The Creative Team
Sophie Joans
Writer & Performer
Sophie Joans is an award-winning theatre-maker and comedian from Cape Town, with Mauritian roots. She studied Theatre and Performance at UCT and Wits, and trained at RADA (UK), The Comedy Cellar (NYC) and Second City. Her previous works include two-hander The Flower Hunters (2021 – Winner of Standard Bank Ovation Award); puppet show Do You Dream In Colour (2018 – Winner of Zabalaza Festival’s Most Innovative Play) and Île (2022 - Winner of Standard Bank Gold Ovation Award, nominated for Best Actress at Woordfees and Best Performance in a One-Person Show, Revue or Cabaret for a Fleur de Cap). She recently played Puck in Maynardville’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Geoffrey Highland. Her new play, Dog Rose (directed by Jemma Kahn, starring Joans alongside Anthea Thompson) was selected for the Artscape’s New Voices programme, and was selected to be part of the National Arts Festival’s Arena Programme in June 2023.
Director
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.
Rob van Vuuren
Ryan Stopforth
Composer
Ryan Stopforth is a multi-instrumentalist, self-taught producer/composer from Cape Town. When he’s not running around from band to band on the scene, his head is spinning with ideas on what the next project is going to be or who he’s going to collaborate with next. His latest offering sees a collaboration with Sophie Joan’s on her award winning show, Ilê - a welcome challenge setting intimate piano behind a beautifully executed monologue and movement piece.
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