Sheep! a play written and performed by Jenni Nikinmaa, will return from its international tour to the Mick Lally Theatre for one night only on Tuesday, November 10, at 8pm.
The monologue, which uses the extended metaphor of sheep to examine effects of sexual violence, has been nominated for the KLUG award for Women Reclaiming the Arts at Thessaloniki Fringe, Greece.
Sheep! is partly autobiographical, which is no surprise with over 50 per cent of women reporting experiences of sexual violence in most European countries, but 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.”
Sheep! was developed as part of the Druid Fuel residency in 2023. It is written and performed by Jenni Nikinmaa, directed by Sarah O'Toole with sound design is by Jack Cawley.
Nikinmaa is a playwright and performer from Finland, banished to the Western outskirts of Europe because “she doesn’t like sauna”. Now she lives in Ireland and writes weird, wonderful, off-beat comedic plays about grim autobiographical experiences with unblinking kindness and touch of otherworldly magic. Nikinmaa is an In Situ platform artist 2026, recipient of multiple awards from The Arts Council of Ireland and was shortlisted for Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize in 2020.
Sheep! will be performed at Colchester Fringe, for three nights at the Headgate Theatre before Galway on November 10, after which it will get its London premiere at Greenwich Theatre. In 2027, the play can be seen in Helsinki, Finland and Visual Carlow, with future touring plans across Europe and beyond.
Tickets €20/€16 from www.Druid.ie
