Saint Joan

Gemma Arterton stars in this new Shaw production

Stage and screen ingenue Gemma Arterton shows no sign of stopping her recent spate of West End success as she stars as the eponymous martyr Joan of Arc in a new Donmar Warehouse production of George Bernard Shaw's drama. Fresh from her turn as Nell Gwynn, Arterton takes on the role of the teenaged heroine as she leads French forces against the English in holy war, only to be condemned as a witch and burned at the stake for her troubles.

Rourke directs the West End's shining star

Saint Joan is directed by Josie Rourke, lead artistic director at the Donmar, having helmed recent hit productions including Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Vote, the Olivier-winning City of Angels and Evening Standard Award-winning Coriolanus, starring Tom Hiddleston in his first lead stage role.

Arterton is currently shining as the choice actress to cast in the West End, having finished up her turn as Nell Gwynne at the Apollo Theatre in April; she has previously won over audiences in the role of Rita O'Grady in Made in Dagenham, for which she won the Evening Standard's Best Newcomer in a Musical Award. In addition, she has won accolades for her turns in The Duchess of Malfi and The Master Builder opposite Stephen Dillane.