might be the whole point of Joan’s story – is about staying committed to your instinct.

As a young girl, Joan faced up against great, hulking systems of power she most likely wouldn’t have had a comprehensive grasp on. Yet throughout it all, she stayed connected to her instinct – her faith – and therefore stayed connected to her integrity. I admire that.

Bronwyn Ensor believes the principles Joan of Arc fought for still have resonance for young women today.

Faith is a very familiar idea to me. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church as a minister’s kid. In discussions around religion, I’m the first to acknowledge that much harm has been done in its name. Immense and irreparable harm, in all corners of the world.

However, because of my upbringing, I also hold a flag for the benefits of religion – or perhaps I mean the benefits of faith. Giving people community. Giving people hope. Giving people a fire up their ass to do good in this world. Giving people a lifeline when the seas are truly choppy.

While I can’t say I have a faith anymore, my best friend has a background image on her phone that reads: “Trust your intuition, she knows her s***.”

We talk about how much clearer our lives and spirits would be if we lived by that. We talk about how often – probably because of our conditioning as women – we censor ourselves, dull ourselves down or don’t say what we really think.

I don’t have voices in my head telling me what to do, as Joan did. (Honestly? I wish. Please, someone just tell me what to do.) But I can say that I have intuition. That feeling in my gut when something is right or wrong.

And wow, does it get muddied by this modern world: the opinions of others, the stress of paying rent, centuries of social conditioning.

Often, I find myself acting in a way contrary to what my gut is telling me. But the times when I do give my body exactly what it wants (rest, nature, movement), or when I speak truth to someone, or when I attend that protest and let out the furious ball of feelings in my chest through chanting, wow, does it feel right.

So try it in some small way today. Do what Joan would do: trust your intuition. She knows her s***.

Bronwyn Ensor plays Joan of Arc in a Flyleaf Theatre Company production of George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan.

Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw, is on at Auckland’s Q Theatre from June 25 to July 5.