The Ballad of Joan & Jane

A quiet American suburb is rocked by the abduction of a sixth grade girl. As they wait for news of her death or her safe return, three of her classmates are visited by the ghosts of Joan of Arc and Calamity Jane as they prepare for their middle school formal. A play about the moment when you learn that violence can happen anywhere, and how to grow into your womanhood when becoming feminine feels like becoming...

A quiet American suburb is rocked by the abduction of a sixth grade girl. As they wait for news of her death or her safe return, three of her classmates are visited by the ghosts of Joan of Arc and Calamity Jane as they prepare for their middle school formal. A play about the moment when you learn that violence can happen anywhere, and how to grow into your womanhood when becoming feminine feels like becoming prey.

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The Ballad of Joan & Jane

Recommended by

  • Katherine Alberta: The Ballad of Joan & Jane

    A fiercely compelling and achingly relevant play about girlhood, trauma, and the way that they are inherently intertwined. Groustra writes preteen girls with refreshing accuracy and around them crafts a world stifled by the threat of violence. The horrors persist, but so do they - honestly and imperfectly, like any girl coming into her own does. Loved this one:)

    A fiercely compelling and achingly relevant play about girlhood, trauma, and the way that they are inherently intertwined. Groustra writes preteen girls with refreshing accuracy and around them crafts a world stifled by the threat of violence. The horrors persist, but so do they - honestly and imperfectly, like any girl coming into her own does. Loved this one:)

  • Shaun Leisher: The Ballad of Joan & Jane

    Groustra wonderfully captures what it's like to be a girl in today's version of suburban America. This play is about the different ways these young girls process the horrible thing that happened to someone just like them. Some obsess and stay vigilant. Others deflect because if they feel the fear they know they could be next. I loved the fantasy elements in this play and how the lives of historical women parallel the ones of our protagonists. These are great roles for actresses and I can't wait to see this on stage.

    Groustra wonderfully captures what it's like to be a girl in today's version of suburban America. This play is about the different ways these young girls process the horrible thing that happened to someone just like them. Some obsess and stay vigilant. Others deflect because if they feel the fear they know they could be next. I loved the fantasy elements in this play and how the lives of historical women parallel the ones of our protagonists. These are great roles for actresses and I can't wait to see this on stage.

JANE, MS. BARROW, and MOM'S VOICE double.
JOAN and NATALIE double

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Breaking and Entering Co., Year 2025
  • Type Workshop, Organization Harlot Productions, Year 2025

Awards