Je Christine: A Medieval Woman in Her Own Words

Je Christine: A Medieval Woman in Her Own Words is a seventy-five minute, one-woman live performance in the words of Christine de Pizan and performed by actress Suzanne Savoy.

CHRISTINE DE PIZAN  (1364 – C.1429) was born in Venice.  From the age of five, she lived in Paris, as her father had been summoned by King Charles V to act as his medical and astrological advisor.  Christine was encouraged in her love of learning by her father and had access to the royal library.  Widowed at the age of twenty-five and with a family to support, Christine achieved notice by writing poems for the nobility.  When she publicly entered into a famous literary debate concerning a controversial book, The Romance of the Rose, her position as an important scholarly voice was secured.

During a time of war, plague, and political upheaval, Christine’s written counsel became increasingly valued by the royal family.  Christine published her own books, employing scribes, illuminators, and book-binders.  Her many works cover a range of styles:  love poetry, allegory, biography, educational treatises, public correspondence, spiritual writings, and a heroic poem dedicated to Joan of Arc, who was Christine’s contemporary.  The City of Ladies and The Book of the Three Virtues stood in defense of women’s worth five centuries before feminism became a recognized cause.  The Book of Deeds of Arms and Chivalry, a manual on preparation for battle and on the laws and philosophy of war, is still referenced at military academies.

Suzanne Savoy is an educator and a veteran of stage and screen.  Go to her IMDb page to learn more about her extensive onscreen and voice-over work. She currently recurs as DNC Chairwoman Patricia Whittaker on House of Cards and recently completed work on the feature film The Upside, released in 2018. Past stage projects have included the creation, design, and direction of productions based on classical literature:  The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Labors of Herakles, Areito (tales from the Taino tradition), and The Adventures of Lancelot. Suzanne spent ten years designing for the acclaimed NYC touring company The Shakespeare Project and created and ran their education program.

Mar 28, 2019
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM