Île at the EdFringe

Help support Île at the The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The best way to know who and what you are supporting, is to be introduced to the star and writer of the award winning play, Île. Enjoy the Teaser, and learning a little more about Sophie Jones. And if you want tickets to the show in Edinburgh- GET TICKETS HERE

Hi, I’m Sophie. I’m a theatre-maker from Cape Town, South Africa. When I was 16, I saw a play about a father and son that moved me so much, I decided to devote my life to theatre.

For the last 10 years, I’ve been working on trying to tell the story of my mother and I - with enough humour to do our story justice! I was supremely lucky to work with South African comedy legend, Rob Van Vuuren to bring Île to life.

If you are here because you have seen the show and want to support, then you know what it’s about. If you are here because you’re a kind and generous soul who is willing to take a chance on a play you’ve never seen, here’s a little summary:

The play is a coming-of-age story about a young girl who visits her ancestral home: the Island of Mauritius, her mother’s ‘motherland’. A hilarious and heart-warming journey ensues, of mother-daughter relationships, generational trauma, colonialism, lava, dodo birds and cousins who are a little too close for comfort. It’s a story about finding yourself in the present by diving into the past.

I have always believed in the power of theatre, the intimacy of sharing a dark room with a storyteller, to create real change in the world - through connection, and making people feel seen. I don’t know how this play came about (well, a lot of sweat and tears), but I do know I gave it my whole heart.

It has been a dream to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Fest. And I would love to show the world what South Africa’s theatre scene has to offer!

ÎLE launched at the National Arts Festival in 2022, where it won a Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award (it was one of two theatre shows to do so!)It was also nominated for Best Actress at Woordfees 2022 and a Fleur de Cap for Best Performance in a Revue, Cabaret or One-Person Show in 2023.

Basically, it’s doing the things, and I’d love to be able to take it to the next step and go global, baby!

I’ve been accepted into The Pleasance Theatre, which is one of the big 4 theatre’s at EdFringe (and has a lengthy application process!) They are big supporters of new work, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be there!

I need your help. They say that anyone can do EdFringe, if you just have the money. I don’t. Well, not yet. I’m doing this GoFundMe to raise 2000 pounds to contribute to the costs of accommodation, travel and marketing of the show. The marketing is much more expensive than one would think! There are over 3000 shows at the Fringe this year, and I would hate to go all the way there, and not have the means to properly promote to get an audience.

So, if you’d like to invest in one girl’s dream, I shall be eternally grateful.

Much love,

Sophie

?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