PRESENTS:
Joanie Off the Pony: The Mermaid of New Orleans
July 2, 2026 — New Orleans, LA — On July 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., artists from New Orleans and Atlanta will gather at the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Performance Center (3rd Floor) for an experimental live musical performance of Joanie Off the Pony: The Mermaid of New Orleans, a new theatrical work in development.
Written by Joan of Arc Parade founder Amy Kirk Duvoisin, Joanie Off the Pony evolved from a full-length play, The Mermaid of New Orleans, first presented at the Joan of Arc Project’s annual Salon de Jeanne d’Arc in 2017. This new version blends theater, live music, improvisational movement, and collaborative performance.
Presented in partnership with ArtSpan NOLA and local dancer and Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc member Jennifer Ramos, the project features Atlanta-based musicians Iriamu (Will Hamilton) and W8ng4ufo’s, last seen in New Orleans at the Marigny Opera House in 2025, accompanying Carl Dreyer’s film The Passion of Joan of Arc.
This workshop presentation is being produced by ArtSpan NOLA co-founder, and Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc member Constance Lewis: “Art creates connection. Collaboration turns that connection into community.”
Free and open to the public, this immersive presentation explores the evocative possibility: “What if Joan of Arc came down from her French Quarter pedestal?” Audience members will be invited to answer written and in-dialogue questions after the 45-minute presentation, and to consider joining the 2-year collaborative process.
This July 19 event activates a two-year development process leading to the work’s full-length local debut in 2028, coinciding with the Joan of Arc Project’s 20th anniversary (founded 2008)—and the 10-year anniversary of New Orleans’ twinning with Orléans, France (2018). In 2029, New Orleans’ sister city of Orléans, France, will celebrate the 600th anniversary of Joan of Arc’s April 1429 lifting of the Siege of Orléans. Joanie off the Pony producers and performers aim to present this piece in Orléans during this special commemorative year.
Joanie off the Pony: The Mermaid of New Orleans
Sunday, July 19th at the New Orleans Jazz Museum 400 Esplanade Avenue, Third Floor Performance Center
Doors Open at 1:30 p.m. ****2:00-2:45 p.m. Live Performance****
2:45-3:15 p.m. Audience Q&A, Discussion & Feedback/ 3:15-3:45 p.m. Meet & Greet / 4:00 p.m. Event Ends
Featuring:
W8ng4ufo’s Musical Score & Performance (Bill Taft- trumpet/guitar, Brian Halloran- cello, Will Fratesi- drums, Katie Butler- viola, and Billy Fields-keyboard/piano) with Iriamu (Will Hamilton) & Jennifer Ramos as Dancer Joan
Supported by ArtSpan NOLA www.artspannola.org