A play tackling topics as complex as sexual assault and identity – from the perspective of a sheep – will return to Galway for one night only on Tuesday, November 10, at 8pm.
Jenni Nikinmaa, a Finnish playwright and performer, formerly based on Inis Mór and currently living in Galway city, will perform her monologue Sheep! at the Mick Lally theatre after its successful premiere at the Galway Theatre Festival last spring.
Sheep! Is currently touring internatiuonally, with a performance booked at the Thessaloniki Fringe Festival, in Greece, in October, and a London premiere is set for end of November at Greenwich Theatre.
Sheep! is a monologue about sheep, flocks and belonging, told by a sheep who doesn't know how to belong after she was sexually assaulted. To find her way back into the herd, she weaves an off-beat comedic tale of sheep who are born, loved, eaten – asking for it, having such cute lambs – and go to space in search of the lost connection.
Sheep! is partly autobiographical, according to its author, who points out that over 50 per cent of women have experiences of sexual violence both in Ireland and in Finland during their lifetime. The playwright-performer's focus is on vicarious resilience rather than on what happened or who did it. The play fights for belonging in the flock even after one has "felt like a prey that had no say in the matter" within interaction with another.
Sheep! was developed as part of the Druid Fuel residency in 2023. Written and performed by Jenni Nikinmaa, directed by Sarah O'Toole and sound design is by Jack Cawley.
Tickets €10-€20 from www.Druid.ie
