Île | Created by Sophie Joans

ABOUT

Île is an award-winning play by Sophie Joans, directed by Rob Van Vuuren. 

The coming-of-age story follows 18-year-old Sophie, who visits her ancestral home: Mauritius. A trip to a tropical island to connect with her extended family (and have some fun away from her mother) gets too real as she uncovers the dark history and strange characters who call the island home. She soon realises that underneath paradise, a volcano is still waiting to erupt. 

Île was one of four productions to win the Gold Standard Bank Ovation Awards at the National Arts Festival Makhanda in June 2022.

“It’s a hell of a play. The writing is superb. It’s fast, funny, and able to turn on a dime – from the outrageous and the absurd to moments of striking sincerity. It’s a play that excavates and animates the aforementioned matrilineal lines as a point of connection, a search for one’s personal history to better make sense of the present. We’re just along for the journey, and happily so.” - Dave Mann, The Critter

“Sophie Joans’ Île is a deliciously captivating piece of theatre. Heightened stand-up comedy, together with knockout physical comedy, astute use of props (wooden cubes) and activation of the stage space. It is uplifting, funny and inspiring. The show reverberates in terms of our families (especially our mothers), our relationships, the stories we cherish, tell and embrace.”     - Robyn Cohen, The Cape Robyn