Category: Theatre

Isabel Azar’s Clare helps PJ Gregan’s Francis straighten himself out in Poor Clare in rehearsal for Jim Paterson’s production. Picture: Jim Paterson

MODERN meets medieval in the York premiere of American playwright Chiara Atik’s award-winning comedy Poor Clare, presented by Black Treacle Theatre at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, from November 3 to 7.

The lives of the young St Clare and St Francis of Assisi receive a fresh telling in Atik’s story of noblewoman Clare being set for marriage to a rich aristocrat and a life of wealth and privilege in 13^th century Assisi.

However, she then meets a young man named Francis, whose strong faith and commitment to rejecting the established order and serving the poor sparks a change in her that makes her look at her life in a new way. Clare will go on to found the Poor Clare order of nuns.

“The play has been hailed as a hilarious and off-beat take on these established religious and historical figures, told with modern, witty dialogue,” says Black Treacle Theatre director Jim Paterson.

Premiered at the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles in 2020, Poor Clare won the 2022 American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association’s New Play Award and the Los Angeles  Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Play and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

P J Gregan’s Francis in contemplative mode in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

“I was hooked from the moment I first read Poor Clare,” says Jim. “Chiara Atik has crafted a funny and unique play that makes Clare’s story come to life, whilst also posing questions for us about our own attitudes and responsibilities when it comes to questions of poverty and inequality.”

After productions of Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita, Poor Clare completes York company Black Treacle’s informal trilogy of productions on the theme of women who reflect the quote that “well-behaved women seldom make history”.

“Clare’s growing commitment to a better world, driven by her faith and sense of justice, drive this story in unexpected directions and I’m really proud of the work the cast and creative team have done to bring it to Theatre@41’s stage,” says Jim.

Isabel Azar, who plays Clare, says: “Clare is such a deeply relatable role. She’s a young woman figuring out her vocation and she’s so raw and honest. I love her integrity, her fervent faith and her intense hunger and thirst for righteousness.

“The beauty of this play is its message that whatever our life circumstances may be, we are called to help the less fortunate and be instruments of the Lord’s peace. My wholehearted thanks to Jim for this incredible opportunity and to my amazing fellow cast-mates for making this production pure joy.”

Isabel Azar’s Clare seeks to provide clothes for the poor of Assisi in a scene in rehearsal for Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

PJ Gregan, taking the role of Francis, says: “In the play, Francis is very far from the idyllic holy leader that we know today. He’s brash, stubborn, angry, nervous, petulant and immensely fun to play as an actor.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Jim and Isabel to craft the journey of this rebellious young man taking his first steps toward the saint he will be, even if he stumbles a little along the way. You may laugh or cry – probably both – but one thing is certain: you must see Poor Clare!”

Black Treacle Theatre in Poor Clare, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, November 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk. Running time: Two hours, including interval.  

Poor Clare director Jim Paterson

Jim Paterson’s Q & A with CharlesHutchPress on directing Poor Clare and matters of faith

How did you discover Chiara Atik’s play and what attracted you to performing it?

“I read a review of last summer’s Orange Tree Theatre production (the play’s European premiere) and was intrigued by the description of the play’s deliberately anachronistic use of modern, ‘Gen Z’ dialogue and attitudes in the telling of the lives of these religious figures in 13th century Italy.

“I ordered it to read and found it funny and smart, but also a play that cleverly drew parallels with our time to discuss materialism and morality. Not in a purely didactic way, but raising questions for both the characters on stage, and the audience watching, to grapple with. It quickly came to life in my head and when the opportunity came up to perform this autumn at Theatre@41, this was the first piece I chose.”

What does the story of Clare and Francis of Assisi say to modern audiences in this age of increasing indifference towards religion?

“One of the reasons I really like this play is that it asks us to consider questions of personal and societal morality that are as true in the modern day as they were in Clare and Francis’s time.

“In other words, what does it mean to be a good person? What sacrifices could we make to live in line with our own moral code? How much moral compromise do we personally ignore to live the life we want?

“For our characters, their choices to devote their lives to easing suffering and inequality is rooted in their religious faith, but the skill in Chiara Atik’s writing is that we can empathise with their personal struggles and their situations regardless of our own beliefs.”

Alma (Emily Hansen, right) shares the latest gossip in Assisi with Clare (Isabel Azar, middle) and Peppa (Clare Meadley). Picture: Jim Paterson

In turn, how important is the religious message, not least being presented in a building with its own faith history?

“I think this play is, in many ways, about the importance of faith, and how it can give us purpose and help us discover more in ourselves than we thought possible. Faith can take many forms – in people, institutions, ideas – and even if you aren’t necessarily a person of religious faith yourself, I think you can recognise how it matters to and drives Francis and Clare. 

“It’s important to note that this play doesn’t mock or belittle the characters’ faith, but recognises it as the guiding light for their moral code.

“The other thing about the characters’ faith is that it is personal to them, as is their relationship with God, and the play deftly explores where these differences create tensions and challenges for our characters – such as how Francis’s disagreements with the Bishop and established church require strength to follow his convictions:  strength drawn from his faith.

“And of course, performing this at Theatre@41 means stepping into a space with over a century of faith in its bones, and where people still come together for shared ritual and communal experience.”

Introduce your two lead actors, Isabel Azar and PJ Gregan…

“Isabel and I first worked together on Anne Boleyn, and it’s been a joy to work with her again here. She’s been a font of ideas about the play and her character from day one, crafting a rich emotional journey for Clare’s arc, from carefree young noblewoman, to the woman who will go on to found the Poor Clare’s order of nuns.

Francis (PJ Gregan, kneeling) listens as Clare (Isabel Azar) asks him how he will help the poor in Assisi in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

“This is the first time I’ve worked with PJ, having previously seen him on stage in The Spanish Tragedy last year, and have been hugely impressed with his improvisational energy in rehearsal, changing up his reading and approach from run to run to build ‘his’ Francis’.

“Both actors have also brought in a huge amount of background research to better understand the context and religious beliefs of their characters (Isabel even added a trip to Assisi to a pre-planned family holiday to Italy!), which has helped them find different approaches and subtext in their character development.”

What have been the directing challenges of this play?

“It’s definitely had some different challenges for us to navigate. The individual scenes are quite self-contained and dialogue-led, so ensuring we keep them dynamic for our audience has meant a lot of experimentation in rehearsal with finding movement and opportunities for play in the text that still feels true to the moments and characters.

“And with the dialogue, balancing the sometimes (deliberately) flippant dialogue with the real emotional weight of some scenes has been a careful balancing act. Fun challenges though!”

Why should people see Poor Clare next week?

“It’s very funny! I know I’ve talked a lot about the importance of the themes and meaning, but it’s packed full of great one-liners and character comedy. And this helps what is, in many ways, a modern play of ideas, to engage and enthral an audience.

“Our hope is that audiences have a fun evening at the theatre, but still end up talking about the ideas within it, and how they interpret them, long into the night.”

Beatrice (Eleanor Stephenson), right, argues with her sister Clare (Isabel Azar) in Black Treacle Theatre’s Poor Clare. Picture: Jim Paterson

Black Treacle Theatre’s cast and creative team for Poor Clare

Clare – Isabel Azar

Alma – Emily Hansen

Beatrice – Eleanor Stephenson

Bianchi/Beggar – Ben Reeves-Rowley

Francis – PJ Gregan

Peppa – Clare Meadley

Ortolana – Victoria Delaney

Director – Jim Paterson

Set and prop designer – Richard Hampton

Lighting designer – Kathryn Wright

Sound designer – Sage Dunn-Krahn

Production lead – Dave Robertson

Black Treacle Theatre’s past productions

NICK Payne’s Constellations (March 2022); Gary Owen’s Iphigenia In Splott (March 2023); Nassim Soleimanpor’s White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (November 2023); Dario Fo’s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist (October 2024); Laura Wade’s The Watsons (July 2025, co-production with Joseph Rowntree Theatre); Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn (March 2026) and Willy Russell’s Educating Rita (June 2026).

Did you know?

VICTORIA Delaney will be performing in York productions in successive weeks. From tomorrow to Saturday, she will play “power hungry” businesswoman Kat in York Actors Collective’s York premiere of Stephanie Jacob’s three-hander power struggle The Strongbox at York Theatre Royal Studio (box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk). Next week she will appear as Ortolana in Black Treacle Theatre’s York premiere of Chiara Atik’s Poor Clare.

Victoria Delaney in rehearsal for her role as Kat in York Actors Collective’s The Strongbox, opening at York Theatre Royal Studio on October 29