Ile by Sophie Joans

“It’s less a family tree, more a family house plant that’s grown too big for its pot. After a couple generations the roots start to get a bit knotty.”

The first Durban run of the Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning production ‘Île’ by Sophie Joans takes place at The Chairman as part of the Point Waterfront Arts Festival, following a successful run at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. The coming-of-age story follows an 18-year-old girl 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 realises that underneath paradise, a volcano is still waiting to erupt.

“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

Director – Rob van Vuuren Rob van Vuuren is a multi-award comedian, actor, director and writer. He has been bringing new work to the National Arts Festival for nearly 30 years. His previous directing work includes: KG Mokgadi’s ‘Heavy’, Stuart Taylor’s ‘Funny You Should Say That’, Bevan Cullinan’s ‘Gary the Tooth Fairy’, Louw Venter’s ‘Best Man’s Speech’, Gaëtan Schmidt’s ‘Rumpsteak’, Scott Sparrow’s ‘Isabella’, and more.

Writer & Performer – Sophie Joans Sophie Joans is an award-winning theatre-maker from Cape Town with Mauritian roots. She studied theatre at UCT and Wits, and completed short courses at RADA, Comedy Cellar and Second City. Her previous works include two-hander ‘The Flower Hunters’ (2021 – Winner of Standard Bank Ovation Award) and puppet show ‘Do You Dream In Colour’ (2018 – Winner of Zabalaza Festival’s Most Innovative Play). She collaborated on the short film, Verloren (2021 – Winner of Standard Bank Silver Ovation Award). Île is her debut solo play.